Dawson made his first recording in 1904, and continued to release songs for EMI and HMV until 1958. In this time he performed classical tunes such as Tchaikovsky's "Don Juan Serenade" and popular songs like "Waltzing Matilda".

He was the subject of a biography, Peter Dawson: The World's Most Popular Baritone written by Peter Burgis and Russell Smith.

His most famous songs included: