Author

Diamond, Dick

Title

Selections from Reedy river - Cover Image

Imprint

Diaphon, 1955

Description

Long-playing vinyl sound recording, cover art and notes.

Abstract

Reedy River is a musical play set in the period after the 1890s shearers' strike. It was written by Dick Diamond and performed by the Melbourne New Theatre in 1953, featuring the band the Bushwhackers and Chris Kempster (1933-2004) who had set Henry Lawson's poem 'Reedy River' (1896) to music in 1949 . It was directed by Marie Armstrong.

"Kempster was a committed socialist and keen member of the Eureka Youth League. He sang Reedy River to a League camp and in 1951 it travelled to the World Youth Forum in Berlin. The following year it was featured at the Youth Carnival for Peace and Fellowship in Sydney. In 1953 it became the title song for the New Theatre's ground-breaking musical play, Reedy River. The play broke all records for an Australian musical and has since been revived many times. The song itself is now an Australian classic."
Obituary by Keith McKenry (First published in The Australian, February 2004). See Australain Folk Songs.

Related entries

Cultural Forms

• Songs

Institutions

• New Theatre

People

• Diamond, Dick

Subjects

• Strikes and lock-outs

See also

• Eureka Youth League (1941 - )
• Lawson, Henry (1867 - 1922)
• Socialism - 1940 to 1959

Related Published resources

hasPart

• Diamond, Dick, Widgeegoweera Joe, 1955. MP3 Details
• Diamond, Dick, Ballad of '91, 1955. MP3 Details
• Diamond, Dick, Reedy lagoon, 1955. MP3 Details
• Diamond, Dick, Banks of the Condamine, 1955. MP3 Details
• Diamond, Dick, Old black billy, 1955. MP3 Details
• Diamond, Dick, Reedy river, 1955. MP3 Details
• Diamond, Dick, Eumerella shore, 1955. MP3 Details
• Diamond, Dick, Click go the shears, 1955. MP3 Details
• Diamond, Dick, Selections from Reedy river - Liner Notes, 1955. PDF Details
• Dick, Diamond, Four little Johnny cakes, 1955. MP3 Details