Larrikin Records, which Warren founded in 1974, has been the most culturally successful independent record company in Australia's history. An impressive achievement considering the major part of its catalogue has been specialist music.

Equally impressive has been the success of "The Larrikins", the group. Warren has always believed that Australia should have a loosely formed group whose role would be to perform and record the rich diversity of Australia's folk songs, and not just the traditional songs about sheep and cattle or even convicts and bushrangers, but about the many other aspects of Australia's folk heritage such as mining, politics, unionism, sport and food and drink. Many of these songs had never previously been performed and it is a credit to Warren and his commitment to Australian folk music that we are able to hear these songs now, sometimes for the first time. The list of Australia's traditional songs that "The Larrikins" have recorded, over the years, is far greater than any other group or solo performer and includes contemporary and original folk songs as well. Often, it is only because of Warren Fahey and The Larrikins that some songs are ever heard, other singers seemingly uninterested in performing them despite their subject matter and quality. On a number of occasions, Warren has presented special feature programs for ABC Radio. Most of these have been thematic programs on specific topics and sometimes they have been the impetus to record an album of songs, released on Larrikin Records. At other times it has been the album or the book that has been the impetus for the radio program. Either way, it has been the public that has benefited, often with schools requesting copies of the tapes.

For years now, I have shared Warren's enthusiasm for and commitment to Australia's folk heritage and many of those radio programs were collaborations between the two of us. Originally, we worked together in presenting folk music in its "live" context, mostly in concert. Later, we worked in the studio presenting special features. As a radio broadcaster and specialist music producer, I have always been committed to presenting Australian music played by Australian musicians and I have always believed that there is little point in talking about multiculturalism if one doesn't know about one's own culture. And with that in mind I set out to present to the listening public the rich diversity that is Australia's folk culture and in the process I have been privileged to meet many fine people, not least of which is Warren Fahey.  

I first met Warren back in 1977 and I have some happy memories especially of the late 70s/early 80s when I would drop into "Folkways" in Paddington, Sydney, on hot, humid, summer, January days and climb the stairs to Warren's office, where we would talk about the up-coming Sydney Festival of Folklife, latest record releases, who was on tour and generally what was happening music wise and in the "scene".

Even then, Warren and I would talk about making special feature programs. Our very first special was an interview for the European Broadcasting Union, with Joe Watson, who Warren had met and collected songs and stories from. Later, we made our first themed program on the subject of Sporting Songs for the Asian Broadcasting Union. But it wasn't until I established Songs and Stories Of Australia that we really began to make studio programs.