A Pub with No Beer
“A Pub With No Beer” is the title of a humorous country song made famous by country singers Slim Dusty (in Australia and the United States) and Bobbejaan Schoepen (in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria).
The song was adapted by Gordon Parsons from the original poem “A Pub Without Beer” by Dan Sheahan of Ingham, North Queensland (originally from Newmarket, Ireland) in the Day Dawn Hotel, now known as Lees Hotel, Ingham, Queensland. It’s believed the song was first performed in public by Gordon Parsons in 1954 at the 50th birthday of George Thomas, a resident of Creek Ridge Road, Glossodia (near Windsor in Sydney). It was performed with an extra verse that was dropped from Slim Dusty’s recorded version, because it contained elements of blue humour.
In 1957, “A Pub With No Beer” became the first Australian single to become a gold record and was the biggest-selling record by an Australian at the time. It was the first single by an Australian artist to enter the British charts, reaching number three. In 1959, Dusty wrote and recorded a sequel “The Answer To A Pub With No Beer”, explaining the reason for the beer delivery truck’s failure to arrive and describing the townsmen’s efforts to solve the problem. Another sequel, “The Sequel To A Pub With No Beer”, shows that the town now has a guaranteed delivery, thanks to air freight.
In May 2001, Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA) celebrated its 75th anniversary by naming the Best Australian Songs of all time. As decided by a 100 strong industry panel, “A Pub With No Beer” was ranked fifth on the list. In June 2008, the song was included in the National Film and Sound Archive’s Sounds of Australia registry.
Renditions
Anne Kirkpatrick & Slim Dusty, Bobbejaan Schoepen (Benelux, Germany, Austria, 1959/1960), Johnny Cash, Bluey Francis, Errol Gray, Foster & Allen, Gordon Parsons, The Irish Rovers, Johnny Greenwood, John Williamson (performed a parody version of the song called “A Dog With No Hair”), Nokturnl, Richard Clayderman, Rodney Vincent, The Singing Kettles, Stewart Peters and The Ten Tenors. Other sources mention versions by Johnny Ashcroft, The Pogues, Danny O’Flaherty, Patsy Watchorn, The Clancy Brothers, Merv Allen & The Jimmy Johnston Showband and Wilson Cole, Rolf Harris (UK, 1963), Hamish Imlach (UK, 1995), The Dubliners (1967), Adge Cutler & The Wurzels (UK, 1968), Midnight Oil (Australia, 1998), Dead Man Ray (Belgium, 2001), Donut Kings (2009).
In the Day Dawn Hotel, now known as Lees Hotel, Ingham, Queensland. It’s believed the song was first performed in public by Gordon Parsons in 1954
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