TAMWORTH—He's won almost as many Golden Guitars as Slim.
He might become an Australian of the Year - like Slim. He even wears a hat like Slim. But country music star Lee Kernaghan says he'll never be the new Slim Dusty.
Kernaghan will find out on Friday if he is to be named Australian of the Year, after being honoured as Queensland's Australian of the Year in November.
On Saturday he will attend the Country Music Awards of Australia (Golden Guitars), where he has received six nominations to add to his his 24 career wins - second only to Dusty's record.
The late Slim Dusty was named Senior Australian of the Year in 1999 and had a record 37 Golden Guitars under his belt.
But a modest Kernaghan says no matter how many awards he wins, he will never overthrow the legend of country music.
"Nobody will ever overtake the king," Kernaghan told AAP at the Tamworth Country Music Festival today.
"There is only one king of Australian music, and that's Slim. I think of him in the same way I think of Henry Lawson or Banjo Patterson - he's an Australian hero.
"He was a man that just gave so much to so many, and that's why he's loved and thought of so fondly and he will be for maybe generations to come."
Some would see Kernaghan's legacy as similar - to date he has raised over $1 million for charity with a particular focus on drought-stricken farmers of the bush.
It is for this work and his contribution to country music that Kernaghan, who grew up in the bushland foothills of the Snowy Mountains in Corryong, Victoria, has been nominated for the national award.
"It's the highlight of my life, to be amongst the finalists for Australian of the Year," the 43-year-old said.
"I feel very humbled by the nomination because I've travelled Australia extensively, and I've met so many great Australians that deserve that kind of recognition.
"I think it's just in our DNA - Aussies helping Aussies. Whether it's helping our own in the bush with a drought or a flood or a bush fire, or helping the tsunami victims in Indonesia, Australians just have that generosity of spirit."
Last year Kernaghan wrote a song about that spirit titled the Spirit of the Bush which he recorded with Adam Brand and Steve Forde.
All profits from the song and resulting concert series have gone to the drought relief organisations.
The song has also received Golden Guitar nominations in the single, video clip, heritage song and vocal collaboration of the year categories.
"I think the song was important because it shone a spotlight on the farming families that were doing it exceptionally tough, but it also saluted them for their courage and their resilience," Kernaghan said.
"The concerts were an opportunity for people from all over Australia to travel to those worst-hit drought areas and in a tangible way let the farming families know that they hadn't been forgotten.
"Australia has given me so much, and I feel a strong obligation to give back to my country for all it's given to me."
Kernaghan says he knows he has to mean what he says.
"I think you've got to be down to earth, because I think every Australian has an in-built bulldust detector and they know what's real and what's not," he said.
"And if you want to make it in country music, you've got to be real - it's got to come from the heart."
Before he receives any awards, Kernaghan will be raising more money for drought-affected communities at the Concert for Rural Australia at Bicentennial Park in Tamworth tomorrow night.
"It's probably the most power-packed, tension-filled, exciting week of my life," Kernaghan said.
"I tell you what - that first beer at around about 1am (after the Golden Guitars) is going to go down real good."
Feeds