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John Farnham

John Farnham

John Peter Farnham AO (born 1 July 1949) is a British-born Australian singer. Farnham was a teen pop idol from 1967 until 1979, billed until then as Johnny Farnham. He has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist, although he replaced Glenn Shorrock as lead singer of Little River Band from 1982 to 1985.In November 1986, his solo single "You're the Voice" peaked at No. 1 on the Australian singles charts. The associated album, Whispering Jack, held the No. 1 position for a total of 25 weeks. Both the single and the album had top-ten success internationally, including No. 6 in the United Kingdom and No.1 in Sweden. Whispering Jack is the third-highest-selling album in Australian history, and as of May 2023 remains the highest-selling album in Australia by an Australian act.Farnham has become one of his country's best-known and most popular performers, and he is the only Australian artist to have a number-one record (album or single) in five consecutive decades (echoing that of Cliff Richard in the UK), with singles including "Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)" in 1967, "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" in 1970, and "Age of Reason" in 1988; and albums Whispering Jack in 1986, Age of Reason in 1988, Chain Reaction in 1990, Then Again... in 1993, 33⅓ in 2000, and The Last Time in 2002. Along with touring with numerous artists, including The Seekers and international acts like Stevie Nicks and Lionel Richie, he released various collaborative albums: Tom Jones on Together in Concert (2005); Olivia Newton-John and Anthony Warlow, including Highlights from The Main Event (1998); Two Strong Hearts Live (2015); and Friends for Christmas (2016).Farnham has been recognised by many honours and awards, including 1987 Australian of the Year, 1996 Officer of the Order of Australia, and 19 ARIA Awards, including his 2003 induction into the Hall of Fame. Starting in 1969, he was voted by TV Week readers as the 'King of Pop' for five consecutive years.Aside from his recording career, Farnham performed on stage with lead roles in Australian productions of Charlie Girl, Pippin and 1992's Jesus Christ Superstar. He starred in his own TV series and specials, including It's Magic (With Colleen Hewett), Bobby Dazzler, and Farnham and Byrne (with Debra Byrne), and as a guest on numerous other popular shows such as The Don Lane Show, Countdown and Hey Hey It's Saturday.

Albums

1968 Sadie
1970 Christmas Is…
1970 Looking Through a Tear
1980 Uncovered
1986 Whispering Jack
1988 Age of Reason
1990 Chain Reaction
1993 Then Again…
1996 Romeo’s Heart
2000 33⅓
2002 The Last Time
2005 I Remember When I Was Young: Songs from The Great Australian Songbook
2007 Whispering Jack
2010 Jack
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Latest Articles

News / Music
John Farnham @ Sydney Entertainment Centre
Full Line-Up Announced For 'We Are The Voice' World Record Attempt From John Farnham's Band
“To stand on stage with the Farnham Band again and hear thousands of Australians singing these songs together will be something truly special.”
Industry / News
John Farnham
'Idol', Farnham, Exceed 1M TV Viewers Each; Grammys Misfires For Aussies
Music was a big hit on Australian TV screens this past weekend, but the industry's night of nights were beaten out by a pair of local favourites.
News / Music
John Farnham
'Whispering Jack: The John Farnham Musical' Heading To Sydney In 2026
The Australian music icon will be portrayed by 'Jesus Christ Superstar' lead Michael Paynter, who described the opportunity as "an honour that is very hard to put into words."
News / Music
John Farnham performing live
John Farnham's Band To Attempt To Smash Australian Book Of Records With 'We Are The Voice'
“This will be a fun event at one of my favourite venues on the planet, and for a very worthy cause,” John Farnham said.
News / Music
John Farnham
The Story Of John Farnham's 'Whispering Jack' Album Is Being Turned Into A New Musical
"This is the story of an overnight sensation, 20 years in the making.”
News / Music
John Farnham
A New Musical Celebrating John Farnham & 40 Years Of 'Whispering Jack' Is In The Works
'Whispering Jack' remains one of the highest-selling Australian albums of all time.
News / Music
John Farnham
John Farnham Is Officially A Grandfather
"We are over the moon about the arrival of this perfectly beautiful little boy," John and Jill Farnham said.
News / Music
John Farnham
American Stars Rave About John Farnham
‘John Farnham is the greatest singer alive.’
Features / Music
John Farnham
Raising His Voice – John Farnham Settles Some Old Scores In His New Book
Here are 18 things we learned from John Farnham's new book, 'The Voice Inside.'
News / Music
John Farnham
John Farnham Reveals He Can’t Open His Mouth, May Never Sing Again
Farnham still tries to sing, though: “I can barely open my mouth, but I still wail in the shower.”
News / Music
John Farnham
John Farnham Reveals He Was Drugged By Former Manager
John Farnham alleged that his former manager drugged him "for years" and he had "no f*cking idea."
News / Music
John Farnham
John Farnham Narrates The Audiobook Of His Memoir, 'The Voice Inside'
The Aussie music legend described the experience as "a bit of a roller-coaster ride."