Due to continued travel restrictions across Australia, Regional Touring and Zaccaria announce a change of date for John Williamson’s shows in Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Ticket details and further information via www.johnwilliamson.com.au
- Fri 28th Jan Melbourne Palais, Theatre
- Sat 29th Jan Perth Perth Concert Hall
- Thurs 3rd Feb Sydney State Theatre
“Once again, I’m devastated but not surprised anymore that my concert series ‘My Australian Stories’ in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth have to be rescheduled to early next year. The current situation with the Delta variant of COVID are making it impossible to travel with the ongoing restrictions on activities and border closures. Along with my musicians and crew, we’re all either locked down or locked out! I hate to let people down but we have no option. I hope you can join us all early next year and I’ll look forward to seeing you along the road of song then. In the meantime, stay safe.” – John Williamson
‘For over 50 years I have travelled and written songs that cover the width and breadth of this ancient land. I spent six years wheat and sheep farming in both Victoria and New South Wales, lived in Melbourne, Sydney and now the mountains in sub-tropical Queensland. All this has given me an understanding of what my country is about. That’s ‘My Australian Story’, says Williamson.
Like a tumbleweed across this vast continent, John Williamson has traversed the country from east to west and north to south. There are few places over this fifty-one-year career that he hasn’t visited or performed in. He’s pulled up to have a yarn with farmers, miners, station owners and everyday folk who have stories to share. He’s as familiar sitting around a stock camp under the Milky Way as he is sitting on his well-travelled stool on stage.
The eldest of five boys and a wheat farmer’s son, he had an idyllic childhood growing up in the Mallee country of North West Victoria. At nineteen the family moved to North West NSW and it was here that his love of birds and the bush flourished. Both are a constant source of inspiration in his songs. His first break as a songwriter came when he walked into Channel 9 studios in Melbourne, having written his first song, ‘Old Man Emu’ while driving the tractor. He walked out as the winner of the TV channel’s ‘New Faces’ talent show and a recording contract in hand. He took a punt on making a successful career in the music industry and left the land. ‘Old Man Emu’ went on to become a number one hit on the charts nationally for five weeks. Those early years of perseverance, honing his craft in the clubs and pubs of Victoria and NSW as a one-man band and a belief in wanting to sing about Australia, in his own voice, rather than imitating an American accent, has made him one of our most sought-after performers.
More than 500 songs later, spread over fifty-two albums (including twenty studio albums), twenty-seven Golden Guitars and countless accolades, he’s not one to rest on his laurels. John says he still feels he’s learning.
Williamson sees himself primarily as an entertainer, so his audiences should be prepared to laugh and cry as he takes them on a journey around his beloved Australia. From Outback Coober Pedy to Wonthaggi on the Victorian coast, from the Kimberley to Cape York, who knows where you might end up? His audiences can expect the biggest hits; the enduring ‘Old Man Emu’, favourites such as ‘Mallee Boy’, ‘Galleries of Pink Galahs’, ‘Cootamundra Wattle’, ‘Raining on the Rock’ and ‘Chandelier of Stars’ will all make their appearance. Of course, his iconic ‘True Blue’ is a certainty. But expect some surprises. ‘Queen in the Sport of Kings’, his first song to win a Golden Guitar and one of a handful inspired by city living will make a long overdue comeback, as might ‘Coober Pedy’, ‘Back at the Isa’, ‘Prettiest Girl in the Kimberley’ and more.
For a complete list of tour dates and ticketing details please visit www.johnwilliamson.com.au/tour
