Stories & Testimonials
Presented here are stories, memories and tributes from fellow musicians, friends and admirers, each reflecting Buddy's lasting influence on Australian Country Music.
We warmly invite you to share your own memories through our CONTACT PAGE.
To ensure consistency, we may make small spelling or grammar adjustments while preserving the spirit and authenticity of your words.
Thank you for enriching this tribute and helping keep Buddy's story alive for future generations.
Buddy Williams wasn't only the "last of the old pioneers"; he was the last of the singers who really had the
Australian bushland and its people in his heart.
He performed so much out in the Outback, so much to black-and-white bushies that he sounded like one of them, and I supposed that's it; he was one of them.
I have always said that you have to actually know it to sing about it with any sincerity.
Buddy and I, on the odd occasions that we sang at the same festival, got on very well.
I hope it was because he knew I was on the same track.
I have one of his posters proudly in my big shed as one of the greats in Country Music.
John
%20with%20John%20Williamson.jpg)
John's Tribute song to Buddy - The Last of the Pioneers
John with Buddy's bronze statue in Tamworth
John's artistic impression of Buddy in the Outback
It was Saturday, 8th July when we'd just arrived at the caravan park in Alice Springs.
It had been raining for several days, and the Todd River was in full flood!
Looking across the park, I noticed a bloke with a mile-wide grin on his face.
It didn't take long to realize it was Buddy Williams.
His travelling show had also rolled into town.
As I walked over, Buddy already had his hand outstretched, ready to greet me with a warm, welcoming handshake.
We then wandered around Buddy's tour trucks where we found Buddy's wife Grace, busily making stacks of homemade sandwiches on an immaculate space she had set up on the tray of the truck.
She was preparing them to sell during the intermission of that night's show.
As Buddy put it with a smile, "Just another way to make an extra quid."
Our show, The Rick and Thel Carey Show had been booked to perform at one of the local missions out of town that night.
Unfortunately, the roads were flooded and the show had to be cancelled.
Buddy's show, however, went ahead without a hitch.
It was held in one of the old halls in town, well protected from the rain and rising waters, and he performed to an absolute bumper crowd.
In my opinion, Buddy Williams remains one of the true legends of Australian country music.
His songs will live on forever.
Ray Kernaghan
Ray with Karen Williams
Ray's son Lee's duet with Buddy on Lee's Album Rules of the Road
Despite not having the privilege of meeting the great Buddy Williams, his music has made a huge impact on me and my life.
My grandparents introduced me to the music of Buddy Williams.
The first thing that I would do whenever we visited was to put Buddy's music on and lie in front of the player on my belly and listen to the words.
Fast forward a few years when I was asked to sing at the iconic Tamworth Town Hall.
I walked out onto the stage and nervously sang Let's Grow Old Together that my grandparents had helped me handpick for the concert.
This was a celebration of Australian country music and recordings.
As I played the last note on my guitar, I saw a silhouette stand from the front row and walk towards the stage.
It was Smoky Dawson.
Smoky shook my hand and told me how Buddy would have loved my version.
What an honour!
I have since recorded that beautiful song as a duet with Dean Perrett featuring Tommy Emmanuel.
Buddy will stand the test of time as an Australian legend.
An incredible entertainer who also paved the way for our Australian Bush Balladeers.
A true Australian icon.
Aleyce Simmonds
Aleyce Simmonds Collector's Edition
Smoky and Buddy
Some of my fondest childhood memories are of travelling with my family to see The Buddy Williams Show.
My dad, Bill Osterfield, and Buddy served together in the 2/31st battalion 7th division, the Divvy as dad called it.
Their bond of friendship lasted throughout their lives.
My dad, Bill, was right beside him when the medics carried him from the battlefield.
He remembered how pale Buddy was, fading in and out of consciousness.
Dad said that the medics kept giving him a tablet, one that wasn't to be given repeatedly, just to keep him alive long enough to be evacuated.
Years later when the war was behind them, Buddy's show would come to town.
I can still picture him sitting on the arm of my grandmother's chair, singing and playing his guitar.
Our families became inseparable.
My sister Maree and I grew up calling him Uncle Buddy and his wife Aunty Grace.
My mum, Fay, and dad treasured that bond.
The mateship between Buddy and dad flowed naturally into our families.
We shared holidays on the South Coast, full of laughter and mischief.
Buddy played a huge role in encouraging my music.
He invited me to appear as a guest on his show whenever they were nearby, and one of my treasured memories is celebrating my 21st birthday on the Buddy Williams Show.
He even wrote the cover notes for my Outlaw album.
Buddy had a gift for supporting young talent, and I was lucky to be one of the people he believed in.
I don't think dad was ever as proud as when he saw his daughter onstage with his old army mate.
From the trenches of the Divvy to the bright lights of a country music show, their friendship endured through everything that life threw at them.
It shaped our families, our memories, and my own path in music.
I will always be grateful for the bond between the Williams and Osterfield families, and for the love, Laughter, and legacy that Buddy left with us all.
Lee
Buddy and Billy in later years
Billy and Buddy circa 50s
Lee Onstage
Outlaw Album
Note: Lee is a gifted and respected Artist. Her work can be found in search engines under
Ellen Lee Osterfield - Australian Artist
To mention the name Buddy Williams takes me back to the magical time of the 60's, a time when I was lucky enough to be part of the famous Buddy Williams Show.
I must laugh when I hear the bands of today complain about their hard six-week tours.
In contrast we toured right around Australia every year, showing six nights a week year in year out.
Ahh those were the days.
Now to ask me what kind of a man Buddy was, well in two simple words, he was a man's man.
He valued loyalty and couldn't stand show-offs; backbiting was another thing he had no time for.
He once told me he heard someone running him down in a camp shower block, so he went back to his caravan and wrote the song Poison Darts.
You know, there was a saying around the shows that if Buddy had $100, he would spend $99 on the show.
This was evident in the stylish caravans and American cars we travelled in.
Apart from that, I saw another side of the man.
I saw him suffering from a bad cold, and on stage he would turn to us in the wings and ask us to let him know if his guitar was in tune as his hearing was affected by the cold.
Note: It was little-known that Buddy had a condition known as catarrh, which could worsen significantly when he contracted a common cold.
As they say, the show must go on.
I also remember him working all night while the rest of us were sleeping, removing the motor from a show truck so it could be repaired by dawn, so we could make it to the next town to do a show.
Buddy Williams, a singer, a songwriter, a showman, and is most often recognized as the pioneer of country music in Australia.
All I can say is, he was a good bloke to work for, and I should know, for I was with him for three years.
Yours in Country
Buddy Weston
Buddy Weston recorded an album of Buddy's songs From The Pen of Buddy Williams. The Man From Dorrigo appears on that album.
Buddy was a true pioneer of Australian Country Music.
His style came from the same source that inspired every early country artist, the great Jimmie Rodgers.
Buddy had a distinct sound.
His voice was strong yet sweet, when he was telling stories of Australia and its characters.
His guitar playing was powerful, with a driving rhythm and inventive lead breaks, especially on his early recordings.
He had a good ear for a song and a story, and he lived and worked harder than anyone else in the business.
I personally loved him and his whole family.
I learned a lot from being around Buddy, and he will be remembered as a man who embodied the spirit of Australia, a storyteller who sang of his passion for his homeland.
I met Buddy when I was little.
My father had taken us kids to see him in the hope of getting on his show.
I remember how loving and kind he was to us.
When our dad died, Buddy took the whole family on tour with him, and we had a wonderful experience being around the entire Williams family.
He was a hard worker and encouraged everyone around him to be better and to do their best.
I later joined Buddy's show when I was sixteen years old.
He wanted me to play the pedal steel, banjo, guitar, bass, sing harmonies and work the lights too, which I did!
I spent a few years on the road that taught me a great deal.
He had a good sense of humour and loved to tell stories when we sat up late at night around the campfire until dawn!
I always stayed up and listened, because I knew how much he loved a good yarn, and it brought us closer, like family.
The only time I ever saw him unable to perform was when the shrapnel in his body from WWII wounds would move and put him in agony for a few days.
He would bounce back, and we'd move on to the next town.
Buddy was an important force in Australian country music.
He wrote songs about real life and real people and sang them from his big heart.
He loved the land, and Aboriginal people, and he helped keep a great deal of culture alive through his powerful song writing.
In fact, he paved the way for writers like John Williamson to follow in his footsteps and I, as an Aussie, will always be grateful to Buddy for his songs and stories about our beloved land and its characters.
I can still hear him saying to me as we were trying to fix a truck engine "What's your diagnostics Atom Bomb?".
Thanks for all the great memories, Buddy.
With much respect -Tommy.
Tommy Emmanuel
Tommy's latest documentary The Endless Road
Tommy talking about Buddy.
Click the music icon for sound.
Tommy with his Grammy 2024
Around about 1986, I was working as a guitarist and record producer for Tamworth's Hadley Sound Studio.
I spoke to the owners, Eric and Hilary Scott, about the idea of recording an instrumental tribute album of
Buddy Williams' songs.
I had spent three years touring with Buddy as his guitarist and always admired him as a great Australian artist.
I knew all of his popular songs.
I would have been only about ten years old when I started playing his songs as instrumentals.
The album, My Tribute To Buddy was recorded and released and it was very well received.
One of the songs chosen was Over Hilltop and Hollow.
It caught the ear of ABC's Ian McNamara and his radio programme Australia All Over.
The instrumental version of Over Hilltop and Hollow was also released on an ABC album.
At the time, I performed at a number of live shows with Ian and noticed how many people loved the instrumental.
Since then, I have continued to receive many requests for the song.
I also recorded the instrumental introduction of Australia All Over which I believe is still being used.
I thank Buddy and Macca for their input in helping make it such a popular instrumental.
It has sold many CDs over the years and has become one of my best-selling recordings.
Lindsay Butler
Buddy's instrumental song Kangaroo
We all have our own stories to tell about Buddy Williams.
We were truly blessed to have had the privilege, honour and opportunity of meeting him, shaking his hand, getting his autograph, working with him or sitting around a campfire even if only for a quick hello accompanied by that warm, engaging smile.
Just crossing his path on life's highway was an event in itself.
Buddy Williams was a gift from God, and he had a voice from heaven, he was destined for stardom.
We can all remember the first time we heard that beautiful voice over the airwaves on the wireless, or playing his 78 records on the gramophone.
Buddy was so genuine, he possessed sincerity of purpose, transparency of character, and a reverence for truth.
Truth was what his life and music were all about.
He was a true pioneer and helped give birth to what Australian Country Music is today, and what a shining example he left for us all to follow.
We have such treasured memories of our dear friend Buddy Williams, and memories are a precious gift that not even death can destroy.
The song may have ended, but the melody still lives.
Tom and Ted
The LeGarde Twins
What an honour it is indeed to offer my thoughts on the great Buddy Williams.
Buddy Williams was an Australian legend, an icon, and the first Australian-born superstar, but most importantly, a humble bloke.
To me, Buddy was the first singer to bring that strong rural rhythm to everyday Aussies.
His story songs captured the Australian bush, its challenges, hardships and pleasures, and reflected the true
realities and moods of everyday life in the bush.
His contribution to Australian Country Music is immeasurable.
His stylings and songs have been handed down as a great example of showmanship and direction that traditional country music artists in Australia still follow closely today.
The Buddy Williams travelling show reached every part of our great country.
The station workers, Aboriginal people of the north and outback to the folk of the most southern communities of Tasmania all loved and waited in anticipation for Buddy each year.
Buddy's influence on myself and the music I make is a part of who I am as an entertainer.
His energy his music, his spirit, the stories and memories that are the legend of Buddy Williams will always live on.
Let's all sing his praises, and all keep handing along the gift he gave to us all.
Kind seasons
Dean Perrett
Dean's tribute song to Buddy - The Last Hillbilly Man written by Ian Quinn
Buddy Williams is what this land is all about.
He started with nothing but a dream, and he and wife Grace toiled and sacrificed to fulfil that dream.
Recognition and success were achieved many thousands of miles ago.
Fate dealt Buddy some bad hands over the years.
Details are not necessary except to say a lesser man would have thrown in the towel.
For anyone to even contemplate that of Buddy would prove they aren't lucky enough to know him.
I'm proud to have known him and call him friend.
Buddy Williams is as Australian as the Ghost Gum and his talent is imposing.
As for his heart and soul - Ghost Gums don't come that big.
Bert
Bert Newton
I'm delighted to be invited to contribute to this section of the Buddy Williams website.
My sister had a beautiful singing voice and could really yodel.
Neighbours often said they could hear her yodelling as she brought the cows home.
She learnt to yodel from listening to Buddy Williams, Shirley Thoms and Wilf Cater records.
We were raised on country music, and dad had a gramophone in the dairy.
He played country tunes constantly while milking the cows, mostly Buddy Williams and Wilf Carter although others were played as well.
Mum and dad always noticed that the cows were calm and content whenever Buddy or Wilf were singing, so they became the favourites.
Mum, a gifted artist, was over the moon when she was asked to paint a picture on one of Buddy's guitar cases.
It was one of the most memorable moments of her life, and she felt deeply honoured.
I have such beautiful memories of those times, as does my husband Bill.
He loved Buddy, and whenever I hear Buddy Williams' voice or that of Wilf Carter, I'm taken back to those peaceful days on the farm. It's a time I can sit quietly and remember.
Kathy
Kathy Kettle
Bill and Ross Kettle - The Singing Kettles
Like many artists of my era, I toured with The Buddy Williams Show and was proud to be part of the troupe during the 1960s.
Buddy was legendary for getting the show through, no matter what stood in his way.
Floods, fires, washed-out roads or boggy tracks were all part of the job.
Somehow, Buddy always found a way to get to the next performance.
One memory I'll never forget is travelling through the Northern Tablelands of NSW on our way to do a show in Dorrigo.
A massive bushfire was raging.
The flames licked the sides of the trucks, cars, and caravans as we drove through.
Buddy kept going, and we all followed, arriving safely.
Not many people turned up to the show that night, which was understandable given the circumstances, but the show went on anyway.
That was how Bud was.
He was the first travelling showman to bring entertainment to the isolated Aboriginal missions of the rugged Top End and Central Australia.
In doing so, he blazed a trail that many others would later follow.
Buddy wasn't just an entertainer; he was a pioneer, a leader, and a man deeply committed to bringing music and enjoyment to people, no matter where they lived.
I was inspired to write a tribute song in his honour, titled Our Buddy.
Rex Dallas
When I asked Chad if he would write a testimonial for Buddy, his response was immediate:
"Anything for Bud."
Before Chad's passing in January 2025, we shared many wonderful phone calls filled with laughter and stories from the old touring days.
Even in his nineties, Chad remained as sharp as a tack, with a quick wit and a remarkable memory.
He spoke often of how much he loved Buddy and told me many times that Buddy was his best mate on the road.
In the days when travelling shows crisscrossed the country, it was common for showmen to try to "jump" one another, an old show term for finding out where another show was heading and getting there first to capture the biggest crowds.
According to Chad, Buddy was different.
"He'd ask me, 'Which way are you headed, Chad?'
If I said east, he'd say, 'Well, I'll go west, that way we can both make a quid.'
More importantly, Buddy always did exactly what he said he would do.
"There was no backbiting, and we promoted each others shows," Chad said. "You could trust Buddy's word."
Whenever their paths crossed on the road, Chad was always delighted to see Grace.
He especially loved her stews, and she made sure there was always a tasty stew waiting whenever Chad was around.
In the final week of his life, Chad became very ill and asked if I would write something on his behalf, based on our talks.
Thank you for the stories, the laughter, and for sharing your memories of your dear friend.
I hope these words reflect the respect, admiration and affection you carried for Buddy throughout your life.
You were deeply loved by your family, treasured by your friends, and admired by Australians everywhere.
Rest peacefully, mate.
From the recollections of Chad Morgan recorded on his behalf.
Chad Morgan 11/02/33 - 01/01/25
Chad and Buddy
A little while ago, someone contacted me and asked if I might consider writing a song about Buddy Williams.
The more I learned about Buddy, his life and legacy, the more I became convinced it was a great topic for a song.
In fact, I thought his story was worthy of a Hollywood movie.
It has been a privilege to tell a small part of his story in song, and I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Here is the song When Buddy Sang
Eric Bogle
This song is a private pressing for the Williams family. You will hear it here for the first time.
