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One of the great rock singers of all time Jimmy Barne will perform a special acoustic show on Saturday, January 19th at Indochine Waterfront!
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Jimmy Barnes emigrated with his family to Elizabeth, a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia, in 1961 when he was 5 years old. Barnes, who left school early and started working on the Australian Railways, has always tried to retain his working class ethic.
Jimmy's interest in music started when his older brother John began singing in different local bands and by 1973 Jimmy had become lead singer in Cold Chisel, who quickly became known as one of the best live bands in the area. It took several years for the band to sign their first record deal, however, and during this time they honed down their blistering live sound to perfection, their attitude and often provocative lyrics and live performances winning new fans wherever they played. Cold Chisel were, between 1977 and 1985, without a doubt, the biggest rock & roll band in Australia. They constantly hit #1 on the charts with singles like 'Khe Sanh' 'Breakfast at Sweethearts', 'My Baby', 'Choir Girl', 'Rising Sun' and 'Flame Trees'. Albums like 'East' and 'Swing Shift' were amongst the biggest in the history of the Australian recording industry. Throughout this period Jimmy, whose father had been a champion boxer, won a reputation as a short-tempered, hard-drinking rocker.
After Cold Chisel disintegrated, Jimmy launched an incredibly successful solo career. His first album 'Bodyswerve' peaked at #1 and went double platinum but it was the follow-up, 'The Working Class Man' that really established him as a solo star and Australian music icon, selling over 400,000 copies, surpassing even Cold Chisel's achievements. This was followed by 'Freight Train Heat', 'Barnstorming', and 'Two Fires', all of which hit #1 on the chart and sold over 5 times platinum. Jimmy recorded 'Simply the Best' with Tina Turner for the NSW Rugby League ad campaign back in 1992; which was also released as a single. In the same year he won the ARIA Award for 'Best Male Artist' and 'Highest Selling Artist'. Barnes latest album titled "Out in the Blue" has just been released to rave reviews. It's his first new material since giving up alcohol and drugs almost seven years ago and marks a major comeback from his recent heart surgery. "I had a kind of writer's block," he says. "I'd only written songs when I was drunk or high as a kite, so I had started to think the creative process involved only that. I hadn't had the opportunity to find out because since I'd straightened up and gone sober I had literally worked non-stop. "Then, suddenly, I'm sitting in bed for a few months, relaxed and recovered. I picked up the guitar, which I hadn't done for a while, and songs started coming to me. Once the process started, it was like a floodgate. I wrote 40 songs in a matter of weeks."
Don't miss Jimmy Barnes Live at Indochine Waterfront on Saturday, January 19th. For more information call LAMC Productions at 6324-0764.
Official Jimmy Barnes Website >>>
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