Last month, iconic Aussie songwriter and performer John Williamson turned 80. But after 55 years touring and performing, one look at his schedule would easily rival that of any emerging artist.
Earlier this year, a crowd of 1000 people assembled on the crest of Big Red, a giant sand dune near Birdsville, for a concert by John Williamson. Sitting on camp chairs and rugs, audience members basked in the unusual setting, on the edge of the Simpson Desert in far western Queensland, in one of the country’s most remote and distinctive concert locations.
Accompanied by a three-piece band and joined at times by his wife on backing vocals, Williamson performed material spanning his 55-year career. His catalogue includes more than 500 recorded songs, among them the timeless ‘True Blue’, ‘Rip Rip Woodchip’, ‘Old Man Emu’, ‘Raining on the Rock’ and the unmissable ‘Home Among the Gumtrees’.
His influence on Australian country and folk music has been significant, with multiple generations recognising his work. And as he approaches the later stages of his touring life, Williamson has questioned whether a new cohort of musicians will continue writing distinctly Australian material.
Speaking to The Australian in an extensive magazine feature, and in an era shaped by global markets and international streaming trends, Williamson asked whether “Australian stories sung by proudly Australian artists” are “fading relics from a bygone era.”
The Birdsville performances were the first of two consecutive nights atop Big Red. Despite his newfound age milestone, Williamson continues to tour nationally, joining a global group of older musicians including Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson – who maintain active schedules.
That said, themes reflecting his mortality have appeared in his work for some time.
“McCartney issued his own death song…,” he said on the Big Red sidelines. Williamson released ‘Please Don’t Forget Me’ in 2018, aged 72.
“While McCartney has never played his tune live, Williamson has been closing his shows with his own eulogy, a song he has used to reflect on his parents’ lives and his own eventual death.
At Big Red he followed that song, as he has in other venues, by standing from his stool, raising his Maton acoustic guitar above his head in salute, and miming a cricket cover drive before leaving the stage. These gestures have become signatures of his final moments in concert.
Williamson’s career longevity continues to draw both long-time followers and newer audiences. Young concertgoers often attend with parents or grandparents, and his 53rd album, ‘How Many Songs’, released this year, features in his current setlists alongside material dating back to 1970.
The songwriter has also maintained a consistent stance on the importance of retaining an Australian voice in recorded music. He has long criticised younger performers who adopt American accents or themes in hopes of overseas success.
“A lot of Aussies hide their voice,” he says. “How are you going to get the peoples’ hearts if you’re not who you are?”
This perspective was on display during a July evening at the Birdsville Hotel, when a younger musician approached Williamson seeking advice. The younger artist mentioned a recent songwriting trip to Nashville and acknowledged using an American accent in his recordings. Williamson responded by challenging him to reconsider that approach and to prioritise writing songs that “make Aussies feel good about themselves.”
The exchange echoed comments Williamson has made publicly, and in his autobiography ‘Hey True Blue’, he wrote: “I’ll go on trying to help people appreciate the beauty of [this country] until I die.”
Backstage, Williamson remains closely involved with the technical aspects of his performances. He re-stringed his 1991 Maton guitar by hand before a sold-out QPAC show in Brisbane earlier this year.
“I never have a spare,” he said. “The older they get, the better they get…they have character,” he told The Australian.
He also acknowledged that memory lapses occasionally occur, citing a recent instance when he forgot the opening chords of ‘True Blue’, frankly stating: “Now I’ve done that, I won’t make that blue again.”
His bookings for 2026 have “just reached double digits”, alongside three sold-out Willoshed concerts at his Gold Coast Hinterland property. Though he has not announced an end date for touring, he is aware that these shows are numbered. He continues, he says, because he still enjoys performing, and audiences continue to respond strongly to his music.
For now, Williamson’s focus remains on the songs themselves – and on continuing a style of storytelling he believes is increasingly rare. Whether future Australian songwriters will follow a similar path remains to be seen. His own innings, however, continues for a while more.
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