Farnham, John
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Wikipedia-Article "John Farnham"
John Peter Farnham (born July 1, 1949), is an Australian 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.
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Early life and career
Born in Dagenham, Essex, England (on the outer north-eastern suburbs of London), Farnham spent the first years of his life there before immigrating 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.
From Little River Band to national success
From 1981 until 1984, he fronted the Little River Band after Glenn Shorrock departed, a move towards rock music away from the cabaret he had been doing. With Farnham, the group recorded three albums, which had some modest success, though not enough to pay back the advances the record company had given the band. During his time with the Little River Band they recorded a concert in Melbourne, Australia that aired in America on HBO(Home Box Office). The concert video was only one hour and it highlighted some of the songs from the The Net release as well as reworked versions of LRB classics such as Cool Change and Reminiscing. The song that was played during the Australian - Picturesque opening of that show was entitled "Please Don't Ask Me"...a hit for John Farnham almost three years prior to the airing of that show. The song was written by Graham Goble. Many Americans remember this amazing vocal performance(and band performance as well - including some of the best harmony vocals ever captured to video) but this performance has never been officially released to either VHS or DVD in either America or Australia.
With the aid of manager Glenn Wheatley, and both under considerable financial pressure, he recorded Whispering Jack in 1986. It became the biggest-selling album in the Australian market of that decade, and one of the most successful of all time, selling over one million copies and remaining the number one album for 25 weeks in Australia.
The biggest single off the album, "You're the Voice," was also a number one hit in several European countries. The album is probably best described as pop-rock, its most outstanding feature Farnham's soaring, powerful voice and some nicely-written songs. On television, he performed a live duet with another top-selling, big-voiced vocalist, American pop star Laura Branigan ("Gloria") to Foreigner's "I Want To Know What Love Is."
"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.
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 the early 90s 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 enormous 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 versility.
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 on a regular basis. 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.
When Farnham toured with Olivia Newton-John and Anthony Warlow, he again experienced multi-platinum class, under the name, "The Main Event". 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. But the event of 1999 was the "Tour Of Duty" concert in Dili for the Australian troops.
Millions around the world watched as Farnham sang "Dare To Dream" with Olivia Newton-John at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
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, Farnham announced that he intended to cease large-scale concert tours. 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.
Later that year, he 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".
Again feeling success in 2005, Farnham did ten concerts in Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne with Welsh music veteran, Tom Jones. He also made an appearance at the Melbourne Music Festival.
The current members of the John Farnham Band (2005) are Lindsay Field, Lisa Edwards, Dannielle Gaha, Angus Burchall, Stuart Fraser, Craig Newman, Steve Williams, Chong Lim, Lachlan Davidson, Jordan Murray, Brett Garsed, and Bob Coassin.
Farnham married Jillian Billman in 1973. They have 2 sons, Robert and James.
Non-musical related interests
After featuring in a celebrity cutting at Tamworth, John and his wife have set up an Australian quarter horse stud in rural Victoria. John also regularly competes in cutting events.
John Farnham was interviewed by Fast Forward's Pixie-Anne Wheatley in 1990.
Discography
LPs and CDs
| Year | Name of release | Type | Hit songs | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Sadie | LP | "Sadie the Cleaning Lady" (#1 for six weeks; sold 180,000 copies; largest selling single in Australia by an Australian artist in the 1960s) | Also released in Denmark and Germany |
| 1968/1971 | Everybody Oughta Sing a Song | LP | Reissued in 1974 with a different album cover (picture of Farnham on stage - first release had a picture of Farnham leaning against a Monaro) | |
| 1970 | Looking Through a Tear | LP | "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" (Hal David & Burt Bacharach cover version) | Reached #11 in the ARIA Charts |
| 1970 | Christmas is Johnny Farnham | LP | Christmas cover versions; rereleased on CD in 1995 (blue album cover) and 1997 (angel album cover) | |
| 1971 | Johnny | LP | Reached #24 in the ARIA charts | |
| 1971 | The Best of Johnny Farnham | LP | Best of; album cover available in red and orange | |
| 1971 | Together | LP | Recorded with Alison Durbin; reached #20 in the ARIA charts | |
| 1972 | Johnny Farnham Sings the Shows | LP | "Rock Me Baby" (#13), "Don't You Know it's Magic" (top 20) | Cover versions |
| 1973 | Hits Magic Rock 'N Roll | LP | "Don't You Know It's Magic" | |
| 1973 | Johnny Farnham Sings the Big Hits of 1973 Live! | LP | Cover versions; reached #45 on the ARIA charts | |
| 1974 | Johnny Farnham Sings Hits from the Movies | LP | Cover versions | |
| 1975 | JP Farnham Sings | LP | ||
| 1976 | Johnny Farnham's Greatest Hits | LP | "Comic Conversation" | Best of; Released by EMI after Farnham had left the label |
| 1980 | Uncovered | LP, CD | "Help" (a cover version of The Beatles song, reached #8) | Rereleased in 1989, 1994, 2000; reached #20 on the ARIA charts; total 4 singles from this released |
| 1980 | The Best of John Farnham | LP, CD | Best of | |
| 1986 | Whispering Jack | CD, LP | "Pressure Down" (#4), "You're the Voice" (#1, won ARIA award for Single of the Year), "A Touch of Paradise" (#24) | #1 for 18 weeks; 18x platinum; reached top three in Sweden, Denmark and Switzerland; also released in Germany and Japan; won the ARIA award for Album of the Year; remains Australia's highest selling album |
| 1987 | The John Farnham Phenomenon | LP | Best of; reached #44 | |
| 1987 | Another Side of John Farnham | CD, LP | ||
| 1988 | Age of Reason | CD, LP | "Age of Reason" (#1), "Two Strong Hearts" (#3), | Debuted at #1; 8x platinum |
| 1988 | Time Brings Change | CD, LP | ||
| 1990 | Chain Reaction | CD, LP | "That's Freedom" (#3), "Burn for You" (#5), "Chain Reaction" (#6) | Debuted at #1; 7x platinum |
| 1991 | Full House | CD | Live; 2x platinum | |
| 1993 | Then Again | CD | "Seemed Like a Good Idea (At the Time)" (#16) | Reached #1; 4x platinum
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| 1995 | The Classic Gold Collection | CD | Best of | |
| 1995 | Where Do I Begin | CD | ||
| 1996 | Romeo's Heart | CD | "Have a Little Faith (In Us)" (#3), "A Simple Life" (#29), "Heart's on Fire" | Reached #2; 4x platinum |
| 1997 | Anthology 1: Greatest Hits 1987-1997 | CD | "Everytime You Cry" (new track - duet recorded with Human Nature, reached #3) | Best of; Reached #1; 4x platinum |
| 1997 | Anthology 2: Classic Hits 1967-1985 (Recorded Live) | CD | Best of; reached #12 | |
| 1997 | Anthology 3: Rarities | Reached #20 | ||
| 1998 | Highlights from the Main Event | CD | Recorded live at Melbourne Park with Olivia Newton-John & Anthony Warlow; Reached #1; 5x platinum; rereleased in 2001 with three bonus tracks | |
| 1999 | Live at the Regent Theatre: July 1st, 1999 | CD | Reached #7; also features Kate Cebrano, Merril Bainbridge, Nana-Zhami, James Reyne and Human Nature | |
| 2000 | 33 1/3 | CD | "Trying to Live My Life Without You", "Man of the Hour" | Debuted at #1; 3x platinum |
| 2002 | Love Songs | CD | Only released in Germany | |
| 2003 | The Last Time | CD | Reached #1; 3x platinum | |
| 2003 | One Voice: The Greatest Hits | CD | Double CD; Reached #2; 4x platinum; features a duet of "We Will Rock You" with Queen | |
| 2005 | John Farnham & Tom Jones - Together In Concert | CD | Reached #3; 3x platinum | |
| 2005 | I Remember When I Was Young: Songs from the Great Australian Songbook | Debuted at #2 |
Releases with the Little River Band
| Year | Album name | Type | Hit songs | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Greatest Hits | CD, LP | Only two songs feature Farnham; he had just joined the band. | |
| 1983 | The Net | CD, LP | ||
| 1984 | Playing to Win | CD, LP | ||
| 1986 | No Reins | CD, LP | ||
| 1988 | Too Late to Load | CD, LP | ||
| 1988 | The Farnham Years | CD, LP |
Videos & DVDs
| Year | Title | Type | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Whispering Jack In Concert | VHS | Recorded from the "Jack's Back Tour" |
| 1989 | Classic Jack Live | VHS | Recorded from the "Age Of Reason Tour" with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra |
| 1990 | Chain Reaction Live In Concert | VHS | Recorded from the "Chain Reaction Tour" |
| 1994 | Talk Of The Town Tour | VHS | Recorded from the "Talk Of The Town Tour" |
| 1998 | The Main Event | VHS/ DVD | Recorded from the "The Main Event Tour" with Olivia Newton-John and Anthony Warlow |
| 1999 | Anthology 1 - The Videos | VHS | Film Clips from 1986 to 1996 |
| 2000 | 33 1/3 - On The Inside | VHS/ DVD | Film Clips and the making of the album, 33 1/3 |
| 2002 | An Audience With John Farnham | DVD | Recorded at Channel 7 Studios, Melbourne |
| 2003 | The Last Time | VHS/ DVD | Recorded from "The Last Time Tour" |
| 2003 | One Voice - The Greatest Clips | DVD | Film Clips from John Farnham's 35-year career |
| 2005 | John Farnham & Tom Jones Together In Concert | VHS/ DVD | Recorded from the "Together In Concert" |
| 2005 | Classic Jack Live | DVD | Re-Release of the original VHS from 1989 |
| 2005 | Chain Reaction Tour | DVD | Re-Release of the original VHS from 1990 |
External links
References
| Preceded by: Dick Smith |
Australian of the Year 1987 |
Succeeded by: Kay Cottee |