Albert Geoffrey McElhinney OAM (20 December 1922 – 21 July 2017), better known by his stage name Geoff Mack, was an Australian

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

singer, songwriter and aircraft mechanic. As a songwriter, he wrote the song "

I've Been Everywhere "I've Been Everywhere" is a song written by Australian country singer Geoff Mack in 1959, and popularised by Lucky Starr and Hank Snow in 1962. The song as originally written listed Australian towns. It was later adapted by Australian singe ...

" which was an Australian hit for Lucky Starr in April 1962 and became popular in North America when adapted for

Hank Snow Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow (May 9, 1914 – December 20, 1999) was a Canadian-American country music artist. Most popular in the 1950s, he had a career that spanned more than 50 years, he recorded 140 albums and charted more than 85 singles on ...

in November. More than 130

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

s have been recorded. In 2008, Mack was inducted into the

Australian Roll of Renown The Australian Roll of Renown was inaugurated bRadio 2TMin 1976. The award honours Australian and New Zealander musicians who have shaped the music industry by making a significant and lasting contribution to Country Music. The award is determin ...

Biography

Born on 20 December 1922 in Surrey Hills, a suburb of Melbourne. His father was William Arthur Henry McElhinney, and his mother was Ethel Mary (née Park). Mack's musical career was established during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he enlisted on 4 June 1942 in the

RAAF "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

, and was trained as an aircraft mechanic; he was discharged on 7 January 1946 with the rank of corporal from 62 ACW (Airfield Construct Wing). In 1944 whilst serving in Borneo, his ability to play the guitar and sing was noticed, and he was seconded to entertain the troops with visiting guest stars. In May 1946, Mack was an ex-serviceman performer on a theatre concert, who "was responsible for most of the laughs with his vocal gymnastics, his number, ' In Der Fuhrer's Face', being a gem of its kind, which had the audience in hysterics." At the end of the war, Mack went to Japan with the Occupation Forces to perform, and was appointed to Radio WLKS as the voice of the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces. In August 1950, he returned to Australia after performing for British, American, French, German, and Japanese audiences, including his rendition of "

Waltzing Matilda "Waltzing Matilda" is a song developed in the Australian style of poetry and folk music called a bush ballad. It has been described as the country's "unofficial national anthem". The title was Australian slang for travelling on foot (waltzing) ...

". His 1959 song, "

", became a hit in Australia in 1962 with the release of a cover version by Lucky Starr. It later reached the top of the song charts in the United States, Germany, and Japan. The song has now been recorded in 131 different versions, notably on Johnny Cash's 1996 album '' Unchained''.

Honours

Mack was inducted into the

Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work, represent, and maintain, the her ...

in Nashville in 1963. He was awarded the

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in 2005 for his service to country music, and his support of community and senior citizens' group

Australian Roll of Renown

The

honours Australian and New Zealander musicians who have shaped the music industry by making a significant and lasting contribution to Country Music. It was inaugurated in 1976 and the inductee is announced at the

Country Music Awards of Australia The Country Music Awards of Australia also known as the Golden Guitar Awards (originally named Australasian Country Music Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, in Tamworth, New South Wales ...

in Tamworth in January. , - , 2008 , Geoff Mack , Australian Roll of Renown ,

CMAA Awards

These annual awards have been presented since 1973 and have been organised by

Country Music Association of Australia The Country Music Association of Australia (CMAA) is an association formed in 1992 that promotes and represents the Australian country music industry. As the peak national industry body, its activities include organisation, promotion and stagin ...

(CMAA) from 1993, to "encourage, promote and recognise excellence in Australian country music recording". From that time the recipient's trophy has been a

Golden Guitar The Big Golden Guitar is one of the many "big" attractions that can be found around Australia. Located in Tamworth, New South Wales, the monument is one of the best-known points of interest in New England. It is also a major attraction duri ...

. , - , 1978 , , Geoff Mack , , Hands of Fame , , , - , 2013 , , Geoff Mack , , Lifetime Achievement , , , -

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the

Mo Awards The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards) were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, that where established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were l ...

), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Geoff Mack won two awards in that time. (wins only) , - , 1994 , Geoff Mack , John Campbell Fellowship Award , , - , 2012 , Geoff Mack , Hall of Fame , , -

Tamworth Songwriters Awards

The Tamworth Songwriters Association (TSA) is an annual songwriting contest for original country songs, awarded in January at the

Tamworth Country Music Festival The Tamworth Country Music Festival is an annual Australian music festival held for 10 days from Friday to Sunday in mid to late January each year, sometimes including Australia Day, in Tamworth, New South Wales. The festival is the second bigg ...

. They commenced in 1986. (wins only) , - , 1993 , Geoff Mack , Tex Morton Award , , -

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mack, Geoff 1922 births 2017 deaths Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Australian country guitarists Australian country singers Australian singer-songwriters Acoustic guitarists Singers from Melbourne Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Australian male guitarists Australian male singer-songwriters Military personnel from Melbourne People from Surrey Hills, Victoria