DESCRIPTION:
#Pop #Rock Låtskrivere: Don Walker
Label: Mercury ‎– 6000 652
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM
Country: Australia
Released: 1981
Flip side: Before the tears

"The Wild Colonial Boy" is a traditional anonymous [Irish-Australian] ballad of which there are many different versions, the most prominent being the Irish and Australian versions. The original was about Jack Donahue, an Irish rebel who became a convict, then a bushranger, and was eventually shot dead by police. This version was outlawed as seditious, so the name in the song was changed to Jack Doolan. The Irish version is about a Jack Duggan, young emigrant who left the town of Castlemaine, County Kerry, Ireland, for Australia in the early 19th century. According to the song, he spent his time "robbing from the rich to feed the poor". In the song, Duggan is fatally wounded in an ambush when he is shot in the heart by Fitzroy.

Australian lyrics
The Australian version is quite different. It is about a boy named Jack Dolan, born in Castlemaine. The poem then continues on to tell of his exploits without mentioning his moving to Australia, which implies that the Castlemaine in question is that in Victoria.

"The Wild Colonial Boy" has been recorded by Dr. Hook, Rolf Harris, Larry Kirwan, John Doyle, The Irish Rovers and The Clancy Brothers, among others, and was featured in the film The Quiet Man.

Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show (shortened to Dr. Hook in 1975) was an American rock band, formed in Union City, New Jersey. They enjoyed considerable commercial success in the 1970s with hit singles including "Sylvia's Mother", "The Cover of 'Rolling Stone'" (both 1972), "Only Sixteen" (1975), "A Little Bit More" (1976), "Sharing the Night Together" (1978), "When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman" (1979), "Better Love Next Time" (1979), and "Sexy Eyes" (1980). In addition to their own material, Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show performed songs written by the poet Shel Silverstein.

The band had eight years of regular chart hits in the United States, where their music was played on top-40, easy listening, and country music outlets, and throughout the English-speaking world including the UK, Canada and South Africa. Their music spanned several genres, mostly novelty songs and acoustic ballads in their early years, though their greatest success came with their later material, mostly consisting of disco-influenced soft rock, which the band recorded under the shortened name Dr. Hook.
#DrHook #TheWildColonialBoy #RonjasCountryMusic #70s #70sMusic #RonjasDrHookChannel #SoftRock