Cyril May (born 1929) is an Australian country music singer and songwriter who often performs with Mexican-American singer-songwriter, Jack McDonald.
Biography
editCyril May was born in 1929 and was raised on a farm on Hellhole Creek Road, near Kergunyah, Victoria. He was one of five children.[1] When 15 he would cycle 60 miles (97 km) to and from Albury where he participated in the weekly Air League parade as a cadet.[1] He aspired to be a jockey.[1] May's philosophy of life is reflected in the words and music he has been writing for more than 40 years. As a young man May left Australia to work his way through the South Sea Islands and Canada. He finally settled down in Long Beach, California with his American wife, Dorothy "Dottie" Frazier (née Reider, born 1921),[2] who contributes harmony to many of May's songs.
May's lyrics tell of his personal search for gold, feeling the freedom of hang-gliding, the purr of his motorcycle on the open road and his never ending love of Australia. In the early 1970s May's surfboard washed him onto the beaches of San Blas, Mexico where he met McDonald and introduced him to western style music. The two have since collaborated on several albums, with May performing vocals and guitar, and McDonald contributing various musical arrangements. McDonald, who now lives in Australia, collaborates long-distance with May, and the duo have recorded at least three albums together.[3]
May's first album, Off the Beaten Track, features the hit single "Gold Fever," which was used in the 1999 movie remake of Dudley Do-Right[4] and played as a lead-in to the American Outdoor Channel television show, "Gold Fever".[5]
Discography
edit- The Great Australian Salute (by Cyril May and Jack McDonald) (1981) Larrikin Records (LRB-088)[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Air Cadet's Long Cycle Ride to Parades". The Argus. No. 30, 626. Melbourne. 24 October 1944. p. 4. Retrieved 16 January 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Clanton, Nancy (2006). "Dottie Frazier (1921)" (PDF). Tell Me Your Story. Historical Society of Long Beach. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- ^ Cyril May Music | Travelin' On | Off the Beaten Track Archived 2013-09-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Dudley Do-Right (1999) - Soundtracks Archived 21 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ http://www.cyrilmaymusic.com/audio/goldfever.mp3[permanent dead link] Cyril May Music | Gold Fever
- ^ May, Cyril; McDonald, Jack (1981), The Great Australian Salute, Larrikin, retrieved 16 January 2018