The music behind the man

Robert Campbell Junior’s vivid portrait of fellow Dunghutti/Ngaku man Malcolm ‘Mac’ Silva from the 1989 Archibald Prize has caught the eye of many visitors to the exhibition Archie 100: A Century of the Archibald Prize.

But one member of the public, Adrian Nelson, paid closer attention than most and decided to investigate the song titles that appear behind Silva, who was the drummer and lead singer of bands Silva Linings and Black Lace.

After Nelson got in touch with us, we put together this selection of videos, starting with two of Silva’s own recordings.

You can also listen to the playlist on Spotify

Malabar mansion

Shot outside Long Bay jail in the Sydney suburb of Malabar and on the streets of Redfern’s The Block, this video for Mac Silva’s version of the song – written by a prison inmate – was recorded in 1988 for a community TV test broadcast.

Midnight Special

Taking its name from a train, this song originated in the American south in the early 20th century. It has been performed by a huge range of artists, including US folk and blues legend Lead Belly. Mac Silva recorded a version which featured on the 2011 album Best of Koori classic (the early years Aboriginal collection).

Yowie

Adrian Nelson has identified that this is likely to be a reference to the refrain in ‘Brown skin baby (they took me away)’, an autobiographical song written by ‘Tjilpi’ Bob Randall, which became an anthem for the Stolen Generations. In this video, the Yankunytjatjara musician, writer and community leader talks about the background to the song before performing it. Mac Silva performed the song, along with Bob Maza, in the 1986 film The fringe dwellers.

Have a beer with Duncan

Officially titled ‘Duncan’, this song was recorded by Australian country music legend Slim Dusty in 1980, reaching number one on the singles charts. It references the Town and Country pub in the inner-Sydney suburb of St Peters, which is the setting for Slim’s video.

Get a little dirt on your hands

A 1962 country hit for American singer-songwriter Bill Anderson, later recorded by Australian performers The Delltones and Bidjigal singer Vic Simms.

Smoke gets in your eyes

Written for a 1933 musical, Roberta, this song has been recorded by a host of Black American musicians including Nat King Cole, Harry Belafonte, Charlie Parker, Sarah Vaughan and Eartha Kitt, but it was The Platters who had a number one hit in countries around the world, including Australia in the late 1950s.

Wake up little Susie

A number one hit for American sibling duo The Everly Brothers.

Dream, dream, dream

A reference to the opening lyrics of another late 1950s Everly Brothers hit, ‘All I have to do is dream’.

Peggy Sue

This song was named for the girlfriend of drummer Jerry Allison, who played in Buddy Holly and The Crickets. The band performed it live on The Ed Sullivan show in December 1957, captured in this video.

Oh boy

The song Buddy Holly played in his second Ed Sullivan show appearance with The Crickets, in January 1958. Just over a year later, the 22-year-old singer was killed in a plane crash. Both Mac Silva and artist Robert Campbell Junior also died tragically early, aged in their 40s.

I walk the line

Originally recorded in 1956, this was the first number one hit for one of country music’s biggest stars, ‘the man in black’, Johnny Cash.

Lonesome me

Cash was one of many who covered the 1957 Don Gibson song ‘Oh lonesome me’ (as did Elvis Presley).

He’ll have to go

Another cross-over pop and country hit, this time for Jim Reeves in 1959. (Elvis recorded it too, in 1976, in what is thought to be his last ever studio recording session.)

Young love

Probably a reference to the song written by Rick Cartey and Carole Joyner, and again recorded by many. A version by Sonny James in the 1950s became a huge hit on both the pop and country charts.

Rock around the clock

This Bill Haley and His Comets song took off after it featured in Blackboard jungle, a 1955 movie about an inner-city school in the US, with Sidney Poitier in a breakout role. It was the first major film to include rock music in its soundtrack. In this video, the band perform live on The Ed Sullivan show.

Jailhouse rock

Elivs Presley from his 1957 movie of the same name, in which a young man learns the guitar in prison and goes on to become a star.

Love me tender

Presley again – in this clip, live on The Ed Sullivan show, singing the theme song from his 1956 debut film.

A hard day’s night

The Beatles, 1964, with the title track from their third album and first movie.

Yellow submarine

The Beatles, 1968, with the title track from their tenth studio album and landmark animated feature film. Ringo Starr, the band’s drummer, sings lead.

Hey Jude

Again The Beatles, again 1968, with a seven-minute song that still appears near the top of many all-time charts. This clip begins with the band goofing around before performing a version of the hit single.

We keep the ball in motion

Not so much a chart topper as a war cry. As Adrian Nelson pointed out to us, this is the club song of the Redfern All Blacks (RAB), Australia’s oldest operating Aboriginal rugby league club.

According to Uncle Chicka Madden in a 2015 article in The Guardian, it was introduced to Redfern from the Tweed Heads All Blacks.

To hear this passionate chant, check out this 2017 RAB Facebook video or the RAB Under 7 side in 2009.

Artist Peter Yanada Mackenzie captured some of that passion in his 1991 photographic series It’s a man’s game, in the Art Gallery of NSW collection.

There are also fabulous archival photos on the State Library of NSW website, and an October 2020 article for The Footy Almanac gives a sense of the team, its spirit and its history. Perhaps a visit to a game after lockdown lifts?

Archie 100

Find out more about the exhibition and explore all the works online.