ARTIST OF THE WEEK – Matt Scullion

BSMDDS1177 – MATT SCULLION – BIRDMAN OF THE COORONG

There’s nothing Golden Guitar winning Australiana singer/songwriter Matt Scullion loves more than when he stumbles across a story like this one.

According to legend, South Australia only ever had one bushranger, and unlike the infamous Ned Kelly or Ben Hall, he rode an ostrich instead of a horse. The year was 1898, and John Francis Peggotty, a small, fiery Irishman, riding high on an ostrich, brandishing two pistols, terrorised The Coorong, 150 km south-east of Adelaide.

‘The Birdman Of The Coorong” as he became known, was too quick for the law as he robbed travellers and outran local troopers time and time again, escaping into the saltbush sand dunes.

Golden Guitar winner, Matt Scullion is one of Australia’s most respected and prolific Australiana songwriters and performers.
Raised in the coastal town of Ulladulla, NSW, and forged on the road from Darwin to Tamworth and even Nashville, Matt discovered early that the singer doesn’t always write the songs. Inspired by storytellers like Paul Kelly and Slim Dusty, he picked up guitar at 16 and began writing songs that spoke of home, land and ordinary Aussies doing extraordinary things.

Over more than two decades, Matt has penned 26+ number one country hits recorded by giants such as Lee Kernaghan, Sara Storer, Adam Harvey, Amber Lawrence, Travis Collins and even rock legends Cold Chisel. His own albums including Aussie As, Nation Of
Abbreviation and his most recent, Patch of Paradise blend bush humour, heartfelt storytelling and unmistakable Aussie spirit.