9 Years Ago Today, We Lost the Australian Songwriter and World War II Veteran Who Wrote a Smash Hit for Hank Snow

On this day (July 21) in 2017, Geoff Mack died in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. He rose to fame after serving in the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II. While he performed all over the world, he is best remembered for his song “I’ve Been Everywhere,” which has been recorded more than 100 times. Notably, Hank Snow took the song to No. 1 in 1962.

Mack began performing when he was a teenager. Then, in 1942, he enlisted in the RAAF to serve in World War II. While abroad, he continued to hone his skills as a performer. By the time his service ended in 1946, he was an expert showman. This led to years of international travel, performing, and radio appearances.

More than a decade later, in 1959, Mack and his partner Tabbi Francis returned to Sydney. While preparing for his first return to the city, he wrote what would become an international hit.

Geoff Mack Didn’t Think Much of “I’ve Been Everywhere”

“I’d been working in a hotel in Coolangatta for two years, and it came time to go back to Sydney. I’d written a lot of stuff while we were on the Gold Coast, but it was all to do with the Gold Coast–typical stuff that would only last a couple of weeks,” Mack recalled. “So, I needed a song for an opening in Sydney. It was a throwaway like everything else I wrote.”

Mack performed the song for several years without even writing it down. Then, one day, he got a call from New Zealand-based publisher Johnny Devlin, who was looking for new songs. “I sorted out about five songs that I thought people might like and took them in. He said, ‘What about the one with all the towns?’ I said that nobody would want that. It’s just my opener. I haven’t even got it written out,’” Mack said.

In 1962, Australian singer Lucky Starr had a hit with the original version of “I’ve Been Everywhere.” Hank Snow released his version, which topped the country charts for two weeks, later that year. However, Mack had to rewrite the lyrics before Snow could cover it.

Originally, “I’ve Been Everywhere” was packed with the names of Australian places. So, it likely wouldn’t have been popular in North America. So, Mack set to work on a new version. “I got an atlas and a magnifying glass and found all the towns that rhymed,” he recalled.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1950, Hank Snow Was at No. 1 on the Country Chart With the Record-Tying Song That Put Him on the Path to Stardom]

To date, the song has been retooled to fit dozens of locations. It has been recorded–in one form or another–more than 100 times. It earned Geoff Mack a place in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

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