John Farnham

An icon of the Australian music industry, John Farnham’s commercial career began in late 1967 with the novelty song "Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)". Catchy and sweetly sentimental, it hit #1 and became the decade’s biggest selling single by an Australian artist. As a young pop star, Farnham had an impressive work ethic and high profile, performing in musicals, on TV, and frequently collaborating with other artists (Allison Durbin and Colleen Hewett, amongst others). The friendly, easy-going Farnham was crowned "King of Pop" for five consecutive years between 1969 and 1973.

In the 1980s, John Farnham was lead singer for Little River Band after Glen Shorrock departed. LRB released three studio albums with their new front man, all of which performed creditably. But it was when Farnham went solo again in late1985 that things really changed gear. While collecting songs for a new album, a demo of "You’re the Voice" excited Farnham and his team. It became the lead single for Whispering Jack and brought the affable singer unprecedented success.

John Farnham released albums and toured extensively throughout the 80s and 90s, with a large devoted fan base keen to support any and all of his tours. These were curtailed in 2019 when serious health problems emerged. In 2022 he underwent surgery for cancer, downplaying its impact with typical humility and the down-to-earth authenticity that made him such a much loved Australian artist.