Orley Benson
Orley Benson (1910- ), Cudgegong, NSW provided details of some of the Australian tunes in this archive.
The National Library of Australia holds aural recordings of interviews conducted with Orley Benson. He was interviewed by
- Chris Sullivan and Jacko Kevans December 1981, [1]
- Chris Sullivan in1981, [2], Orley Benson appearing on the sound track of Australia Council Archival Film Series
- John Meredith in December 1982, [3], Benson speaks briefly of the tunes he plays before each track.
- John Meredith in May 1983, [4], Orley Benson plays accordion and talks. Reminiscences of bush musicians, Walter Allen, Ernie James and Bill Large. Getting and learning to play accordion.
- Chris Sullivan and Mark Rummery in July 1984, [7]
- John Meredith in February 1985, [8], Orley Benson plays accordion. Story of Gonzales, a swagman who played violin when Benson was a child. Also available online [9]
Orley Benson "played a big two-row 'Corso' button accordion and had the same smooth, sweeping style of playing which I first heard from the Holland brothers. Born in Linburn in 1910, Orley's first job as a lad was working at 'digging out' -- eradicating rabbits the hard way -- at Cudgegong. One of his work mates, Albert Franklin, had in his tent a small button accordion which Orley bought from him for five shillings. He took it back to his tent, and in twenty minutes had learnt to play 'Home Sweet Home' on it." -- J Meredith, R Covell, P Brown, Folk Songs of Australia Vol 2, UNSW Press, 1987, p40.
