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John Williamson
Over the
course of 30 years John Williamson has carved himself a unique place in not
just Australian music, but Australian culture, writing songs which like his
heroes - poets Banjo Patterson and Henry Lawson - capture the Australian
character of John's own day with pathos and humour. The humour set him
apart first.
In 1969 John Williamson wrote an infectious
novelty song called 'Old Man Emu', and visiting Melbourne he was encouraged
by friends to perform his song on TV's 'New Faces' program. That
performance set in train a chain of events which ended in John being
offered a contract to record his song on the Fable label. Almost
immediately he was transformed, from a farmer's son who sang at various functions
in his area, into a professional entertainer.
For the
next few years he lived off 'Old Man Emu's success and appeal and also
tried to shrug off the one-hit wonder shadow that song cast over the rest
of his songs and career. But he loved what he was doing, and had the
confidence to persevere. In the back of his mind was always the thought
that the day might come when he would give up songwriting and go back to
the farm.
In 1981
John Williamson finally put 'Old Man Emu' behind him, with a
"serious" song 'The Breaker' performed with actor Charles 'Bud'
Tingwell, and written the movie about 'Breaker Morant'. It was all the
opening John Williamson needed. His long apprenticeship flowed into an apparently
endless set of songs charming Australians with stories and images about
themselves and their country.
He had
won the freedom few songwriters and performers ever gain - his audiences
willed him to just be himself, right down to his characteristic Australian
drawl. John Williamson took that freedom and ran with it, delivering
'Mallee Boy', an album filled with storytelling that spanned from his own
beginnings on that farm in the Victorian Mallee to every corner of the
nation. It was a Top 10 selling album, and remained in the best sellers
charts for a year and a half. John Williamson had become one of the few
performers in the "country music" idiom embraced by rural and
urban Australians alike. They could all hold their hand to their hearts as
they sang along to the patriotic 'True Blue'. He followed a live album
called 'Singin' in the Suburbs' with another live album, 'The Smell of Gum
Leaves'.
In 1989
John showed that with the freedom to express oneself comes responsibility
to oneself. He dared to write a song critical of the woodchip industry, no
way to keep endearing himself to the rural people depending on woodchipping
for their survival. Amid the applause for his courage came howls and angry
words, but in the end what everyone recognized was John's honesty. This was
a songwriter who would tell them like it is, at the same time as making
them nostalgic about the Australia disappearing in front of their eyes, and
also giving them a laugh with songs like 'Boogie With M'Baby'. In January
'97 John was inducted to the 'Roll of Renown' at the Country Music Awards
of Australia in Tamworth.
Since
'Mallee Boy' every John Williamson album effortlessly achieves platinum
sales, and he has established a sizeable following in the UK which has
fallen in love with John's passion for this exotic country Australia. At
home 'True Blue' has become the unofficial anthem of the Australian Cricket
squad. His songs are used and listened to when Australians want to be
inspired and moved. At the Sydney Olympics he was given the charter to just
wander through the crowds with his guitar.
In December
2011 it was announced that JW was leaving EMI after 22 years and his 48th
career album ‘The Big Red’ would be released by Warner Music Australia in
January 2012. On the way he had sold more than 4
million albums in Australia, won three ARIAs, four APRAs, and 24 Golden
Guitars.
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