Chad Morgan

Chadwick William Morgan (11 February 1933 – 1 January 2025) was an Australian country music singer and guitarist known for his vaudeville style of comic country and western and folk songs, his prominent teeth and goofy stage persona. In reference to his first recording, he was nicknamed as "The Sheik of Scrubby Creek". In February 2024, Morgan announced that he would retire following the final show of his Farewell to Australia. The final show was on 21 April 2024. Chadwick William Morgan was born on 11 February 1933 in Wondai, Queensland, as the eldest of 14 children, to Dave and Ivy Morgan. From an early age he was raised by his grandparents, Bill and Eva Hopkins. After his grandfather died in 1947, with his grandmother, he moved back to Scrubby Creek to live with his mother and siblings. Both parents were amateur musicians; his father played accordion and his mother accordion and mandolin, while Morgan learned guitar. He left school at age 14 and found work cutting timber. According to Morgan, he made a dentist appointment to remove his protruding teeth. "I was tormented so much ... But the farm truck broke down." He later reflected that he was glad he never made another appointment. From 1948, he worked on cattle farms near Rockhampton and began composing music. Morgan's lyrics use Australian slang including sheilas, drongos, dills and geezers. He was discovered through Australia's Amateur Hour, a radio talent contest, where he sang his original song "The Sheik of Scrubby Creek" and became a national finalist. By November 1952 he had recorded that track together with "You Can Keep Your Wimmln and I'll Stick to My Beer". He signed with Regal Zonophone Records (a subsidiary of EMI), which issued his debut single, "The Sheik of Scrubby Creek", in December. He was described as a "Queensland hillbilly" with a "deadpan, bumpkin style". He also undertook national service with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) at Amberley Base. Morgan toured extensively during his career, including with the Slim Dusty Show, the All Star Western Show and the Chad Morgan Show. He released 18 studio albums and undertook regular live performances. At the 1987 Country Music Awards of Australia he was inducted into the Australian Roll of Renown, and was awarded an Order of Australia (OAM]) on Australia Day (26 January) in 2004 for "service to country music". Morgan appeared in the films Newsfront (1978) and Dimboola (1979). In the former film he provided a cameo as "Redex singer". For the latter film he depicted Bayonet with "the full force of his unusual personality... [and] the lustre of his success in the entertainment world." Morgan contributed one verse to the Gordon Parsons song "A Pub with No Beer". He was dubbed the "clown prince of comedy" by Slim Dusty. He recorded a duet with John Williamson, "A Country Balladeer". He had platinum and gold album sales, and is one of Australia's most popular country music artists. Morgan performed at Sydney Opera House with Slim Dusty in April 1978. An album of the concert was released three years later, as On & Off the Road. It was released the same year as Sheilas, Drongos, Dills & Other Geezers, which contained 20 of Morgan's hits from the 1950s and 1960s. In 2009 he wrote a song about his Aboriginal heritage dedicated to his grandparents who raised him as a child, "The Ballad of Bill and Eva". It was recorded with his granddaughter, Caitlin Morgan. Artists who have impersonated Morgan in their shows include Col Elliott and John Williamson. Barry Humphries used Morgan as his inspiration for Les Patterson's teeth. Tex Morton once described Morgan as the only original country music artist in Australia. In January 2023, Morgan was touring rural Victoria, his career having spanned over 70 years. Morgan was hospitalised for 14 months from December 1954 following a collision between his motorcycle and a car. His injuries included two broken ribs, broken hand and broken leg, which subsequently prevented doing "hard physical work, [so he] turned to singing." At age 47, the singer suffered a stroke. He married fellow singer Pam Mitchell in 1957. The couple had three children, Chad Jr., Allan and Janelle. Morgan's second marriage was to Joanie, lasting from 1985 to 2017 (her death). He also admitted to being a heavy drinker and smoker. After their wedding, Morgan gave up drinking and smoking. As of 2004, he had resided in Bli Bli, Queensland. In 2008, false rumours of his death began to surface after an erroneous announcement on radio 4GY. The radio station later apologised for the rumour. Morgan's biographical documentary film, I'm Not Dead Yet, was directed by Janine Hosking and released in 2011. The Australian writer Anna Rose published his biography, Chad Morgan − Seventy Years in the Making, in 2022. Morgan died on 1 January 2025 at the age of 91. The Australian Roll of Renown honours Australian and New Zealander musicians who have shaped the music industry by making a significant and lasting contribution to country music. It was inaugurated in 1976 and the inductee is announced at the Country Music Awards of Australia in Tamworth each January. Morgan was given a Lifetime Achievement award at the 2010 CMAA Country Music Awards of Australia, as the first person to be honoured with this award. A bronze bust of Morgan was unveiled in Tamworth's Bicentennial Park in 2017. The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (known informally as the Mo Awards) were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognised achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Morgan won one award during that time. The Queensland Music Awards (previously known as Q Song Awards) are annual awards celebrating Queensland, Australia's brightest emerging artists and established legends. They commenced in 2006. The Tamworth Songwriters Association (TSA) is an annual songwriting contest for original country songs, awarded in January at the Tamworth Country Music Festival. They commenced in 1986. General Rose, Anna (2022), Chad Morgan: Seventy Years in the Making, Anna Rose Publications, ISBN 978-0-648-17534-6 Specific "Chad Morgan Announces Retirement, Last Show At 91". Country Town. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2024. "Chad Morgan". Country Music Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 14 March 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2023 – via National Library of Australia. "Chad Morgan". Country Music Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 31 March 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2023 – via National Library of Australia. Quinn, Ben (2 October 2004). "Just glad to be Chad". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 7 March 2016. Dawson, Dave (13 January 2023). "Dave's Diary – 13 January 2023 – Chad Morgan Feature". Nu Country. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023 – via National Library of Australia. Carr, Valerie (22 May 1968). "'The Sheik of Scrubby Creak'". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 35, no. 51. p. 7. Retrieved 25 August 2023 – via National Library of Australia. Veitch, Jock (29 March 1964). ""The sheik" comes to town". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 May 2014. "Bosses not Pushing". The Courier-Mail. No. 4994. Queensland, Australia. 29 November 1952. p. 8. Retrieved 21 August 2023 – via National Library of Australia. ""The Sheik" is now on a disc". The Sunday Mail. No. 1680. Queensland, Australia. 7 December 1952. p. 24. Retrieved 23 August 2023 – via National Library of Australia. MacDonald, Dougal (24 July 1979). "Cinema Dimboola earns a vote of thanks". The Canberra Times. Vol. 53, no. 16, 009. p. 16. Retrieved 23 August 2023 – via National Library of Australia. "Roll of Renown". TCMF. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018. "Award Extract − Australian Honours Search Facility". pmc.gov.au. 26 January 2004. Retrieved 22 August 2023. "Name: Chad Morgan". Bonza – Australia & New Zealand Database. Archived from the original on 22 July 2008. Retrieved 25 August 2023 –