Lee Kernaghan OAM (born 15 April 1964) is an Australian

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer, songwriter and guitarist. Kernaghan has won four

ARIA Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austra ...

and three APRA Awards, and has sold over two million albums, and as of 2021, has won 38

Golden Guitar The Big Golden Guitar is one of the many "big" attractions that can be found around Australia. Located in Tamworth, New South Wales, the monument is one of the best-known points of interest in New England. It is also a major attraction duri ...

s at the Country Music Awards of Australia (second to

Slim Dusty Slim Dusty, AO MBE (born David Gordon Kirkpatrick; 13 June 1927 – 19 September 2003) was an Australian country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He was an Australian cultural icon and one of the country's most awarded stars ...

). He was the 2008 Australian of the Year, in recognition of his support for rural and regional Australia. Kernaghan was the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award at the 2015 ARIA Awards, for ''Spirit of the Anzacs''.

Biography

1965–1990: Early years

Lee Kernaghan was born on 15 April 1964 in

Corryong Corryong is a small town in Victoria, Australia east of Albury-Wodonga, near the upper reaches of the Murray River and close to the New South Wales border. At the , Corryong had a population of 1,348. The post office opened on 1 February 1 ...

, Victoria and is the son of country music singer and truck driver Ray Kernaghan. Lee spent his formative years growing up in the Riverina country of Southern

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. His grandfather was a third generation drover of sheep and cattle. In 1986, Kernaghan traveled to the United States to represent Australia at the Nashville 'Fan Fair' country music festival.

1990s

In 1992, Kernaghan released "Boys from the Bush" which became his first number one on the country chart. Kernaghan said "When Garth (Porter) and I first wrote 'Boys from the Bush' I had no idea it would ever be a hit. It was just a song about me and my mates, working on the land, going to the pub and tearing around in utes. I didn't think anyone would be that interested in us... we were just kids from the bush but Garth said 'this record (''The Outback Club'') has to be about your life and where you come from so we wrote that song and several others and before long I had a band and we were out on the road performing them live." In May 1992, Kernaghan released '' The Outback Club''. The album debuted at number 94 on the

ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offic ...

. At the 1993 Country Music Awards of Australia (CMAA), the album won Album of the Year the

ARIA Award for Best Country Album The ARIA Music Award for Best Country Album, is an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards, which recognises "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres", since 1987. It is handed out by the Australian Recording Indust ...

. The album re-entered the chart later peaking at number 58 in May 1994. In August 1993, Kernaghan released his second studio album, '' Three Chain Road''. The album again won the CMAA Album of the Year and the ARIA Award for Best Country Album. In July 1995, Kernaghan released his third studio album, ''

1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...

'', which peaked at number 9 on the ARIA Chart, becoming Kernaghan's first top ten album. The album won Kernaghan his third Album of the Year at the CMAA of 1996. In February 1998, Kernaghan released his fourth studio album, '' Hat Town''. The album peaked at number 7 on the ARIA Chart and won his fourth Album of the Year at the CMAA of 1999. Kernaghan's fifth studio album was '' The Christmas Album'' in November 1998. The album peaked at number 31 on the ARIA chart.

2000s

In January 2000, Kernaghan released his sixth studio album, ''

Rules of the Road Rules of the road may refer to: Transportation *Rules of the Road (Ireland), the official road safety manual for Ireland *Rules of the road in China *International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea * Arts and entertainment * ''Rules of ...

''. This was followed by '' Electric Rodeo'' in July 2002 which won Album of the Year and Top Selling Album of the Year at the 2003 CMAA. ''Electric Rodeo'' peaked at number 5 on the ARIA chart. Kernaghan was part of '' The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular'' in 2002. In October 2004, Kernaghan released his first greatest hits collection titled, '' The Big Ones: Greatest Hits Vol. 1''. The album peaked at number 16 on the ARIA charts and was certified platinum. In April 2006, Kernaghan released his eighth studio album, '' The New Bush''. The album peaked at number 6 on the ARIA Charts and won Album of the Year and Top Selling Album of the Year at the 2007 CMAA. In July 2007, Kernaghan released his ninth studio album, '' Spirit of the Bush''. The album's title track peaked at number 11 on the ARIA singles chart, becoming Kernaghan's highest charting single. The song won three awards at the 2008 CMAA. In November 2009, Kernaghan released his tenth studio album, '' Planet Country''. In 2009 Kernaghan was named the biggest hit-maker of the last twenty years on the Australian Country Tracks chart, beating musical greats from Australia and international.

2010s

In September 2011, Kernaghan released his second greatest hits collection, '' Ultimate Hits''. The album peaked at number 8 on the ARIA chart. In October 2012, Kernaghan released his eleventh studio album, '' Beautiful Noise''. The album peaked at number 9 on the ARIA chart. During a visit to the Australian War Memorial (AWM) in 2013, Kernaghan's friend and AWM Director Dr. Brendan Nelson introduced Kernaghan to letters that were written by Australian service men and women during various wars dating back to the landing at Gallipoli during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. These letters were held in the vaults at the AWM. The power of the letters affected Kernaghan deeply and the experience at the Australian War Memorial that day was the catalyst that saw these letters put to music in what would become the '' Spirit of the Anzacs (album)'' in March 2015. Upon release, the album peaked at number 1 on the ARIA charts, becoming Kernaghan's first chart topper. It was the highest selling Australian artist album for 2015. 2015 also saw the release of Kernaghan's first book, ''The Boy from the Bush, These Are My Songs, These Are My Stories''. In March 2017, Kernaghan released his fourteenth studio album, '' The 25th Anniversary Album''. The album peaked at number 2 on the ARIA chart. In 2019 Kernaghan released his fifteenth studio album, '' Backroad Nation'' with the title track staying four weeks at #1 on the country singles charts.

2020s

In 2022 Kernaghan is set to celebrate his 30th anniversary as an artist. In January 2022, he released a 3-CD greatest hits collection titled '' The Very Best of Lee Kernaghan: Three Decades of Hits'' on 14 January 2022 which peaked at number 17 on the ARIA charts.

Personal life

During July 2015, Kernaghan's music was played at anti-Islam rallies in Australia, without his permission. He responded that the use of his work should be "consistent with – and respectful of, the memory of ... oldiers wholaid down their lives for the freedoms we have today." Fellow local artists,

Jimmy Barnes James Dixon "Jimmy" Barnes (née Swan; born 28 April 1956) is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer. His career, both as a solo performer and as the lead vocalist with the rock band Cold Chisel, has made him one of the most popular and best- ...

, John Farnham and Mark Seymour, objected to the use of their material at those rallies. He is the father of two sons.

Business ventures

For several years, Kernaghan owned the historic Great Western Hotel in

Rockhampton, Queensland Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...

, after buying the pub in 2003 when it was placed into receivership after a downturn in trade and public liability concerns. Kernaghan has described the time during which he owned the Great Western Hotel as one of the greatest periods of his life.

Discography

Studio albums

Collaboration albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

Video albums

Charting singles

Awards and nominations

Kernaghan received the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gov ...

Medal in 2004. In 2008, he was Australian of the Year, in recognition for his support of rural and regional Australia; his 'Pass the Hat Around' tours have raised more than a million dollars for rural communities during a challenging period of drought. He was presented with the award by

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Kevin Rudd Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who served as the 26th prime minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010 and again from June 2013 to September 2013, holding office as the leader of the ...

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as

AIR Awards The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. History The inaugural 2006 awards were held at ...

) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. , - , AIR Awards of 2013 , ''Beautiful Noise'' , Best Independent Country Album , , - ,

AIR Awards of 2018 The AIR Awards of 2018 is the twelfth annual Australian Independent Record Labels Association Music Awards (generally known as the AIR Awards) and was an award ceremony at Queen's Theatre Adelaide, Australia on Thursday 26 July 2017. In 2018, ...

, ''The 25th Anniversary Album'' , Best Independent Country Album , , - ,

AIR Awards of 2020 The 2020 AIR Awards was the fourteenth annual Australian Independent Record Labels Association Music Awards ceremony (generally known as the AIR Awards). It took place on 1 October 2020 in Adelaide. The nominations were revealed on 7 July 20 ...

, ''Backroad Nation'' , Best Independent Country Album , , -

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. Kernaghan has won two awards from 14 nominations. Plus, he received the Outstanding Achievement Award in 2015. , - ,

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

, ''The Outback Club'' , rowspan="10",

, , - ,

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...

, ''Three Chain Road'' , , - ,

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

, ''Country Crowd'' , , - , 1996 , ''1959'' , , - ,

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

, ''Rules of the Road'' , , - , 2002 , ''Electric Rodeo'' , , - , 2006 , ''The New Bush'' , , - , 2010 , ''Planet Country'' , , - ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, ''Beautiful Noise'' , , - , rowspan="4", 2015 , '' Spirit of the Anzacs'' , , - , "Spirit of the Anzacs" (directed by Duncan Toombs) , rowspan="1", Best Video , , - , Garth Porter for''Spirit of the Anzacs'' , rowspan="1", Producer of the Year , , - , ''Spirit of the Anzacs'' , rowspan="1", Outstanding Achievement Award , , - ,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, ''The 25th Anniversary Album'' , rowspan="2", Best Country Album , , - ,

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, ''Backroad Nation'' , , -

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually. Kernaghan has won four awards from nine nominations. , - ,

, "Boys from the Bush" , Country Song of the Year , , - , 1996 , "1959" , Most Performed Country Work , , - ,

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

, "Hat Town" , Most Performed Country Work , , - , 2004 , "Way It Is" , Most Performed Country Work , , - , 2007 , "New Bush" , Most Performed Country Work , , - ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, "Spirit of the Bush" (featuring Adam Brand and Steve Forde) , Most Performed Country Work , , - , 2011 , "Planet Country" , Country Work of the Year , , - ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, "Flying with the King" , Country Work of the Year , , - ,

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

, "Backroad Nation" , Most Performed Country Work of the Year , , -

Australian Roll of Renown

The

Australian Roll of Renown The Australian Roll of Renown was inaugurated bRadio 2TMin 1976. The award honours Australian and New Zealander musicians who have shaped the music industry by making a significant and lasting contribution to Country Music. The award is determin ...

honours Australian and New Zealander musicians who have shaped the music industry by making a significant and lasting contribution to Country Music. It was inaugurated in 1976 and the inductee is announced at the

Country Music Awards of Australia The Country Music Awards of Australia also known as the Golden Guitar Awards (originally named Australasian Country Music Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, in Tamworth, New South Wales ...

in Tamworth in January. , - , 2015 , Lee Kernaghan , Australian Roll of Renown ,

Country Music Awards (CMAA)

The

(CMAA) (also known as the Golden Guitar Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the

Tamworth Country Music Festival The Tamworth Country Music Festival is an annual Australian music festival held for 10 days from Friday to Sunday in mid to late January each year, sometimes including Australia Day, in Tamworth, New South Wales. The festival is the second bigg ...

, celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. They have been held annually since 1973. Kernaghan has won thirty-eight

awards at the Tamworth

. , - , 1993 , , "Boys from the Bush" , , APRA Song of the Year , , , - , 1993 , , ''The Outback Club'' , , Album of the Year , , , - , 1993 , , "Boys from the Bush" , , Male Vocalist of the Year , , , - , 1994 , , "Three Chain Road" , , APRA Song of the Year , , , - , 1994 , , ''Three Chain Road'' , , Album of the Year , , , - , 1994 , , "Three Chain Road" , , Male Vocalist of the Year , , , - , 1994 , , "Leave Him in the Longford" (with

) , , Vocal Group or Duo of the Year , , , - , 1995 , , ''Three Chain Road'' , , Top Selling Album of the Year , , , - , 1996 , , ''1959'' , , Album of the Year , , , - , 1997 , , ''1959'' , , Top Selling Album of the Year , , , - , 1997 , , "A Bushman Can't Survive" (with Tania Kernaghan) , , Vocal Collaboration of the Year , , , - , 1999 , , ''Hat Town'' , , Album of the Year , , , - , 1999 , , ''Hat Town'' , , Top Selling Album of the Year , , , - , 1999 , , "Goondiwindi Moon" , , Male Vocalist of the Year , , , - , 1999 , , "Changi Banjo" , , Heritage Song of the Year , , , - , 1999 , , "Tough Job" (with Colin Buchanan) , , Vocal Collaboration of the Year , , , - , 2003 , , "

Thank God I'm a Country Boy "Thank God I'm a Country Boy", also known as "Country Boy", is a song written by John Martin Sommers and recorded by American singer/songwriter John Denver. The song was originally included on Denver's 1974 album ''Back Home Again (John Denver albu ...

" (with Josh Arnold) , , Vocal Collaboration of the Year , , , - , 2003 , , ''Electric Rodeo'' , , Album of the Year , , , - , 2003 , , ''Electric Rodeo'', , Top Selling Album of the Year , , , - , 2005 , , "Missin' Slim" , , Heritage Song of the Year (with Colin Buchanan) , , , - , 2007 , , ''The New Bush'' , , Album of the Year , , , - , 2007 , , ''The New Bush'' , , Male Artist of the Year , , , - , 2007 , , ''The New Bush'' , , Top Selling Album of the Year , , , - , 2007 , , "Close as a Whisper (The Gift)" , , Heritage Song of the Year Close , , , - , 2008 , , "Spirit of the Bush" (with Adam Brand and Steve Forde) , , Vocal Collaboration of the Year , , , - , 2008 , , "Spirit of the Bush" (with Adam Brand and Steve Forde) , , Video of the Year , , , - , 2008 , , "Spirit of the Bush" (with Adam Brand and Steve Forde) , , Single of the Year , , , - , 2011 , , ''Planet Country'' , , Top Selling Album of the Year , , , - , 2012 , , "Channel Country Ground" (with Dean Perrett) , , Ballad of the Year , , , - , 2014 , , ''Beautiful Noise'' , , Top Selling Album of the Year , , , - , 2014 , , "Flying with the King" , , Male Artist of the Year , , , - , 2014 , , "Flying with the King" , , Single of the Year , , , - , 2014 , , "Flying with the King" , , Video clip of the Year , , , - , 2016 , , " Spirit of the Anzacs"
(with

Guy Sebastian Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter who was the winner of the first ''Australian Idol'' in 2003, judge on Australia's ''The X Factor'' from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2015 to 2016, and coach ...

Jessica Mauboy Jessica Hilda Mauboy (born 4 August 1989) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. Born and raised in Darwin, Northern Territory, she rose to fame in 2006 on the fourth season of ''Australian Idol'', where she was runner-up and subseq ...

Jon Stevens Jon Stevens (born 8 October 1961) is a New Zealand singer, best known for his work with Noiseworks and ''Jesus Christ Superstar''. Biography 1980–1986: career beginnings and ''Jezebel'' Stevens was born in Upper Hutt, New Zealand, and is ...

, Amy & George Sheppard,

Shannon Noll Shannon Noll (born 16 September 1975) is an Australian singer-songwriter who first came to prominence as runner-up of the first season of ''Australian Idol'' in 2003, which led to him being signed to Sony BMG. He has released five top ten albu ...

and Megan Washington) , , Vocal Collaboration of the Year , , , - , 2016 , , " Spirit of the Anzacs"
(with Guy Sebastian, Jessica Mauboy, Jon Stevens, Amy & George Sheppard, Shannon Noll and Megan Washington) , , Video clip of the Year , , , - , 2016 , , '' Spirit of the Anzacs'' , , Top Selling Album of the Year , , , - , 2018 , , ''The 25th Anniversary Album'' , , Top Selling Album of the Year , , , - , 2020 , , ''Backroad Nation'' , , Top Selling Album of the Year , ,

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the

Mo Awards The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards) were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, that where established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were l ...

), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Lee Kernaghan won five awards in that time. (wins only) , - , rowspan="2", 1992 , Lee Kernaghan , Country Performer of the Year , , - , Lee Kernaghan , Male Country Entertainer of the Year , , - , rowspan="2", 1993 , Lee Kernaghan , Country Performer of the Year , , - , Lee Kernaghan , Male Country Entertainer of the Year , , - , 1994 , Lee Kernaghan , Male Country Entertainer of the Year , , -

Music for a New Generation Awards

The Music For A New Generation Awards are run by the

Planet Country with Big Stu & MJ Planet Country is a country music radio and video program based in Sydney, Australia and presented by Big Stu and MJ. The program airs a country music format focusing on modern, crossover country. The radio show aired live on SWR Triple 9, broadc ...

radio program and celebrate crossover country artist efforts each year. The awards have featured fan voting since 2016. , - , 2015 , Himself , Australian Male Artist of The Year , , - , 2017 , Himself , Australian Male Artist of The Year , , -

Tamworth Songwriters Awards

The Tamworth Songwriters Association (TSA) is an annual songwriting contest for original country songs, awarded in January at the

. They commenced in 1986. Lee Kernaghan has won three awards in that time. (wins only) , - , rowspan="2", 1993 , rowspan="2", "Boys from the Bush" by Lee Kernaghan and Garth Porter , Contemporary Country Song of the Year , , - , Country Song of the Year , , - , 1996 , "1959" by Lee Kernaghan , Contemporary Country Song of the Year , , -

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kernaghan, Lee 1964 births Living people People from Corryong APRA Award winners ARIA Award winners Australian country singers Australian country singer-songwriters Australian male musical theatre actors Australian of the Year Award winners Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Australian country guitarists Australian male guitarists Australian male singer-songwriters Australian republicans