This Australian entertainer is known for undertaking rousing tours of the most remote areas of his homeland, including a jaunt around the gulf region of western Queensland in which primitive roads were so punishing to the touring vehicle that it had to be returned on the back of a tow truck. Mike Jackson's touring partner for this 2005 swing was a costumed performer playing the part of Babar, king of the elephants; a pity it wasn't a real elephant that could have provided transport home on its back.
Jackson -- not to be confused with many other performers in the music business with this name including a prolific classic blues pianist from the '20s -- has a small discography of his own that may well be highlighted by a compilation entitled Waltzing Matilda: Songs of the Australian Bush. In a program devoted almost exclusively to the subject of outback sheep shearers, Jackson performs "The Free Selector's Daugher" and a medley of "Girls of the Ivory" and "Manchester Gallop."
