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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 in Sydney, 2015. Pic by Josh Groom
John Farnham Is Happy For A TV Biopic To Be Made About Him...As Long As He's Not Around For It
Could Farnsy follow in the footsteps of INXS and Meldrum?
News / Music
It's A Freakin' Epidemic: Hard Rock Band Cover Another Farnsey Classic
'Age Of Reason' gets a whole new run.
News / Music
Norwegian Heavy Metal Singer Covers John Farnham's 'You're The Voice'
Because, um...why not?
Reviews / Live
Live Review: John Farnham, Daryl Braithwaite, Ross Wilson, The Black Sorrows
"I wish I had that mullet. I miss that thing. It was world class."
Reviews / Live
Live Review: One Electric Day
"Farnham's honey-and-lemon presence was a balm on the balmy evening. You're the voice, and John Farnham is a human Soother."
Reviews / Live
Live Review: The Age Music Victoria Hall Of Fame Concert
"We're all gagging for the rock'n'roll segment of this evening's proceedings and AC/DC's achievements make us swell with national pride."
News / Music
Farnham's 76th Show At QCU Arena Will Be One Of The Venue's Last
Farnsie is that latest to farewell Qantas Credit Union Arena
News / Music
John Farnham, Daryl Braithwaite Lead Line-Up For Inaugural One Electric Day Event
The Victorian festival is spreading its wings to include South Australia for the first time this year
News / Music
Farnham Slams Reclaim Australia As 'Disgusting'; Bans Use Of Song
Another Aussie legend speaks out.
News / Music
Can Tame Impala Dethrone Farnsie & ONJ From #1 Spot?
All the action from the ARIA midweek charts.
News / Music
Thy Art Is Murder Battle It Out With Farnsie & ONJ For Week's Highest Chart Debut
All the action from the mid-week charts.
News / Music
AC/DC, John Farnham And More To Be Inducted Into Victoria's Music Hall Of Fame
Musicians to be inducted this November.