John Farnham

Early life

John Peter Farnham was born in Mile End Hospital, Dagenham, Essex (now London), England, on 1 July 1949, to John Peter Farnham Sr., and Rose (née Pemberton) Farnham. His father worked at Ford's motor assembly plant. He is the eldest of four children, with English-born sisters (Jean and Jacqueline) and an Australian-born brother (Steven). As a six-year-old he was confined to bed with pneumonia and was given a plastic guitar for Christmas to amuse himself. In the following years he performed publicly across Essex. Farnham spent his first nine years in the United Kingdom before his family emigrated to Australia in May 1959 via SS Orsova to live in Noble Park, Victoria with his father's elder sister, Mary. Also migrating aboard SS Orsova were his uncles, Alf and Chris and his paternal grandparents, John and Mary. Soon after arriving in Australia his mother, aunt and grandmother won £A10,000 in a lottery and used the money to build two family homes in Noble Park. He attended Yarraman Park State School (now Yarraman Oaks Primary School) in Noble Park East, and Lyndale Primary School (now Lyndale Greens Primary School) and Lyndale High School in Dandenong North.

Musical career

1964–67: The Mavericks to Strings Unlimited

Initially billed as Johnny Farnham, he performed with local band the Mavericks on weekends from 1964, while still attending school. The band had a five-song repertoire and mostly played at school socials. He left school to become a plumber's apprentice. In late 1965, Farnham joined the group, Strings Unlimited, which were looking for a lead singer. They had comprised entirely of members using string-only instruments, after he joined they gained a regular booking at a local hotel. In 1966, after making the Victorian state finals of the Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds, the band recorded a three-track demo tape with Farnham on vocals, Joe Cincotta on bass guitar, Mike Foenander on keyboards, Peter Foggie on drums, Stewart Male on lead guitar and Barry Roy on rhythm guitar.

On 29 April 1967, Strings Unlimited performed as a backing band for pop singer, Bev Harrell in Cohuna. Harrell's manager and then-boyfriend, Darryl Sambell, was impressed with Farnham's vocals and offered to become his manager. Initially performing in Sambell's home town of Adelaide, Farnham recorded a light advertising jingle, "Susan Jones" (with the Susan Jones Rock Five) for the airline company Ansett-ANA, and was offered a solo record contract with EMI under house producer David Mackay.

1967–1979: Teen pop idol

Farnham's first commercially successful recording was an American-written novelty song, "Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)". Sambell had disliked it, as the lyrics were so persistent. However, MacKay insisted and so the single was released in November 1967. The B-side, "In My Room" was written by Farnham. By arrangement with Sambell, Melbourne radio DJ Stan Rofe pretended that he disliked "Sadie" before playing it. The song gave Farnham widespread recognition in Australia. Rofe continued the ploy on TV's pop music show, Uptight and viewers responded with calls to play the song. It hit No. 1 on the Go-Set National Top 40 in January 1968 and remained there for 5 weeks. By shipping 180,000 units in Australia, "Sadie" was the highest-selling single by an Australian artist of the decade and became the biggest-selling single in Australia to that time.

Rofe was also a writer for Go-Set, a teen-oriented pop magazine, his colleague Molly Meldrum, however, praised Farnham's efforts. Farnham's 1968 singles were "Underneath the Arches"/"Friday Kind of Monday" (double A-sided single) and "I Don't Want to Love You"/"Jamie"; each reached the Go-Set top 10. Garry Raffaele of The Canberra Times reviewed his debut album, Sadie (April 1968) via Columbia Records and described the "gimmick" singer, "[he] has little wrong with his voice. Slightly nasal, it nonetheless hits each note with a fair degree of accuracy. But he never becomes involved with a lyric." Although disappointed with Sadie, Raffaele praised its arrangements (by Johnny Hawker) and "Friday Kind of Monday" as its best song.

In 1969, Farnham released a cover of Harry Nilsson's 1968 single, "One". The singer's rendition peaked at No. 4. TV Week ran a pop poll to determine the King of Pop, which was first won by Normie Rowe. Farnham won the King of Pop five consecutive times from 1969 to 1973. He recorded a cover of the B.J. Thomas' 1969 hit "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head", which became his second number-one hit in December 1969. Meldrum privately advised Farnham and Sambell to leave Australia for the international market. Meldrum had relocated to London in December 1969 and via Go-Set in January 1970 he publicly invited Farnham to England. In April of that year, Meldrum lamented, "If Farnham doesn't go, he can only look forward entertaing drunks in hotels and nightclubs as a future." However, Sambell advised Farnham that he was not ready to try overseas.

As well as his singing career, Farnham performed in stage musicals, starting with the titular hero of Dick Whittington and His Cat at Sydney Stadium from December 1969, and on television variety shows either as a guest performer or as a host. "Comic Conversations", Farnham's single from October 1970, peaked at No. 10. During 1971, he teamed up with Allison Durbin, who had been chosen as Most Popular Female Performer at the King of Pop awards for 1969 to 1971. They released a duet album, Together, in September and a single, "Baby, Without You" in November. Both peaked into the top 30 of their respective charts.

1980–86: Little River Band era

Farnham had met Glenn Wheatley, who was the former bass guitarist of 1960s rock group the Masters Apprentices, when both acts were managed by Sambell. Wheatley had been managing Little River Band (LRB) since March 1975 and Farnham signed with Wheatley in January 1980. They decided his comeback single would be a reworking of the Beatles' hit, "Help!" (June 1980), which was produced by LRB's Graeham Goble (guitar, vocals), it peaked at No. 8. Farnham had adopted a more adult contemporary pop style and the associated album, Uncovered (1980), also produced by Goble, peaked at No. 20. Despite having received offers from American record labels to relocate there, none were accepted.

In recording the album, the studio band were guitarist Tommy Emmanuel (ex-Southern Star Band), keyboardist Mal Logan (ex-Renée Geyer Band, LRB), drummer Derek Pellicci (LRB) and bass guitarist Barry Sullivan (ex-Chain, LRB). They became his tour band until Logan and Pellicci returned to their LRB commitments and were replaced by Sam McNally and David Jones, respectively. In 1980, Farnham also appeared in a TV series, Farnham and Byrne with former Young Talent Time teen star and 1974 Queen of Pop, Debra Byrne. Three other solo singles followed in 1981, but none reached the top 50. The B-side of his non-album single, "Too Much Too Soon" was another of Farnham's songwriting efforts, "Jillie's Song", co-written with Goble. In February 1982, after Glenn Shorrock left Little River Band, Farnham became their lead vocalist upon recommendations by Goble and Wheatley. The singer initially resisted the idea of joining LRB, but Wheatley convinced him that Shorrock had approved of the replacement. This continued Farnham's move away from cabaret and into pop rock music.

With Farnham, Little River Band recorded three studio albums, which had modest commercial success, but that was not enough to pay back the advances the record company had provided. His first studio album with LRB, The Net, had been already written, so he had no input: except to record his lead vocals. In the US, charting albums with Farnham's vocals were Greatest Hits (1982), The Net (1983) and Playing to Win (1984) on Billboard's Billboard 200. While their charting singles were, "The Other Guy", "We Two", "You're Driving Me Out of My Mind" and "Playing to Win". Farnham's biggest Australian hits with LRB were the 1982 single, "Down on the Border" which peaked at No. 7 and The Net which peaked at No. 11 on the albums charts in 1983.

During this time, Farnham also supplied vocals on soundtracks for films, Savage Streets (1984), The Slugger's Wife (1985) and Fletch (1985). "Justice for One" was co-written by Farnham, for Savage Streets and it was issued as his solo single in August 1984. Little River Band recorded a concert in Melbourne, which aired in the United States on HBO. Its video was one hour long and highlighted songs from The Net as well as reworked versions of Little River Band's earlier material "Cool Change" and "Reminiscing". Also included was "Please Don't Ask Me", a song written by Goble, as a non-top 50 single for Farnham back in January 1981, which was played during the "Australian-themed" opening of the show.

1986–97: Peak solo years

Farnham's first solo performance since 1981 was a live show in Tweed Heads in March 1986, (while still with LRB) using his backing band: Bruno Di Stanislo on bass guitar and vocals, Brett Garsed on lead guitar, Derek Pellicci on drums and Sam See on guitar. Farnham had already started collecting a song list for a future solo album. Sound engineer Ross Fraser advised Wheatley that it was time to start work on the album. Wheatley vainly searched for a producer and record label, hence Fraser took on the producer's role while Wheatley provided financial support, after mortgaging his house, and used his own label, Wheatley Records.

While visiting a jazz club in the US, Farnham was mistakenly introduced as Jack Phantom and when he subsequently provided a running commentary for a local pool game he named himself "Whispering Jack Phantom" after the Pot Black commentator, "Whispering Ted Lowe". His work for the album, Whispering Jack, included expanding his song list with Fraser's advice. "A Touch of Paradise" was co-written by Gulliver Smith and Mondo Rock's Ross Wilson, while "Pressure Down" was provided by Harry Bogdanovs. Another song on offer was "We Built This City" but Farnham knocked it back as unsuitable – it was recorded by US band Starship. Two weeks before recording was due to end, a demo tape arrived from London with material similar to "Pressure Down", Farnham and Fraser listened to "You're the Voice" and knew they had found a once-in-a-lifetime song.

Initially, public interest in the re-branded former teen idol was difficult to cultivate – most radio stations refused to play Farnham's new material. After Sydney's 2Day FM played "You're the Voice" (September 1986), other radio stations responded to requests. Its television debut was on Hey Hey It's Saturday with former Skyhooks member Greg Macainsh providing bass guitar. "You're the Voice" peaked at No. 1 in Germany, Sweden and Australia, as well as being a top ten hit in other European countries: No. 3 in Switzerland, No. 6 in his native country, the UK, and No. 6 in Austria. The song was written by Andy Qunta (ex-Icehouse), Keith Reid (Procol Harum), Maggie Ryder and Chris Thompson (ex-Manfred Mann's Earth Band).

Whispering Jack, issued on 29 September 1986, became the highest-selling album by an Australian artist in Australia, at the time, and peaked at number one on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums chart for a total of 25 weeks. As of 2006, it was accredited with 24× platinum for shipment of over 1.68 million units in Australia, alone. The album was internationally released via RCA/BMG and peaked at No. 1 in Sweden, No. 3 in Austria, No. 6 in the United Kingdom and No. 12 in Norway. In August 1988 it returned to the Australian Top Ten. It was the first Australian made music CD released in Australia.

1998–2023: Collaborations and acoustic albums

For The Main Event Tour during October–December 1998, Farnham collaborated with fellow singers, Olivia Newton-John and Anthony Warlow. The resultant live album, Highlights from The Main Event peaked at No. 1 in December, it shipped 280,000 units to earn 4× platinum, which won Highest Selling Album at the 1999 ARIA Music Awards. The Main Event concert was broadcast on 26 March 1999 on Seven Network and released on VHS. During April–May 1999, Farnham undertook his I Can't Believe He's 50 Tour, supported by Merril Bainbridge, Kate Ceberano, Human Nature, James Reyne, Ross Wilson, and Nana-Zhami (containing his son, Robert Farnham). A live album, Live at the Regent, which was recorded on 1 July 1999 (Farnham's 50th birthday), was released in September and reached No. 7.

On 21 December 1999 the singer performed a set for the Tour of Duty concert in Dili, Timor-Leste for Australian troops serving with InterFET and Timorese people. Fellow performers were James Blundell, Dili Allstars, Gina Jeffreys, the Living End, Kylie Minogue, Doc Neeson and the RMC Band. Tour of Duty was the first of Farnham's concerts to be webcast. The concert had been recorded but the results had been misplaced until re-discovered more than 20 years later, consequently The Tour of Duty Concert for the Troops Live in Dili East Timor 21st December 1999 was finally issued on 25 April 2024 (ANZAC Day). For the 2000 Summer Olympics (held in Sydney), Farnham and Newton-John performed "Dare to Dream" during the Parade of Nations at the Opening Ceremony. Broadcast of the ceremony was viewed by an estimated 3.5 billion people around the world. Farnham appeared as himself in the final episode, "The End", on 11 September 2000, of the Australian comedy TV series, The Games, which focussed on the Olympics.

In 2002, Farnham announced he would retire from full-scale national tours after The Last Time Tour, although he would still perform in concerts and record. The Last Time Tour occurred from 6 November 2002 to 15 June 2003. He also issued the associated album, The Last Time, in October 2002, which reached No. 1 and achieved 3× platinum (210,000 shipments). The Last Time Tour was a countrywide concert tour, taking a circus-style tent to smaller towns and filling large entertainment venues in capital cities, it became the biggest-grossing tour in Australian history.

During July 2003, Farnham worked with Queen to create a new version of their song, "We Will Rock You" for the 2003 Rugby World Cup, which appeared on his greatest hits album, One Voice. Media speculation of Queen asking him to join the band were subsequently denied by both Queen's Brian May and the singer. Farnham was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame on 21 October with a performance of "You're the Voice" at the 2003 ARIA Music Awards. At that ceremony he also won Best Adult Contemporary Album for The Last Time. The 2002 Hall of Fame inductee was Olivia Newton-John, while in 2004 Little River Band, sans Farnham, were inducted.

Use of his music

In 2015, Farnham and Wheatley spoke out against the use of his iconic signature song, "You're the Voice", being used by Reclaim Australia, an anti-Islamic group, and again in 2020 in regard to its use at anti-lockdown rallies during the stage 4 COVID-19 pandemic in Melbourne, which Wheatley described as offensive to Farnham.

From 3 September 2023, with Farnham's support, "You're the Voice" was used to advocate for the "Yes" campaign in the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum, a vote to change the Australian Constitution to enshrine a Voice to Parliament for Indigenous Australians. The song plays as a soundtrack for a video ad directed by filmmaker Warwick Thornton, which was rolled out on social and other digital media and television. On 10 October 2023, Farnham was one of 25 Australians of the Year who signed an open letter supporting the Yes vote. However, the referendum was defeated.

Other activities

Farnham has supported several charities over the years, including "Rwandan refugees, Farm Aid, Community Aid Abroad, and the Starlight Foundation for children with terminal illnesses." He headlined the 2019 Hay Mate series of concerts for Australia's farming community, which raised over 4.4 million dollars. As a writer he won Book of the Year, Audiobook of the Year and Biography of the Year at the 2025 Australian Book Industry Awards for his memoir, The Voice Inside. The autobiography is co-written with Poppy Stockell.

Recognition and awards

Farnham has won and been nominated for numerous Australian music and entertainment awards. These include 22 ARIA Awards from 65 nominations, including his induction into their Hall of Fame. Other awards are Countdown Music and Video Awards, Mo Awards and TV Week magazine's King of Pop Awards and their Logie Awards.

In 1988, Australia's Bicentennial Year, Farnham was named 1987 Australian of the Year, although he had not yet been naturalised — a hastily organised swearing-in occurred before the honour was conferred. He was chosen for "his outstanding contribution to the Australian music industry over 20 years." On Australia Day (26 January) 1996, Farnham was made an Officer of the Order of Australia, "In recognition of service to the Australian music industry and to charitable and community organisations, particularly those relating to youth." On 1 January 2001, he was awarded a Centenary Medal, "for outstanding service to Australian music", as part of Australia's celebration of a centenary of federation.

Farnham, along with nine other Australian artists, were declared 2013 Australian Legends of Music by Australia Post in January of that year: each were commemorated with a postage stamp. In 2015, Farnham, along with AC/DC, Newton-John, the Seekers and Indigenous Australian musical artist Archie Roach, was inducted into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame. Australian rock music historian Ian McFarlane described him as "the most successful solo artist in the history of Australian rock and pop... [He] has retained an affable sense of humour and a simple, unpretentious 'everyman' charm which also makes him one of the most respected celebrities in Australian entertainment history".

In film

Farnham is the subject of a biographical documentary film, John Farnham: Finding the Voice, shown in cinemas in May 2023. It is directed by Poppy Stockell. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 92% based on twelve reviews.

On stage

On 20 September 2026, 120 local and international artists and musicians will gather at Rod Laver Arena to present The Songs of John Farnham: A Living Legend, a tribute concert to Farnham and his music. Some of the proceeds will benefit the charity, Head & Neck Cancer Australia. Melbourne performers will include Tina Arena, Jimmy Barnes, Jack Jones, Richard Marx, Human Nature and Keith Urban, while Celine Dion and Hugh Jackman will appear by satellite.

November 2026 will also see the premiere of Whispering Jack: The John Farnham Musical, which dramatises his life between 1980 and 1986 and deals with his comeback. The show is written by Jack Yabsley and directed by Mitchell Butel for the Sydney Theatre Company. Australian singer-songwriter Michael Paynter is due to portray Farnham.

Personal life

When Farnham performed in the stage musical Charlie Girl, in September 1971, he met Jillian Billman, who was one of the dancers. Meldrum, in a February 1973 edition of Go-Set, announced their wedding plans for March after having received an invitation. Sambell denied the early reports while convincing the couple to delay their nuptials. Despite being best man, Sambell was against Farnham marrying Billman. Nevertheless, Farnham wed Billman on 18 April 1973. The singer co-wrote "Jillie's Song" as the B-side of his 1981 single, "Too Much Too Soon". The couple have two sons, Robert and James. Farnham is a supporter of the North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League. He lives in Wonga Park, Victoria.

Farnham's manager since 1980, Glenn Wheatley died from complications of COVID-19 on 1 February 2022, at the age of 74. Over the years the pair and their respective families had become close friends, "With his passing so many people have lost a part of their lives". In his memoir, The Voice Inside (2024), Farnham alleged that his first manager, Sambell had routinely drugged him without his knowledge by slipping amphetamines and sleeping pills into beverages. Furthermore Sambell was frequently "sexually aggressive" with unwanted advances.

Health

After years of performing in high-volume concerts, Farnham had developed tinnitus and profound hearing loss; consequently as from 2011 he wears hearing aids. In 2019, Farnham cancelled an Australian and New Zealand tour due to a severe kidney infection and dehydration. He subsequently gave up his lifetime habit of smoking – initially switching from cigarettes to cigars – and reduced his alcohol intake. By August of that year the singer had returned to performing in Australia and New Zealand.

On 23 August 2022, Farnham issued a statement that he was to undergo immediate surgery after being diagnosed with cancer. He stated, "cancer diagnosis is something that so many people face every single day, and countless others have walked this path before me." The same day, he underwent a nearly twelve-hour surgery to remove a tumour in his mouth, including jaw reconstruction. He was transferred to an intensive care unit (ICU), in a stable condition. It was later announced that the tumour had been successfully removed.

In March 2023, he was hospitalised due to a respiratory infection. On 23 August 2023 Farnham released a statement saying he was cancer-free, and in an interview with Variety Australia published on 5 September, when asked if Farnham would ever tour again or release new material, his sons declared, "Anything's possible... I think he'd like to, and he can definitely still sing". In May 2026 Farnham issued a statement that he will never sing publicly again, "Because of the surgeries to my mouth and face over the past few years, singing on stage is not something I can consider again. It's just not possible. We can rule that out".