Country hero Lee Kernaghan is no stranger to the road. Since releasing his debut record more than twenty years ago, the singer songwriter has toured relentlessly in support of his massive commercial hits such as Boys from the Bush, Spirit of the Bush and recent single Ute Me. This May, Kernaghan returns to old haunt The Hallam Hotel as part of his Beautiful Noise Tour. “I hit the gym a lot”, Kernaghan explains, when asked how he maintains his rigorous schedule, “mainly to make up for all the partying…the boys bring their own moonshine up from Tasmania”. The boys he’s referring to are Tasmanian Country Rock buzz-band The Wolfe Brothers, whose rise to fame began with an appearance on the Grand Final of the 2012 season of Australia’s Got Talent. Kernaghan witnessed their performance on the television and was, in his own words, “blown away”. He convinced his own manager to sign the new act up, before arranging to get together in Sydney. “We jammed for a while in a rehearsal studio” recounts Kernaghan. “I offered them the chance to come out on my tour…they not only accepted, but also became my backing band”. To celebrate the touring collaboration between industry veteran and exciting up-and-comers, Kernaghan and the brothers have recorded a version of Slim Dusty’s 1973 hit Lights On The Hill. The classic trucking song has been covered by artists from Keith Urban to Mental as Anything, but particularly resonates with
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INTERVIEW Kernaghan’s (and for that matter, The Wolf Brothers’) audience. “We never really intended it as a single” says Kernaghan, “but one of the boys edited a video together and we put it up on YouTube and it got such a great response. Now CMC (the Country Music Channel) have asked us for the clip causes they want to play it. It’s amazing what you can do these days with a $1000 HD recorder!” Kernaghan is something of a commercial phenomenon. Whilst his fellow country stars have drifted in an out of mainstream consciousness, the former Australian of the Year has continued to sell records
by the shed-load (over 2 million of them at last count). Twenty-eight Golden Guitar Awards and thirty-three number one singles are further testament to his success, and it seems Kernaghan has no plans to slow down. He cites the ever shifting musical landscape as a major motivation. “What drives me is my passion for the genre – I love it”, says the singer. “It’s like a huge wave…the music keeps changing and you’ve got to keep riding the wave to stay ahead of the curve”. Another driver is surely the response from his fanatical fans. Kernaghan recalls one particular incident on a 1996 visit to The Hallam, which just so happens to be one of his favourite venues. “I had a song out called Skinny Dippin,” he laughs, “and in the spirit of the song a couple of girls decided to get up on stage and rip their gear off – they were just about the most beautiful creatures you’ve ever seen”. It’s little wonder Kernaghan is looking forward to his return to the venue, with The Wolfe Brothers. Perhaps a new generation of country music maidens will step up to the Skinny Dippin challenge? “If so, I’m definitely willing to play the song!” he confirms. Lee Kernaghan plays The Hallam Hotel, in a standing room only gig, on Wednesday May 22. Tickets are available from www.ticketmaster.com.au, with Beautiful Noise out now through ABC/ Universal. LACHLAN BRYAN
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