Horrie Dargie Concert by The Horrie Dargie Harlequintet

The live concert recording Horrie Dargie Concert received Australia’s first gold record when it sold 75,000 copies.

The recording was of a farewell concert on 18 November 1952 at Sydney’s Town Hall for the popular Horrie Dargie Harlequintet (more commonly known as the Horrie Dargie Quintet). Led by harmonica player Horrie Dargie, the band was about to embark on an overseas tour. The track excerpted here is 'The Death of Willie Dyer'.

The concert was recorded on Pyrox Wire Recorder, on a wire that was 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long and ran for one hour. Australian recordings were still being pressed on 78s in shellac, but microgroove LPs had just arrived and the 10″ LP (long play) record of Horrie Dargie Concert sold exceptionally well.

Horrie Dargie began his recording career in 1938. After winning Melbourne's 3KZ P&A Parade, he released his first single with Columbia. He moved to Sydney and formed the Rocking Reeds, releasing six more recordings before joining the army in 1941. He formed the quintet in Sydney after returning from service in New Guinea.