Sally Sloane
Sally Sloane (1894-1982) Lithgow, NSW provided details of some of the Australian tunes in this archive.
Portrait [1], "John Meredith recorded Sally through three changes of address. Here, she sits on the verandah of her Teralba home while a storm gathers on background Lake Macquarie."
The National Library of Australia holds aural recordings of interviews conducted with Sally Sloane. She was interviewed by
- Russell Ward Between 1950 & 1958, [2], Sally Sloane, Joseph Cashmere, A.L. Lloyd, Duke Tritton, R. Ward and Tom Ward sing songs.
- Norm O'Connor between 1950 & 1969, [3], Also available online [4]
- Norm O'Connor] between 1952 & 1960, [5], John Manifold, Wally Carter, Jack Lee, Joe Cashmere, Jim Seymour, Dame Mary Gilmour, Sally Sloane and others perform.
- John Meredith between 1953 & 1961, [6], Sally Sloane, Mick Pilley, Collie Burke, Madge Laver interviewed. Also available online [7]
- John Meredith in c.1955, [8]. Sloane plays accordion: Annie Shaw's tune and talks about the song's provenance. Also available online [9]
- John Meredith c.1955, [10], David Kelly, Ian Wessel, Sally Sloane, Les Sloane, Jim Harp, Jim Skelton and Mr Lawless interviewed. Also available online [11]
- John Meredith in c.1955, [12], Folkloric recording. Sally Sloane talks, sings, plays accordion, violin and mouth organ. Her husband Fred Sloane and son Les tell stories. Also available online [13]
- John Meredith c.1955, [14], Sally Sloane, Mrs Gibbons, Mrs Leonard, Arthur Buchanan and Jamie Carlin interviewed. Also available online [15]
- John Meredith, between 1955 & 1969, [16] Sally Sloane, Fred Sloane and Alex Hood sing. Also available online [17]; [18], Pat Wessel, Sally Sloane and Mrs Gibbons perform. Also available online [19]
- John Meredith in June & October 1956, [22] Sally Sloane plays accordion and mouthorgan, and sings. Also available online [23]
- John Meredith in 1960, [26], Sally Sloane, Ron Manton, Edwin Godwin, Arthur Burchan and Fred Holland perform.
- John Meredith in January 1960, [27], Mr Brooks, Mrs Gibbons, and Sally Sloane interviewed. Also available online [28]
- John Meredith in 1960, [31], Sally Sloane, Tom Gibbons, Lindsay Carr, Alice Flanagan, Ray Manton, Mary Byrnes, Edwin Goodwin, Mrs Popplewell, Bill Boundy perform
- Emily Lyle in February 1977, [34] ; [35] St. Mary's pipe band, David Finlay, Sally Sloane and Tom Rummery interviewed.
- Jacko Kevans in 1980, [36]; [37], Also available online
- Chris Sullivan in 1981, [39]. Sally Sloane appearing on the sound track of Australia Council Archival Film Series; [40], Harry Cotter and Sally Sloane appearing on the sound track of Australia Council Archival Film Series.
- John Meredith in April 1983, [41]
Sally was one of the most important Australian traditional singers and musicians recorded by John Meredith, beginning in 1955, when she was aged in her sixties. Sally lived in NSW all her life. She was a gifted singer and played the one row button accordion, violin and mouth organ.
"Sally Sloane was born in Parkes in 1894. Her grandmother, Sarah Alexander, came from County Kerry, Ireland ... (Sally) inherited the family gift of singing and learning songs easily. All her mother's instruments plus the fiddle, mouth organ and tin whistle were mastered by her. Sally and her husband, Fred Sloane, were living at Lithgow when John Meredith first met them, but later moved to Teralba, on the shore of Lake Macquarie ... Sally kept remembering further items; in fact there seemed no end to the songs and tunes she knew. The bulk of these were learned from her mother, but several came from her step-father, William Clegg, and other bush workers." -- J Meredith, H Anderson, Folk Songs of Australia Vol 1, UNSW Press, 1967, p161-162.
"Mrs Gibbons appears to have been Sally Sloane's twin sister, Bertha".
Wikipedia contains a lengthy article on Sally Sloane.
Ian Hayden has built a list of her recordings and links to them at: The music of Sally Sloane.
