What is a Bush Ballad?

By: Brendon Walmsley

In listening and talking with today’s “Bush Balladeers” there seems to be a general consensus that the style of music has a lot to do with determining this specific genre.

The “pick strum” style of playing the guitar is the trademark sound of the Traditional bush ballad. It’s this that sets it apart from other forms of country music more than lyrical content. Of course the lyrical content is also very important and must pertain to rural Australian life, characters, etc.

However, there are songs about the bush and rural life etc put to contemporary music that are not considered traditional bush ballads. (eg artists- John Williamson, Sara Storer, Graeme Connors, Colin Buchanan, Brendon Walmsley.) These songs would be considered Contemporary Bush Ballads or Country Ballads.

Then there’s the issue of whether or not a bush ballad has a chorus. Saddle Boy and Rain Tumbles Down In July have no chorus. Leave Him In The Longyard, Rusty It’s Goodbye – have a chorus. All recognised as bush ballads (by me). I believe it can have both. All are pick ‘n strum in musical style, all relate to the bush, (all recorded by Slim Dusty).

Why reduce the pool of songs to choose from? Especially at a talent quest level. Let’s face it, bush ballads (of any style) are already limited in their commercial availability. If we restrict this style any further, it makes it even harder to find songs that suit. If there’s not that many songs available to learn, then logically it’s not that popular – only a very small percentage will want to hear it or perform it, especially the kids who care more about trend than tradition.

Eventually that style will die out – and that defeats the whole purpose of trying to preserve our music’s heritage. If popular opinion believes a bush ballad can be done with or without a chorus (and I’ve found no logical reason to dispute this), then why not go with that?