Beach bound: John Williamson returns to his old holiday haunt at this weekend’s Queenscliff Music Festival.
Erin Pearson
LIFE is a swag-full of pub, club and festival appearances for Australian music legend John Williamson.
Celebrating 40 years in the recording industry, Williamson told the Independent his music life had taken him many places.
“Folk festivals I love. I find the audiences are really good listeners,” he said.
“I guess I’m enjoying it because I’m more relaxed now. I’ve gone further than I thought I would.”
The self-described comedian, entertainer and patriot said he never stopped finding inspiration for his songs.
“I became a writer because I couldn’t hear songs I could relate to, so really I’ve been selling my songs for Aussies,” he said.
Williamson will make his debut at Queenscliff Music Festival this weekend after producing 39 albums.
Talking to the Independent from his Queensland hideaway, he promised to bring a “whole lot” of unheard songs to incorporate into his 400-plus country repertoire.
“I’ll bring with me five songs I haven’t recorded yet,” he said.
“I’ve got to the stage, though, where there are a lot of songs I can’t take out of shows – Mallee Boys, True Blue, they all appear.”
Williamson also promised fans one more album for a grand total of 40.
“There’s certainly one (album) to come but I don’t like to count the chickens,” he laughed.
“I’ll always make sure I’m writing stuff.”
Born and raised on a wheat farm in country Victoria, Williams onsaid he was looking forward to heading back down south after holidaying on the Surf Coast as a young boy.
“I’m a Victoria boy and proud of it,” Williamon said.
“All that area is nostalgic. I was brought up in northern Victoria and after the wheat harvest we’d always head off to Torquay and Queenscliff as a kid.
“It’ll be nice to go down there again. It’s going a long way back but I do remember the ferry.”
