Information AboutJohn Farnham |
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John Peter Farnham (born July 1 , 1949 , Dagenham , Essex , United Kingdom ), is an Australia n Pop Singer . Whilst not having the international success of, for example, Kylie Minogue , Savage Garden , or The Seekers , domestically he has remained one of Australia's best-known performers over a career spanning more than 30 years. He is the only Australian artist to have a number one record in five consecutive decades. EARLY LIFE AND CAREER Farnham spent the first years of his life in England before migrating to Australia in 1959. An undistinguished student, he began a Plumbing apprenticeship before taking leave from that to pursue Music . His first commercially-successful recording was a novelty song entitled "Sadie the Cleaning Lady", in 1968, which sold 180 000 copies in Australia, the largest-selling single by an Australian artist of the decade. The clean-cut Pop Star made several more successful albums, but by the 1970s his recording career began to dwindle and he turned to television, appearing in a situation comedy and narrating documentaries, whilst singing in clubs. He also performed in a number of Musicals and in the Australian Television comedy series '' Bobby Dazzler '' as the leading character of the same name. His one recording hit in this period was a reworking of The Beatles ' "Help!" in 1980. Farnham married Jillian Billman in 1973. They had two sons, Robert and James. FROM LITTLE RIVER BAND TO NATIONAL SUCCESS From 1981 until 1984 , he fronted the Little River Band after Glenn Shorrock departed. This was a move away from Cabaret and into Rock Music . Farnham joined LRB knowing that all that he would get out of it was experience and the chance to perform in the USA. The problem was that LRB were not selling any records. They had to get continuous advances from Capitol Records just to tour and make new albums hoping that this would bring them a hit. Capitol Records brought out a "Greatest Hits" album, which caused even more financial problems for the current band. It was during this time that John did vocal tracks for movies just to earn some extra money. He did tracks for the movies "Fletch", "The Slugger's Wife", "Savage Streets", "Voyage of the Rock Aliens", and "Hell Tracks". With Farnham, Little River Band recorded three albums, which had some modest success, though not enough to pay back the advances the record company had given the band. The first album, The Net, was already written and Farnham had no say in the songs, he just had to harmonise and sing the lead vocals. They recorded a concert in Melbourne that aired in America on HBO . The concert video was only one hour long, and it highlighted some of the songs from the The Net as well as reworked versions of LRB classics such as "Cool Change" and "Reminiscing". "Please Don't Ask Me", a song written by Graham Goble , and a hit for Farnham almost three years previously, was played during the Australian opening of the show. Despite positive Australian and US reviews, this performance has never been officially released on VHS or DVD. In 1986, after releasing the third LRB studio album, "No Reins", Farnham left the band. In an interview with Channel Seven, he stated, "I'll be better off leaving, rather than putting myself under pressure that I've created." John's first solo experience since 1980, was doing some live shows with a band consisting of Brett Garsed, Sam See and Derrick Pellicci. Only two weeks worth of bookings were made but the reaction was so good that they extended it for another week. Because of this success, record producer, Ross Fraser suggested to manager, Glenn Wheatley that it might be time to start working on a solo album. With the aid of Wheatley, and under considerable financial pressure that forced Wheatley to use his house as collateral to fund the album, Farnham began work on Whispering Jack, searching for songs with Fraser. "A Touch Of Paradise" was one that came in, written by Mondo Rock's Ross Wilson. The album was almost ready to be recorded when a tape arrived from London with similar material as "Pressure Down". Fraser listened to the song "You're The Voice" and knew they had found a once in a lifetime song. "Whispering Jack" took a year to plan, 6 weeks in a garage, 1 week putting it all onto a tape in the studio, another week of keyboard adjustments, and a further week adding guitar, bagpipes, and saxophones, before laying down the vocals in 3 weeks. Initially, public interest in the rebranded former teen-idol was difficult to cultivate, and Radio Stations refused to play the album. Things however started to change when Sydney radio station 2Day FM started to play the first single from the album, "You're the Voice". Henceforth, radio stations began receiving requests for the song. ''Whispering Jack'' would go on to became the biggest-selling album in Australia in the 80s, and one of the most successful of all time, selling over one million copies and remaining the number one album on the Australian ARIA Charts for 27 weeks. "You're the Voice," was also a number one hit in several European countries. The album is probably best described as Pop-rock , with Farnham's powerful voice soaring over well-written songs. "Whispering Jack got us out of trouble, I mean, we were deeply in debt. So it paid our debts, we bought a car, and it paid for our children's education for the next twenty years," Farnham told in an interview with Australian Music historian, Molly Meldrum . One in four Australian households own a copy of "Whispering Jack". It was the first compact disc produced in Australia. After the success of the album, the next step was a tour. The "Jack's Back Tour", originally had four performances in Melbourne, two in Sydney, two in Perth and two in Brisbane. Although at the time they thought this would have been enough considering they were up against such people as Michael Jackson, and Billy Joel, the people of Australia demanded more. Five more shows were added in Melbourne, three more in Sydney, and Brisbane's concert was moved to a larger venue. At that time the "Jack's Back Tour" was the biggest grossing tour by an Australian act, to be surpassed fifteen years later with "The Last Time Tour". AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR - AN AGE OF REASON In 1988, Farnham was named Australian Of The Year , and to support the album " Age Of Reason ," Farnham toured the country with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra . In 1989, Farnham was invited to launch the Greenpeace's 'Rainbow Warriors' album in Moscow. In 1992, Farnham performed the lead role in an Australian production of the musical '' Jesus Christ Superstar '', with Kate Ceberano , Jon Stevens , Angry Anderson and John Waters in the other leading roles. Farnham released several more Albums throughout the 1990s to considerable success, though not to the same degree as ''Whispering Jack''. With albums, such as " Chain Reaction " (featuring contributions from Southern Sons members Jack Jones and Phil Buckle), " Then Again ", and " Romeo's Heart ", Farnham continued to show his versatility. In 1994, Farnham and manager, Glenn Wheatley , wanted to raise money for the children of Rwanda - the tens of thousands of Refugees and orphans from what was described as the worst Humanitarian disaster of our time. With the help of 750 volunteers, "Concert For Rwanda" was put together in two days. It was televised on Channel 9. A few days after the concert $3,574,875.00 had been paid in donations. The 1996 "Jack Of Hearts Tour" kicked off in Toowoomba on September 23rd. The 'Off The Road' tour took in numerous outback towns, where Farnham met and entertained many who would not otherwise get a chance to see one of his shows. He dedicated this tour to the memory of his mother-in-law, Phylis Billman, who died on October 14th. In 1997, Farnham teamed with pop group Human Nature on "Every Time You Cry", which was one of the biggest selling Australian singles of that year. He remained Australia's most successful Domestic live act, filling stadiums around the country regularly. Some idea of his Popularity can be gained by the fact that over his career, over 1 million tickets were sold for his shows at one 15,000 seat arena, Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena , alone. IN CONCERT WITH OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN AND ANTHONY WARLOW and Anthony Warlow in their concert tour "The Main Event". (CD)]] John Farnham went on a concert tour with Olivia Newton-John and Anthony Warlow in "The Main Event". The concerts included comic musical "rivalry" between John Farnham and Anthony Warlow. The album from "The Main Event" tour with Olivia Newton-John and Anthony Warlow , was multi-platinum. The next year, he took his birthday party on the road with the "I Can't Believe He's 50 Tour", teaming up with Kate Ceberano , Ross Wilson , James Reyne , Merril Bainbridge , Human Nature , and his son's band, Nana-Zhami . The first half of the show is a tribute to Farnham. Each guest sung two songs, one of their own and the other - their interpretation of a Farnham song. Some great home movies with some never before seen shots of John play in the background and each of the guests pay tribute to John in their own words, via a pre-recorded tape. The show opens with a huge blast of heavy metal from Nana-Zhami. They sang their own song, 'The Program' followed by their interpretation of John's 'Infatuation', from 'Uncovered'. But the event of 1999 was the " Tour Of Duty " concert in Dili for the Australian troops, which featured Kylie Minogue, Doc Neeson,Gina Jeffreys, James Blundell, The Living End, Dili Allstars & the RMC Band. "Tour Of Duty" was the first concert of John Farnham's to be webcast. Held at Dili Stadium in front of 4000 troops, it was a special Christmas present to show appreciation and support for the troops stationed in East Timor, away from their families for Christmas. It was also a special treat for the thousands of East Timorese who danced and sang from every vantage point they could find. Millions around the world watched as Farnham sang "Dare To Dream" with Olivia Newton-John at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games . THE LAST TOUR - THE LAST TIME In 2002 , Farnham released a new album, '' The Last Time '', and held a countrywide concert tour, taking a circus-style tent to smaller towns. As the title suggested, this was to be Farnham's last major tour, but the singer, from the start, insisted that he was going to work live and hit the road for short periods of time again. He broke Australian touring records, performing with his 10-piece band from November to June 2003 , becoming the seventh most profitable touring act in the world. "I'm not retiring, I'm just never going to undergo a major tour ever again," Farnham told a Press Conference promoting the album and the tour. The album was launched in St. Kilda, Victoria, at the famous Esplanade Hotel. Farnham had mentioned at a media conference that he would like to play someday at the Espy. A notice was put in a street magazine challenging John to do just that. Devotees of the singer gathered in the front bar of St Kilda grunge icon for an invitation-only gig. Farnham returned to Cohuna where he had been 'discovered' by Darryl Sambell in 1967. Following the announcement of regional dates, Farnham and the band performed a free concert. There were signs, yellow balloons, streamers and his music playing from speakers. The all day event was capped off with a huge party featuring the music of Farnham's former band, Strings Unlimited and fireworks. The Last Time Tour included 6 states, 7 capital cities and 28 regional centres beginning with the preview show in Melbourne on November 6th 2002. The Last Time Tour capital city concerts were held in large entertainment centres, whereas the regional concerts were performed in a 4000 seat air-conditioned tent. Two tents leapfrogged the country to enable the shows to set up on time. The site took 100 workers 1 1/2 days to set up but only 6 hours to pull down and the equipment was carried by a fleet of 6 semi-trailers, 13 trucks, 4 four-wheel drives and 2 cars. After 89 shows and more than 210 days on the road, the Last Time Tour returned to Melbourne for the home town finale fans were hoping for. The final concert on June 15th 2003 at Rod Laver Arena was telecast on Channel 7 enabling millions of people to witness Farnham's final "last time " concert. When Farnham left the stage, the crowd gave him a standing ovation that lasted more than 10 minutes. The night brought a close to the most extensive and finest tour Australian has ever see. THERE IS ONLY "ONE VOICE" Later in 2003, Farnham worked with Queen to produce a new version of the worldwide favourite " We Will Rock You ", released on his Greatest Hits album, "One Voice". Farnham was inducted into the ARIA Hall Of Fame before a roof-raising performance of "You're The Voice". Queen subsequently asked Farnham to join the band, an offer which he turned down in favour of enjoying homegrown success and a less hectic lifestyle. IN CONCERT WITH TOM JONES Again feeling success in 2005 , Farnham Did Ten Concerts In Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, And Melbourne with Welsh music veteran, Tom Jones . Two musical heavyweights walked out from the sides to perform "That Driving Beat" and "Mama Told Me Not To Come" together. Farnham then left the stage to let Tom perform a few solos before returning with 1972's "One" and raging through hits like " Pressure Down ", " Freedom ", " Heart's On Fire ", " Playing To Win ", " Man Of The Hour ", " Help " and " Burn For You ". The pair did five solos to close the show - Sam And Dave's "Hold On I'm Coming", Otis Redding 's "Try A Little Tenderness", Ray Charles ' "What'd I Say", Stevie Wonder 's "Sweet Soul Music" and AC/DC 's anthem, "Long Way To The Top". The DVD released debuted at No 1. He also made an appearance at the Melbourne Music Festival , raising much needed funds for rebuilding after the 2004 Asian Tsunami . FARNHAM REMEMBERS WHEN HE WAS YOUNG Towards the end of 2005, Farnham pinned his colours firmly to the mast with a new Studio Album , "I Remember When I Was Young: Songs From The Great Australian Songbook" - covers of classics, written and performed by Australian artists over the last forty years. Farnham listened to over 150 Australian songs and chose just 13 tracks for the album, which was recorded with a quartet of double bass, Steinway piano, drums & guitar and augmented by the Sydney International String Section and a six piece brass selection. The first single off the album was " Downhearted ", a song the Australian Crawl famed on, but the title track was Matt Taylor and Chain's "I Remember When I Was Young". This was Farnham's first jazz album after thirty-eight years in the business. Promoting the album on Channel Seven's "Dancing With The Stars", he explained his desire to make the album, "I left my heart back in the Orient, down on Bali Bay. It's not the way that I should feel, but it's the way I'm going to stay." In February 2006, for four shows at the Sydney Opera House , he performed with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra . He furthered this with shows at Hamer Hall, Melbourne . These shows were sponsored by Dairy Farmers and a percentage of revenue received from the 'I Remember When I was Young' concerts went to the Dairy Farmers 'Creating Greener Pastures' program to help farmers and their communities. "For a singer, to be able to perform with a full symphony orchestra is as big as it can get. It is a rare opportunity that does not come often, and in February, I get the chance to do this in both Melbourne and Sydney," Farnham told journalist, Jim Mitchell. TOURING WITH STEVIE NICKS As of 2006 John embarked on a small Australian tour with former Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks for a series of live shows. Both artists had equal billing but unlike the Tom Jones shows it is rumoured that they will not be singing together, but rather individually. This remains to be seen however. The current members of the John Farnham Band (2006) are Lindsay Field, Lisa Edwards, Dannielle Gaha, Angus "The Mongrel" Burchall, Stuart Fraser, Craig Newman, Steve Williams, Chong Lim, Lachlan Davidson, Jordan Murray, Brett Garsed and Bob Coassin. Farnham sang at the closing of the 2006 Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremony , singing his hit Age Of Reason, followed by a set of Farnham songs, finishing with his anthem song, You're The Voice. The athletes danced and partied around the centre stage, many of them taking advantage of the informal procedures to take pictures, and enjoy the festivities. John Farnham's impact on the Australian music industry is unrivalled, and this tribute to the great songs of Australian music is one eagerly-awaited by fans. NEW DVD RELEASE A DVD will shortly be released of John at the Sydney Opera House, entitled . The release date is set at 29th April 2006 DISCOGRAPHY Albums Singles Releases with the Little River Band Videos & DVDs EXTERNAL LINKS
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