This lavishly printed coffee-table book is the second edition of Smoky’s 1985 “Smoky Dawson: A Life”, updated with a chapter on Smoky from 1985 until his death in 2008 (at the age of 94) and containing some 220 photographs (compared with about 50 in the original book).

The first edition has been long out of print, so this expanded version is especially welcome. In it, Smoky relates details of his childhood and abusive treatment by his father, his early career in Hawaiian and then country music, his time in the United States in the early 1950s, and his popular “The Adventures of Smoky Dawson” radio show, which ran for ten years between 1952 and 1962.

It’s well written and interesting reading. Smoky was one of the pioneers of Australian country music, although in many respects he was different from the likes of TexMorton, Buddy Williams and Slim Dusty. He seems to have modelled himself on Gene Autry rather than Jimmie Rodgers.

If you’re ordering the book, you can (for an additional cost) also buy Smoky’s “Homestead Of My Dreams” compact disc, which showcases Smoky’s talents as a songwriter and singer. Another CD to consider is from the British Jasmine label, “Smoky Dawson – Sings And Tells Of Bushrangers, The Outback And Famous Country Songs”, available from Jasmine Records.