The Voice Inside

From a childhood in London and Melbourne through to pop stardom in the 1960s, the critical success enjoyed with the release of the highest-selling Australian album of all time, Whispering Jack, and a decades-long touring career, the John Farnham story is, at first glance, one filled with remarkable highlights.

It is, however, so much more than that. It is the story of the resilience John found as his stellar career stalled, record companies turned their backs, and he faced financial ruin. It is the story of triumph over adversity after a devastating diagnosis of mouth cancer in 2022, only months after the death of his long-time friend and manager, Glenn Wheatley.

Throughout a lifetime filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, John has remained steadfast, never losing his unique musical talent, creative strength nor his powerful ability to make human connections through his music.

The Voice Inside is like sitting down with an old friend sharing stories that are both deeply personal and wildly entertaining. Written alongside award-winning filmmaker Poppy Stockell, this is a captivating and powerfully honest insight into the man whose music is the soundtrack to so many of our lives.

About the Author

John Farnham is an Australian national treasure, one of Australia's top performing artists and the greatest singer Australia has ever produced. His career spans more than five decades.

Born in London, John immigrated to Australia with his family in 1959 at the age of ten. From high school he played in local bands around Melbourne and in 1967 John left a plumbing apprenticeship to pursue a full-time career in entertainment. And what a career it has been. For five years, from 1969 to 1973, John was voted the King of Pop and his success brought him screaming fans and recording contracts, won him starring roles in stage shows and musicals and delivered twelve singles and six albums that all achieved gold status. The fickle nature of pop saw his pop career wane in the late seventies, but John's talent continued to develop. In 1980 he formed his own band and with them he performed the Beatles classic 'Help' to critical acclaim. In 1982, he was invited to front the Little River Band (LRB) and he toured extensively with the band in the US. But it was after leaving LRB that John truly came into his own. In 1986 he released his first solo album in six years, called Whispering Jack.

This phenomenal album was No. 1 on the Australian music charts for 25 weeks and topped the charts throughout Europe, England and Canada. It is still Australia's highest-selling album of all time by a local artist and the album won John numerous ARIA awards. More chart-topping albums would follow. Throughout his career John has regularly toured both Australian and overseas markets. At home, his tours are renowned for breaking attendance records at major entertainment venues.

There are so many accolades to list so here are just a few. In 1987 John Farnham was named Australian of the Year and on Australia Day in 1996 he was honoured with the Order of Australia for Services to Music and Charity. In 1997 he was recognised as the Most Broadcast Australian Recording Artist of all time by the Phonographic Performance Company of Australia. In 2000, John performed with Olivia Newton-John for the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games. In 2003, John was inducted into the Australian music industry's ARIA Hall of Fame. John continued to record and tour and has collaborated and toured with some of Australia's and the world's best performers. He is acknowledged by artists like Celine Dion, Tom Jones, Chris Martin and Jimmy Barnes as 'the Voice'.

In August 2022, John was diagnosed with mouth cancer and retreated with his wife of over fifty years, Jill, to fight this cancer battle. In 2023 the documentary called Finding the Voice, that looked at John's career and the creation of Whispering Jack, was released.