In 2023 Australian music icon John Williamson will celebrate his 53rd year in the entertainment industry – a remarkable achievement. 2020 and 2021 gave John a forced taste of retirement and the realisation that he’s not quite ready to hang up his guitar. However, 2023 will see John travelling less and performing at fewer and more selective venues and events. We are delighted that Mildura is one of those locations.
His accolades include induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame and the Australian Roll of Renown, an Order of Australia, 28 Golden Guitar Awards, not to mention over 5 million albums sold, over one billion music streams reached in 2022, thousands of shows performed across the country and a catalogue of over 500 self-penned songs. Few have accomplished so much. In January 2022 John was honoured with a life-sized bronze statue in his image in the main street of Tamworth; a significant reminder of his contribution to our country’s music and the national psyche, long after the last note has been played.
When John Williamson wandered into Melbourne’s GTV9 studios in 1970 with a guitar under his arm, little did the Mallee farmer realise he’d make a 50+-year career out of singing and performing. His performance of ‘Old Man Emu’ (the first song John wrote) on Channel Nine’s New Faces program resulted in a number one single for five weeks and a recording deal. It also marked the appearance of a striking new talent: an unofficial custodian of Australian stories.
Don’t miss your chance to see John live at Jaycee Park on Friday 21 April, bring the family and make a night of it. This is the perfect chance to catch him before he finally ‘hangs his hat in QLD’ as the song says.
