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Lee Kernaghan

 
Artist: Lee Kernaghan
 
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Pop Artists
  • Born: April 15, 1964
  • Active: '90s
  • Genres: Country
  • Instrument: Performer, Creative Director
  • Representative Albums: "Three Chain Road," "Rules of the Road," "Outback Club"

Biography

In Australian country music, Lee Kernaghan was as dominant in the '90s as Garth Brooks in America. He's also famous for the cowboy hat he wears. But there the similarity ends. Australian country music has held onto its romance with the land, small towns, and farm folk, and although Kernaghan, in his 30s, is the spearhead of the new generation of Australian country, he and his contemporaries hold fast to those traditional lyrical values, kneeling at the altar of those who came before them and carved a very individual path for Australian country music.

Lee Kernaghan was born in April 1964 to Pam and Ray Kernaghan, one of the pioneers of Australian country, with 14 gold albums to his credit. It was within the family tradition that Lee and his siblings, brother Greg and sisters Tania and Fiona, served their apprenticeship. All have careers of their own but it's Lee who emerged as the star, by far Australia's biggest selling country artist.

1986 saw Lee traveling with his father Ray to Nashville where they performed together during the famous Fan Fare week. That same year, Lee Kernaghan was introduced to music producer Garth Porter. In 1991, Kernaghan and Porter started their songwriting and artist/producer relationship. The result was the highly popular May 1992 album The Outback Club, which quickly went gold and has gone on to platinum status. Since then, there has been no stopping Lee Kernaghan's popularity.

In 1993, his second album, Three Chain Road, was given its first public airing at the renowned country music festival The Gympie Muster, with almost 60,000 country music lovers turning out. Thousands of Lee's fans waited for up to five hours in rainy conditions to shake his hand and to get an autograph. That second album saw Lee tip his now familiar hat to Australia's country traditions by recording with the "father" of Australian country, Slim Dusty.

Kernaghan's songs echo Australia's yesterdays while offering an optimistic, romantic version of rural Australia today. It's a successful formula which Lee Kernaghan has carried through with his subsequent albums: 1959, Hat Town, and 2000's Rules for fhe Road; where Kernaghan covers classic Australian country and guests with legendary Australian country performers, his new songs fitting the rest like a glove. ~ Ed Nimmervoll, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: Lee Kernaghan
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
 This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (January 2008)
Lee Kernaghan

Australian of the Year 2008 Lee Kernaghan
Born 15 April 1964 (1964-04-15) (age 45)
Corryong, Victoria, Australia
Other names Lee Raymond Kernaghan
Occupation Songwriter, composer, musician
Children 2 children - Jet born in 2001 and Rock his other son born in 2002

Lee Kernaghan OAM (born 15 April 1964 in Corryong, at the foot of the Victorian highlands. He is an Australian country music singer and songwriter, who was named the 2008 Australian of the Year.

Contents

History

Born in the bush, Corryong Victoria, on the foothills of the Snowy Mountains high country is where Lee’s life began. The son of a truck driver and later multi platinum recording artist Ray Kernaghan, Lee spent his formative years growing up in the Riverina country of Southern NSW. Lee’s Grandfather was a third generation drover of sheep and cattle and his experiences on the road with his Pop ran deep, producing a string of hits that began with the release of his first album the ARIA award winning ‘Outback Club’ in 1992. His first number one hit ‘Boys from the Bush’ became an anthem, a celebration of a way of life that would change the face of Australian country music forever.

Throughout his career Lee Kernaghan has dominated the charts with albums including ‘Three Chain Road’, ‘1959’, ‘Hat Town’, ‘Electric Rodeo’, ‘The New Bush’ and his most recent album ‘Spirit Of The Bush’. In early 2000 Lee was awarded the title of Hit Maker of the Decade in recognition of the unprecedented chart success he enjoyed during the '90s. Not only did Lee achieve more number one hits than any other artist during the '90s he also began creating a new musical landscape in country music along the way.

Lee Kernaghan has become a towering figure in Australian country music and a fine ambassador for his craft. Lee has a passion for his music and his country and brings these together in his support for country communities across Australia. To many people he represents the very essence of the spirit and values of contemporary rural Australia. In the past ten years his ‘Pass the Hat Around’ tours have raised more than a million dollars for communities in need and his participation in the ‘Spirit of the Bush’ tours raises spirits as well as money for farming families doing it tough in the drought.

Lee was named the 2008 Australian of the Year by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in Canberra on 25 January. The following day he travelled to Tamworth for the Australian Country Music Awards where he picked up 3 more Golden Guitars for his smash hit song Spirit Of The Bush.

Lee Kernaghan will be doing selective shows during 2009. He is recording a new album for a late 2009 release.

Collaborations

Lee Kernaghan is a talented songwriter and wrote many of the songs, as well as taking part personally, in the live stage production of "The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular". He gave an impressive performance as "the Balladeer", narrating the story of the Arena Spectacular, and also sang some of his own songs, and songs he co-wrote with Garth Porter. Songs written by Lee Kernaghan (and songs written by Lee Kernaghan with Garth Porter) which were heard during the Arena Spectacular included: "Spirit of the High Country", "Southern Son", "Snowy Mountains Buck Jump", "The Rope That Pulls the Wind", "Kosciusko Moon", "Boys From the Bush", "Pull the Other One Mate", "Electric Rodeo", "Cobar Line" and "You Rock My World". "A Handful of Dust" can be heard on the Original Cast Album (which won the ARIA award for Best Cast / Show Album).[1]

Lee has also collaborated with many artists over the years and the can be heard on many of his albums. Artists include, Slim Dusty, Smoky Dawson, Travis Sinclair, Tania Kernaghan, Adam Brand, Troy Casser-Daly, Steve Forde, Anne Kirkpatrick, Catherine Britt, Olivia Newton-John, The McClymonts, the Sunny Cow Girls and Trisha Yearwood.

Lee was also featured in a joke collaboration on Australian TV where he was supposed to be with the inept Aussie bushie-balladeer Russell Coight (Glenn Robbins) of All Aussie Adventures. In the scene, Coight is seen arriving at Kernaghan's farm to record a song with him. When Kernaghan realizes Coight is present, he rushes out the backdoor to his Land-Cruiser, and takes off.

On Tuesday 16 February he performed on It Take Two as a guest performance.

Family

Lee's Parents Ray and Pam Kernaghan (ni Roberts / Madison) and siblings Tania Kernaghan, Greg Kernaghan and Fiona Kresco are also entrenched in the music industry.

Lee Kernaghan is married to Robby (McKelvie); they have two sons, Jet and Rock [2]

Lee Kernaghan's father Ray and sister's Tania, Fiona and brother Greg are also singers.

Discography


1. Where I Come From
2. Listen To The Radio
3. The New Bush
4. Diamantina Dream
5. Love Shack
6. Western World
7. I'll Remember You
8. Livin' In Australia
9. Little Men
10. Like Angels
11. On The Beach
12. When The Country Comes
13. Close As A Whisper (The Gift)

  • Electric Rodeo (2002)

1. Way It Is
2. Electric Rodeo
3. Something In The Water
4. An Ordinary Bloke
5. Baptiste The Ute
6. Long Night
7. Rock My World
8. A Handful Of Dust
9. That Old Caravan
10. Wild Side Of Life
11. Sing You Back Home
12. Texas, Qld
13. The Odyssey

  • Rules Of The Road (2001)

1. Losin' My Blues Tonight
2. Darwin Jailhouse Window
3. Rules Of The Road
4. Cunnamulla Feller
5. That's the Kind Of Life I Live
6. Where The White Faced Cattle Roam
7. The Glass On The Bar
8. Winter Winds
9. Aussie Doghouse Blues
10. By A Fire Of Gidgee Coal
11. Overlander Trail
12. Camooweal
13. Following The Light
14. Bushman Can't Survive
15. Days Of Old Khancoban
16. Leave Him In The Longyard

  • Hat Town (1998)

1. Hat Town
2. Bare Essentials
3. Goondiwindi Moon
4. A Few Of Us Left
5. When The Snow Falls On The Alice
6. Changi Banjo
7. Cowgirls Do
8. Gettin' Gone
9. Pass The Bottle 'Round
10. The Western Beat
11. Longreach
12. Lonelyville

  • 1959 (1995)

1. Scrubbashin'
2. Janine
3. Shake On It
4. Country Crowd
5. Doctor
6. Rachel's Bed
7. Where Country Is
8. Freedom Road
9. Skinny Dippin'
10. This Cowboy's Hat
11. The Rope That Pulls The Wind
12. 1959

  • Outback Club (1995)

1. Boys From The Bush
2. High Country
3. She Waits By The Sliprails (The Bush Girl)
4. Walkin' Out West
5. Country Girls
6. Country's Really Big These Days
7. You're The Reason I Never Saw Hank Jnr Play
8. Rejected
9. Scots Of The Riverina
10. You Don't Have To Go To Memphis
11. Searchin' For Another You

  • Three Chain Road (1995)

1. The Outback Club
2. Three Chain Road
3. She's My Ute
4. Dust On My Boots
5. The Burning Heart
6. 'Cause I'm Country
7. Collingullie Station
8. Leave Him In The Longyard
9. Southern Son
10. Back To The Shack
11. Cobar Line
12. Western Stars

Awards and nominations

  • 1979
Finalist: Starmaker Award In the top 10
Best Male Vocalist – Swan Hill Pioneer Country Music Festival
Best under 16 male singer CMAA Award?
  • 1982
Starmaker Award
  • 1983
Finalist: Male Vocal Australian Music Awards
Finalist: Best New Talent Australian Music Awards
  • 1984
Finalist: Male Vocal Australian Country Music Awards
Finalist: Best New Talent Australian Country Music Awards
  • 1986
International Fan Fair, Nashville Ray & Lee Kernaghan selected by CMA to represent Australia
  • 1992
ARIA Album of the Year ‘The Outback Club’
  • 1993
Male Vocalist of the Year Victorian Country Music Awards
Songwriter of the Year Garth Porter/Lee Kernaghan - Victorian Country Music Awards
APRA Most Performed Country Work Boys from the Bush - Lee Kernaghan, Garth Porter
MO Award - Male Country Performer Lee Kernaghan
MO Award - John Laws Country Performer of the Year Lee Kernaghan
ARIA Best Country Album the Outback Club
Golden Guitar - APRA Song of the Year Boys from the Bush - Garth Porter/Lee Kernaghan (ABC)
Golden Guitar - Album of the Year the Outback Club - Lee Kernaghan (ABC)
Golden Guitar - Male Vocalist of the Year Lee Kernaghan - Boys from the Bush
Best Male - Lee Kernaghan the Victorian Country Music awards
Songwriter - Lee Kernaghan - The Victorian Country Music awards
  • 1994
Golden Guitar - APRA Song of the Year Three Chain Road - Garth Porter/Lee Kernaghan (ABC)
Golden Guitar - Album of the Year Three Chain Road - Lee Kernaghan (ABC)
Golden Guitar - Male Vocalist of the Year Lee Kernaghan - Three Chain Road (ABC)
Golden Guitar - Vocal Group or Duo of the Year Lee Kernaghan & Slim Dusty - Leave Him in the Longyard (ABC)
ARIA Best Country Album – Three Chain Road
MO Award - John Laws Country Performer of the Year
MO Award - Male Country Performer Lee Kernaghan
Entertainer of the Year Country Music Magazine Peoples Choice Award
Most Popular Male Entertainer Country Music Magazine Peoples Choice Award
Male Vocalist of the Year Victorian Country Music Awards
Duo of the Year Lee Kernaghan/Slim Dusty - Victorian Country Music Awards
  • 1995
The Australian Entertainer of the Year Variety Club Of Australia
Nominee: ARIA Best Country Album – Country Crowd
MO Award - Male Country Performer Lee Kernaghan & Graeme Connors
Golden Guitar - Top Selling Album – Three Chain Road - Lee Kernaghan (ABC)
Golden Guitar - Vocal Collaboration of the Year Australian Family of Country Music - Bridge Of Love (Outback/Larrikin)
  • 1996
Golden Guitar - Album of the Year – 1959 - Lee Kernaghan (ABC)
CMAA Entertainer of the Year
Nominee: ARIA Best Country Album – 1959
  • 1997
Golden Guitar - Top Selling Album – 1959 - Lee Kernaghan (ABC: Warner/Chappell)
Golden Guitar - Vocal Collaboration of the Year Tania Kernaghan & Lee Kernaghan –A Bushman Can't Survive (ABC:Emusic)
APRA Most Performed Country Work – 1959 - Lee Kernaghan, Garth Porter
  • 1999
APRA Most Performed Country Work – Hat Town - Colin Buchanan, Lee Kernaghan, Garth Porter
Golden Guitar - Top Selling Album – Hat Town - Lee Kernaghan - ABC
Golden Guitar - Album of the Year – Hat Town - Lee Kernaghan - ABC
Golden Guitar - Male Vocalist of the Year Lee Kernaghan - Goondiwindi Moon - ABC (Warner/Chappell)
Golden Guitar - Heritage Song of the Year – Changi Banjo - Lee Kernaghan - ABC (Warner Chappell/Control)
Golden Guitar - Vocal Collaboration of the Year Colin Buchanan & Lee Kernaghan - Tough Job - East West/Warner (Rondor/Warner Chappell)
Australian Achiever of the Year Australian of the Year Awards
Hitmaker of the Decade
CMAA Entertainer of the Year
This Is Your Life
CMT Australian Artist of the Year Lee Kernaghan
CMT Best Video Clip Lee Kernaghan - Gettin' Gone
  • 2000
Nominee: Australian Club Entertainment (ACE) Award – Country Male Vocalist
Best Live Country Act Australian Live Music Awards (ALMAs)
Nominee: ARIA Best Country Album – Rules of the Road
PPCA Award 2000 Presented by the Phonographic Performance Company of Australia to the local country music artist most played on Australian radio.
  • 2001
Nominee: Australian Club Entertainment (ACE) Award – Country Male Vocalist
  • 2002
Nominee: ARIA Best Country Album – Electric Rodeo
Golden Guitar - Vocal Collaboration of the Year Josh Arnold and Lee Kernaghan – Thank God I'm a Country Boy - ABC Country
Winner – Australasian Country Music Awards (NSW) – Vocal Collaboration of the Year – Thank God I’m a Country Boy with Josh Arnold
Nominee: TSA Bush Ballad of the Year “The Lad with the Laughing Eyes” – Smoky Dawson & Lee Kernaghan

Inducted into the Walk of Fame in Tamworth

  • 2003
Nominee: Australian Club Entertainment (ACE) Award – Country Male Vocalist
Nominee: Toyota Entertainer of the Year: Lee Kernaghan
Nominee: Golden Guitar - Video Clip of the Year the Way It Is
Nominee: Golden Guitar - Male Artist of the Year
Golden Guitar - Album of the Year – Electric Rodeo – Lee Kernaghan - Produced by Garth Porter - ABC Music
Golden Guitar - Top Selling Album of the Year – Electric Rodeo – Lee Kernaghan - ABC Music
CMA Global Artist Award
  • 2004
Medal of the Order of Australia For services to remote and regional communities and to country music
Nominee: Golden Guitar - Vocal Collaboration of the Year – I'm From the Country - Lee Kernaghan & Travis Sinclair
Nominee: Golden Guitar - Male Vocalist of the Year – Lee Kernaghan - Diamantina Drover
Finalist: AHA Australia's Best Entertainment Venue – Lee Kernaghan's Great Western Hotel, Rockhampton, Qld
QHA Best Entertainment Venue Lee Kernaghan's Great Western Hotel, Rockhampton, Qld
Nominee: APRA Most Performed Country Work – Something in the Water - Lee Kernaghan Writer Lee Kernaghan/Garth Porter/Colin Buchanan Publisher Warner Chappell Music Aust Pty Ltd/Rondor Music Aust Pty Ltd
Nominee: APRA Most Performed Country Work – The Way It Is - Lee Kernaghan Writer Lee Kernaghan/Garth Porter Publisher Warner Chappell Music Aust Pty Ltd
Duo - Victorian & National Country Music Awards Lee Kernaghan & Travis Sinclair - I'm From the Country
Finalist: Best Australian Country Music Bush Ballad – Spirit of the High Country - Written by Garth Porter/Lee Kernaghan ACMLA Peoples Choice Awards
Best Country Bush Ballad - ACMLA Peoples Choice Awards Lee Kernaghan – Spirit Of The High Country
  • 2005
Best Country Male Artist Lee Kernaghan - ACMLA Peoples Choice Awards
The Trailblazers Heritage Award Lee Kernaghan/Colin Buchanan – “Missin 'Slim” – Victorian Country Music Awards
Nominee: Qld Touring Artist of the Year Queensland Gold Medallion Awards
Nominee: Golden Guitar - Vocal Collaboration of the Year – Missin' Slim
Nominee: Golden Guitar - Single of the Year – Missin' Slim
Nominee: Qld Touring Artist of the Year World Alliance of Radio Presenters (WARP) - Qld Gold Medallion Awards
Golden Guitar - Heritage Song of the Year – “Missin' Slim” - Lee Kernaghan and Colin Buchanan
  • 2006
Finalist: ACMLA People's Choice Award for Best Male. (Winners announced 27th January 2006 at West Diggers in Tamworth – won by Troy Cassar-Daley.)
CMR #1 Song of the Year – “The New Bush”
  • 2007
Nominee – Golden Guitar – Album of the Year – “The New Bush”
Nominee – Golden Guitar – Male Artist of the Year – “The New Bush”
Nominee – Golden Guitar – Heritage Song – “Close as a Whisper (The Gift) – “The New Bush”
Nominee – Golden Guitar – Video Clip of the Year – “Listen to the Radio”
Nominee – Golden Guitar – Single of the Year – “The New Bush”
Nominee – Golden Guitar – APRA Song of the Year – “The New Bush”
Finalist – Tamworth Songwriters' Association – Contemporary Country Song of the Year – “The New Bush” by Lee Kernaghan, Colin Buchanan & Garth Porter
Top 5 Finalist – People’s Choice Awards – Best Male Vocalist – “The New Bush”
Top 10 Finalist – People’s Choice Awards – Best Album – “The New Bush”
Top 10 Finalist – People’s Choice Awards – Best Male Vocalist – “The New Bush”
Finalist – Victorian Awards – Bluegrass and Traditional Country – “Close as a Whisper (The Gift)”
Winner – Golden Guitar – Album of the Year – “The New Bush”
Winner – Golden Guitar – Male Artist of the Year – “The New Bush”
Winner – Golden Guitar – Heritage Song – “Close as a Whisper (The Gift) – “The New Bush”
Winner – Golden Guitar – Top Selling Album – “The New Bush”
Finalist – Victorian Awards – Bush Ballad of the Year – “Close as a Whisper (The Gift)”
Finalist – Victorian Awards – Best Male Vocalist – “The New Bush”
Finalist – Victorian Awards – Songwriter’s Competition – “The New Bush” (with Garth Porter & Colin Buchanan)
Winner – Victorian Awards – Best Male Vocalist
Winner – Victorian Awards – Shared Songwriter’s Competition for “The New Bush” (with Garth Porter & Colin Buchanan)
Nominee - APRA - Most Performed Country Work - "The New Bush"
Finalist – QLD Gold Medallion Awards – Male Vocalist of the Year
Finalist – QLD Gold Medallion Awards – Touring Artist of the Year
Nominee – MO Award – Silm Dusty Country Perfor

Honour

2008 Australian of the Year

Awards
Preceded by
Tim Flannery		 Australian of the Year Award
2008		 Succeeded by
Mick Dodson

References

  1. ^ "And the winners are...". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2002-10-16. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/10/16/1034561163701.html. Retrieved on 2007-09-14. 
  2. ^ Up Close and Personal, The Outback Club Members Magazine (fan club newsletter, V2, I4, December 2002), accessed 5 May 2008

External links

Sister project Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Lee Kernaghan

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Copyrights:

Artist. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Lee Kernaghan".  Read more

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