Mildred Geraldine Joy McKean, known professionally as Joy McKean, and born on January 14, 1930, in Singleton, New South Wales, Australia, was a country music singer-songwriter. She began her musical journey at a young age, learning to play the accordion, piano, and steel guitar, and performing on radio shows with her sister Heather as the McKean Sisters. They released hits such as "Gymkhana Yodel" (1951) and "Yodel Down the Valley". Joy McKean met Slim Dusty in Sydney in 1951, whom she married later that year. Their partnership produced over 100 albums and sold eight million records in Australia alone. McKean wrote several of Dusty's most popular songs, notably "Lights on the Hill" for which she won the first ever Golden Guitar award in 1973. Throughout her career, McKean earned 45 Golden Guitars and was inducted into the Australian Roll of Renown in 1983. She passed away on May 25, 2023.
