The Singing Stockmen

Norm Scott III (b. 1 January 1907, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, d. date unknown) and brother Arthur Scott (5)(b. 1903, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, d. 1968) were a pioneer singing duo of early Australian country music. Norm played guitar and banjo-mandolin and was singing professionally in 1924. Around 1928, he opened his Hawaiian Club, where he built up a business teaching guitar classes. He also formed his Hawaiian Club Band broadcasting on 2GB until the mid-50s. During the early days several later famous artists including Buddy Williams played at the club, while Tim McNamara and the McKean Sisters had guitar lessons there. After noting the success of Tex Morton’s early recordings, Norm and Arthur began performing as the Singing Stockmen and cut two sides, ‘Night Time In Nevada’ and ‘Hillbilly Valley’, for Regal Zonophone Records in October 1938, followed by six further recordings on 12 May 1939. Realizing that the Hawaiian Band, who were used on the recordings, were unsuitable for country music work, Norm formed a hillbilly band. It included Dick Carr (b. 1911, Melbourne, Australia, d. date unknown), a steel guitarist who later had solo success before becoming the leader of EMI’s noted studio band, George Raymond (a fiddler who later forged a solo career as a novelty instrumentalist), and Hal Carter (an accordionist and later the leader of a popular old-time dance band). Scott’s hopes for further recordings with his new band floundered when Carr and Raymond left to join Tex Morton’s Roughriders. The Singing Stockmen never recorded again and Arthur, who had first sung successfully as a boy soprano around 1913, retired from the music scene. Norm Scott continued in the business until he finally sold his interest in the Hawaiian Club in the 50s and nominally retired from music.