CARROLL, Dorothy May, née RICKETTS

It never ceases to amaze me how often great wealth is within reach, yet knowledge of it, or access to it becomes lost, until someone like Rob Willis, from the National Library of Australia, contacts you, and says something akin to;

- 'Hey, Bob! Wake up! Dorothy May CARROLL, née RICKETTS, was married to a cousin of yours, and we need to find out all we can about her, so we can recognise her properly, and give her due credit for her major contribution to Australian Music! Help!'

After the initial shock, I started to dig, and dig, and dig - all I got was a headache! Rob is correct. There's nothing, so far, apart from thousands of Google entries for songs Dorrie recorded with Mr. TEX MORTON - the father of Australian Country Music.

In fact, something I gleaned from those hours of research, was the fact that 'Sister Dorrie', as she was known, became the first Australian female Country singer to record a song - in Australia! That took place on the 13th March, 1941, (Recorded), and the song was called, "Everything but You", a duet with Tex Morton, on Regal Zonophone. This was the first of many to come, including, "I'll be hanged if they're gonna hang me! (c.1948)".

Well, the story, as far as I have been able to learn, is that Dorothy was born 8th January, 1910, in Warragul, Victoria. She was, I believe, a member of a musical family. There are, also, several musical 'Ricketts' from the Ipswich, Qld., area, namely Bobby, but I am not sure if they are related. Anyway, eventually, Dorrie became a leading lady, a soubrette, on the old 'Tivoli Theatre' circuit. I'm fairly sure it was in Sydney, that she met Tex, and decided to join him and start touring, along with his band, the 'Rough Riders'.


Dorothy married Roger Bruce CARROLL, younger brother of Garnet Hannell CARROLL, OBE., in either late 1933, or early 1934, in Newcastle, NSW. Roger was the manager of the Tivoli, in Perth, W.A. They had one son, Roger Edgar Carroll, in 1934. Quite an amazing family.


Dorrie was partially rewarded for her contribution to Country Music, when in 1985, she was inducted into the Country Music 'Hands of Fame'.

Dorothy died on 29th April, 1992.

As I gather more information and facts, I'll update this post. Rob Willis has given me this link to John Meredith's interview with Dorrie. If, by chance, you read this post, and know details of Dorothy's life, please contact me via this blog, or Rob Willis, c/- the National Library of Australia.


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