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John Farnham: The Untold Story
John Farnham is nothing less than an Aussie icon. In a career spanning almost five decades, the likeable, charismatic star has entertained countless Australians of every generation, selling millions of records along the way. But his extraordinary story is as much about tackling adversity as it is about topping the charts.In the mid-1980s, without a recording contract, more or less penniless, and seemingly destined to be remembered mainly as the chirpy teenager whose debut single ‘Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)’ swept to number one back in 1967, Farnham had hit rock bottom. But courageously – and assisted by his great friend and manager Glenn Wheatley who mortgaged his house to finance an album – John stormed into the public consciousness again in 1986 with the epic ‘You’re The Voice’ single and stunning LP Whispering Jack. His spectacular comeback complete, the fair-haired superstar has simply gone from strength to strength in the decades since.In this compelling biography, radio broadcaster and music journalist Jane Gazzo tracks down the key figures in John’s life – from the 1960s to the present day – revealing Farnham as an inspirational Australian whose bubbly personality sometimes disguises his steely determination beneath the surface. Former teen idol, Australian of the Year, the man known across the nation as ‘The Voice’, John Farnham has earned his reputation as a genuine legend of the local entertainment industry.
- GenresBiographyMusicNonfiction
474 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 2, 2015
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58 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 8, 2016
Not sure if LOVE the book or love it cause every time a song was mentioned I was on you tube!!! Either way it had been the most fun I've had reading a book ever!!!
February 13, 2016
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
John Farnham is nothing less than an Aussie icon. In a career spanning almost five decades, the likeable, charismatic star has entertained countless Australians of every generation, selling millions of records along the way. But his extraordinary story is as much about tackling adversity as it is about topping the charts. In the mid-1980s, without a recording contract, more or less penniless, and seemingly destined to be remembered mainly as the chirpy teenager whose debut single 'Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)' swept to number one back in 1967, Farnham had hit rock bottom. But courageously - and assisted by his great friend and manager Glenn Wheatley who mortgaged his house to finance an album - John stormed into the public consciousness again in 1986 with the epic 'You're The Voice' single and stunning LP Whispering Jack. His spectacular comeback complete, the fair-haired superstar has simply gone from strength to strength in the decades since. In this compelling biography, radio broadcaster and music journalist Jane Gazzo tracks down the key figures in John's life - from the 1960s to the present day - revealing Farnham as an inspirational Australian whose bubbly personality sometimes disguises his steely determination beneath the surface. Former teen idol, Australian of the Year, the man known across the nation as 'The Voice', John Farnham has earned his reputation as a genuine legend of the local entertainment industry.
'The Voice', 'Whispering Jack', 'Farnsy' - regardless of the nickname, all Australians know John Farnham. From his humble beginnings with "Sadie" and "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" to his time with the Little River Band and then as the multi-platinum solo artist. John Farnham has been an Australian music survivor for the past near 50 years.
I was 14 when the breakthrough "Whispering Jack" album was released. I was one of millions of Australians who had a copy of the album in their house. I was one of millions who absolutely adored John Farnham. I also knew very little about his early days as a performer. That's where this book comes in very handy...
While this book may be an "unauthorised" biography (John Farnham doesn't like to talk about himself very much and didn't want to be a part of the writing of the book), there is enough input from those around Farnham during those years to make it absolutely credible.
His early years as a performer were, looking back, a bit of a novelty. Light, bubblegum music performed by a clean cut young man was guaranteed sales. Even if John didn't particularly like the songs. He didn't really get any say in what he recorded in those days. He was given a bunch of tracks and told to sing them, basically.
The interesting parts of this book was what was happening between the hits. We get a good look at not just the successful life of John Farnham but we also learn of his struggles both professionally and personally. We learn about his generosity and loyalty. We learn more about his work ethic and what he would do to make sure he had every chance to stay at the top.
However, as I said, I was a child of the "Whispering Jack" phenomenon and I would be lying if I said that I wasn't more interested in that period of his life. And this book delivered on that too - from the origin of his "Whispering Jack" nickname, to the funny stories from touring and recording, to insights from band members, producers, and many others that really shine a light on "Jack."
Paul
ARH
John Farnham is nothing less than an Aussie icon. In a career spanning almost five decades, the likeable, charismatic star has entertained countless Australians of every generation, selling millions of records along the way. But his extraordinary story is as much about tackling adversity as it is about topping the charts. In the mid-1980s, without a recording contract, more or less penniless, and seemingly destined to be remembered mainly as the chirpy teenager whose debut single 'Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)' swept to number one back in 1967, Farnham had hit rock bottom. But courageously - and assisted by his great friend and manager Glenn Wheatley who mortgaged his house to finance an album - John stormed into the public consciousness again in 1986 with the epic 'You're The Voice' single and stunning LP Whispering Jack. His spectacular comeback complete, the fair-haired superstar has simply gone from strength to strength in the decades since. In this compelling biography, radio broadcaster and music journalist Jane Gazzo tracks down the key figures in John's life - from the 1960s to the present day - revealing Farnham as an inspirational Australian whose bubbly personality sometimes disguises his steely determination beneath the surface. Former teen idol, Australian of the Year, the man known across the nation as 'The Voice', John Farnham has earned his reputation as a genuine legend of the local entertainment industry.
'The Voice', 'Whispering Jack', 'Farnsy' - regardless of the nickname, all Australians know John Farnham. From his humble beginnings with "Sadie" and "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" to his time with the Little River Band and then as the multi-platinum solo artist. John Farnham has been an Australian music survivor for the past near 50 years.
I was 14 when the breakthrough "Whispering Jack" album was released. I was one of millions of Australians who had a copy of the album in their house. I was one of millions who absolutely adored John Farnham. I also knew very little about his early days as a performer. That's where this book comes in very handy...
While this book may be an "unauthorised" biography (John Farnham doesn't like to talk about himself very much and didn't want to be a part of the writing of the book), there is enough input from those around Farnham during those years to make it absolutely credible.
His early years as a performer were, looking back, a bit of a novelty. Light, bubblegum music performed by a clean cut young man was guaranteed sales. Even if John didn't particularly like the songs. He didn't really get any say in what he recorded in those days. He was given a bunch of tracks and told to sing them, basically.
The interesting parts of this book was what was happening between the hits. We get a good look at not just the successful life of John Farnham but we also learn of his struggles both professionally and personally. We learn about his generosity and loyalty. We learn more about his work ethic and what he would do to make sure he had every chance to stay at the top.
However, as I said, I was a child of the "Whispering Jack" phenomenon and I would be lying if I said that I wasn't more interested in that period of his life. And this book delivered on that too - from the origin of his "Whispering Jack" nickname, to the funny stories from touring and recording, to insights from band members, producers, and many others that really shine a light on "Jack."
Paul
ARH
December 3, 2024
From his first single, Sadie the Cleaning Lady, to You're the Voice, to his battle with mouth cancer, this is a magical telling of the story of an Australian music legend. Gazzo tells the story with a lot of compassion and humour.
One life, and so many highlights. An impromptu song with Tom Jones on Hey Hey It’s Saturday, an unannounced appearance on stage in Melbourne to perform a duet with Celine Dion singing You're the Voice.
This is a beautiful and well researched presentation of Australia's Voice.
One life, and so many highlights. An impromptu song with Tom Jones on Hey Hey It’s Saturday, an unannounced appearance on stage in Melbourne to perform a duet with Celine Dion singing You're the Voice.
This is a beautiful and well researched presentation of Australia's Voice.
April 20, 2023
John Farnham is an Australian singer and legend. He is a humble man who doesn't like to talk about himself. This biography is written in the words of the people who know him best.
From a boy who just wanted to sing this book follows his rise to stardom as Teen idol, to his fall into bankruptcy, and his skyrocket to becoming an Australian national treasure
He is known as The Voice and his signature song Your the Voice is the unofficial Australian National Anthem. He has an amazing voice.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves music.
From a boy who just wanted to sing this book follows his rise to stardom as Teen idol, to his fall into bankruptcy, and his skyrocket to becoming an Australian national treasure
He is known as The Voice and his signature song Your the Voice is the unofficial Australian National Anthem. He has an amazing voice.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves music.
August 15, 2023
I was able to relive some of my fondest memories listening to this simple account of Farnham's career- I was a fan from way back. I don't think it needed the extra trivia about Bev Harrell, Tony Pantano (#1 in Tasmania!!!!), the James Wright Band, or whoever they were- top 5 in Adelaide! Who cares about Daryl Sambell's life after Farnham? The whole thing could have been edited to a much shorter and more interesting story. Being able to speed up the audio certainly helped.
January 5, 2024
Growing up, my mum loved John farnham and would play his music almost daily. I grew to love the strength of his voice and the powerful message in his song.
Reading that John didn't like to be called a legend shows he is just a humble Aussie who loves what he does and loves even more to share it with his legion of fans. No John, you are not a legend but an inspiration.
Reading that John didn't like to be called a legend shows he is just a humble Aussie who loves what he does and loves even more to share it with his legion of fans. No John, you are not a legend but an inspiration.
February 8, 2024
This updated edition of John Farnham was fantastic, what a story many highs and lows of an Aussie icon. In a career spanning almost five decades, the likeable, charismatic star has entertained countless Australians of every generation, selling millions of records along the way, John's life - from the 1960s to the present day - . Fantastic read not only for John Farnham fans but everyone.
January 14, 2025
I am not the kind of reader to give up on a book, so I kept on with this one, despite it reading like a shopping list of concerts and albums which were released.
It just didn't seem to have heart, didn't convey the excitement it should have when achievements were made. Perhaps this was because it was a book about John Farnham but only had smatterings of quotes from him in it.
It just didn't seem to have heart, didn't convey the excitement it should have when achievements were made. Perhaps this was because it was a book about John Farnham but only had smatterings of quotes from him in it.
June 2, 2021
Highly-recommended. A fascinating portrait of one of our greatest musical talents.
June 20, 2021
I was never a great Farnham fan, but i realy enjoyed reading about him and some of the history of other aussie people involved in the music industry.
January 18, 2023
A really enjoyable biography, and bang up to date. Excellent book.
August 18, 2024
Great book with information that I hadn’t heard before loved it.
January 30, 2025
Story of how John became famous with highs and lows
January 2, 2026
A pretty easy read. Started 2025 reading his autobiography so reading his story in this book from another perspective was interesting.
You don’t really need to be a fan to enjoy this book.
You don’t really need to be a fan to enjoy this book.
September 21, 2024
I love John Farnham so perhaps I'm a bit biased. I've seen him perform around 7 times. He always makes you feel as though he knows your personally and he always looks amazed that people come to see him
He was a bit of a wild one in his early days which surprised me. Lots of ups and downs. He had some low lows and was in an awful state to wanting to attend functions when Whispering Jack was about to be released. He went through so much as did Glen Wheatly.
Good to read about his beginnings and the members of his original band. His time with little River Band was enlightening hearing what really happened, the real Glen Shorrock and how he came to write Playing to Win. Great story. Says a lot when one of his sons has had this tatooed on his chest. Love you John!
He was a bit of a wild one in his early days which surprised me. Lots of ups and downs. He had some low lows and was in an awful state to wanting to attend functions when Whispering Jack was about to be released. He went through so much as did Glen Wheatly.
Good to read about his beginnings and the members of his original band. His time with little River Band was enlightening hearing what really happened, the real Glen Shorrock and how he came to write Playing to Win. Great story. Says a lot when one of his sons has had this tatooed on his chest. Love you John!
March 17, 2016
Loved this book from cover to cover
But I have loved John Farnham from the days of 'Sadie' to ' The Voice'
and beyond
I have been to every concert of every tour over the years and would do it all again
in a heartbeat
Thank you Jane a well written well researched book in my opinion
But I have loved John Farnham from the days of 'Sadie' to ' The Voice'
and beyond
I have been to every concert of every tour over the years and would do it all again
in a heartbeat
Thank you Jane a well written well researched book in my opinion
April 30, 2016
For this being the 'Untold Story', there was not a lot that I did not already know.
There were spelling errors and grammar errors, poor editing
There were spelling errors and grammar errors, poor editing
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews