Jimmy Barnes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jimmy Barnes AO
Barnes in 2014
Background information
Birth name	James Dixon Swan
Born	(1956-04-28) 28 April 1956 (age 69) Glasgow, Scotland
Origin	Adelaide, South Australia
Genres	Hard rock blues rock soul R&B country country rock electronic
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Years active	1973–present
Labels	Mushroom Geffen Provogue

James Dixon Barnes AO (born 28 April 1956), also known as Jimmy Barnes, is a famous Australian rock singer. He has had a very successful career both as a solo artist and as the lead singer of the rock band Cold Chisel. He is one of Australia's most popular and best-selling music artists ever. By 2022, he had 15 solo albums reach number one in Australia, which is more than any other artist.

Jimmy Barnes has won many awards for his music. In 2005, he was added to the ARIA Hall of Fame as a solo artist. He had already been inducted in 1992 as a member of Cold Chisel. His music covers many styles, including hard rock, blues rock, soul, R&B, country, country rock, and electronic music. Some of his albums were recorded at his own studio, Freight Train Studios.

Many of his children are also musicians and sometimes perform with him. These include his son Jackie (a drummer), and his daughters Mahalia, Eliza-Jane ("EJ"), and Elly-May. His older half-brother, David Campbell, is also a musician. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, his wife Jane started the Jane Barnes Band at home, which later toured Australia in 2023.

Barnes has also written books about his life. His first memoir, Working Class Boy (2016), was followed by Working Class Man (2017). He won the Biography of the Year award at the Australian Book Industry Awards for both books.

Early Life and Family Background

Jimmy Barnes was born James Dixon Swan on 28 April 1956, in Glasgow, Scotland. His parents were Dorothy and James Ruthven Harvey Swan. He has four older siblings: John, Dorothy, Linda, and Alan. His family moved to Australia on 7 December 1961, when he was five years old, arriving on 21 January 1962. Another sister, Lisa, was born later that year.

The family first lived in Adelaide, and then settled in Elizabeth. Jimmy's older brother John, known as Swanee, became a successful musician and encouraged Jimmy to sing. After his parents divorced, his mother remarried Reg Barnes. Jimmy and his other siblings adopted the name Barnes from their stepfather. Jimmy later said, "Jim Swan was my father, but Reg Barnes was my dad."

Cold Chisel: The Band Years

In 1973, Jimmy Barnes started an apprenticeship, but his love for music led him to join a band. In 1974, he joined a band called Orange. The band included organist and songwriter Don Walker, guitarist Ian Moss, drummer Steve Prestwich, and bass guitarist Les Kaczmarek. Barnes felt that Walker had a big influence on him.

In 1974, Orange changed its name to Cold Chisel. The band became very popular in the local music scene. They moved to Melbourne in May 1976, and then to Sydney in early 1977. In late 1977, WEA signed the band.

Between 1978 and 1984, Cold Chisel released five studio albums and won many awards. Even though they attracted large crowds, the band members often struggled financially. Cold Chisel broke up in December 1983 after their final performances in Sydney.

Cold Chisel reunited in 1997 and released Last Wave of Summer in 1998. Since then, Barnes has continued to perform with the band while also having a solo career. In 2013, they started their own record label and partnered with Universal Music Group. In late 2024, the band went on a 50th-anniversary national tour.

Solo Music Career

Starting a Solo Journey in the 1980s

Jimmy Barnes began his solo career in January 1984, shortly after Cold Chisel's final tour. He formed a new band and started writing songs for his first solo album. He signed with Mushroom Records. His first single, "No Second Prize", was released in August 1984 and reached number 12 on the Australian charts. His first solo album, Bodyswerve, came out in 1984 and immediately went to number one in Australia.

His second album, For the Working Class Man, was released in December 1985. It included popular songs like "I'd Die to Be with You Tonight" and "Working Class Man". This album also debuted at number one and stayed there for seven weeks. In the US, it was simply called Jimmy Barnes and was released in 1986 to go with the film Gung Ho, which used "Working Class Man".

In 1986, Barnes recorded two songs with INXS: a cover of "Good Times" and "Laying Down The Law". Both songs were on the soundtrack for the film The Lost Boys (1987). "Good Times" was also the theme song for the Australian Made concert series in 1986–87, where Barnes and INXS were the main acts.

In October 1987, "Too Much Ain't Enough Love" became his first solo number-one single. His third album, Freight Train Heart, released in December 1987, also reached number one.

In November 1988, Barnes released his first live album, Barnestorming, which became his fourth solo number-one album. A version of "When a Man Loves a Woman" from the album reached number 3.

Success in the 1990s

In 1990, Barnes recorded his fourth studio album, Two Fires, which came out in August 1990 and debuted at number one. It featured top-twenty singles like "Lay Down Your Guns" and "When Your Love is Gone".

In November 1991, Barnes released his fifth album, Soul Deep, which was a collection of soul covers. This album became his sixth Australian number-one album and included a duet with John Farnham called "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby".

In March 1993, Barnes released Heat, which reached number two on the charts. This album included "Stone Cold", written by his former Cold Chisel bandmate Don Walker. Later that year, he released an acoustic album called Flesh and Wood, which also peaked at number two. This album featured a top-ten hit, "The Weight", recorded with The Badloves. In 1993, Barnes also teamed up with Tina Turner for a duet version of "The Best".

In the mid-1990s, Barnes and his family moved to France for some time. In June 1995, he released his eighth studio album, Psyclone, which peaked at number 2 in Australia.

In September 1996, Barnes released "Lover Lover", which reached number 6 on the singles chart. This was followed by his first greatest-hits album, Barnes Hits Anthology, which became his seventh solo number-one album.

In 1998, Cold Chisel reformed, and Barnes returned to Australia. In 1999, he released the album Love and Fear, which combined hard rock with electronic music.

The 2000s and Beyond

Barnes performing in 2006

In October 2000, Barnes performed at the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympics. In November 2000, he released another soul album, Soul Deeper... Songs From the Deep South, which reached number 3.

In July 2005, Barnes released his eleventh studio album, Double Happiness, which debuted at number one. This album featured duets with many artists, including his children Mahalia, Elly-May, Jackie Barnes, and David Campbell.

In September 2007, he began recording Out in the Blue, which was released in November 2007. The songs were written while he was recovering from heart surgery. The album featured a duet with Kasey Chambers called "When Two Hearts Collide".

Barnes with Guy Sebastian, 6 March 2008, State Theatre

In September 2009, Barnes released The Rhythm and the Blues, which became his ninth Australian number-one album. This made him the Australian artist with the most number-one albums at that time.

2010s: More Music and Memoirs

Barnes with Cold Chisel in 2012

In August 2010, Barnes released his 14th solo studio album, Rage and Ruin, which debuted at number 3.

Barnes performing in 2011

In August 2014, Barnes released 30:30 Hindsight, celebrating 30 years since his first solo album. This album debuted at number one, becoming his 10th solo number-one album.

In 2015, Barnes asked the Reclaim Australia Political Party to stop playing his music at their rallies. In 2016, he released Soul Searchin', his 11th number-one album.

In 2017, he appeared in the song "Big Enough" by Kirin J. Callinan. His cameo in the music video became a popular internet meme. In March 2017, Barnes released a children's album called Och Aye the G'nu, which won an ARIA Award for Best Children's Album.

In January 2019, Barnes announced his eighteenth solo studio album, My Criminal Record, released on 17 May 2019. It was his 12th solo number-one album, making him the artist with the most chart-topping albums in Australian chart history.

2020s: New Projects and Health Updates

In 2021, Barnes shared that he formed a rockabilly band called The Barnestormers with Slim Jim Phantom and Chris Cheney.

In April 2022, Barnes announced Soul Deep 30, celebrating the 30th anniversary of his Soul Deep album, along with a national tour. In November 2022, he released his first Christmas album, Blue Christmas, which became his fifteenth number-one solo album.

In March 2023, The Barnestormers released their self-titled album on 26 May 2023.

In November 2023, Barnes was treated in hospital for a bacterial infection. In December, he had heart surgery because the infection had spread to a heart valve.

Freight Train Studios

Jimmy Barnes has his own recording studio called Freight Train Studios. It was first in Bowral and later moved to Botany in Sydney.

Some albums recorded there include:

• Hey Rudolph! (The Tin Lids, 2006)
• Out in the Blue (2007)
• Rage and Ruin (2010)

Other Activities and Contributions

In 1992, Barnes worked with his friend Mandawuy Yunupingu from the band Yothu Yindi on a project called "Sister Schools". This project aimed to connect schools with few or no Aboriginal children with schools that had many Aboriginal children. The goal was to help students learn about each other and build understanding.

In late 2006, Barnes became a patron of the Choir of Hard Knocks. This is a singing group for homeless and disadvantaged people in Melbourne. Barnes has often performed with the choir at their concerts.

On 14 March 2011, he planted a flame tree at the National Arboretum Canberra. This tree is famous because of Cold Chisel's 1984 song "Flame Trees".

Personal Life and Family

Family Life

In November 1979, Jimmy Barnes met Jane Mahoney. Jane's mother was Thai, and her stepfather was an Australian diplomat. Jane and Jimmy married in May 1981.

Barnes has eight children. Four of them are with his wife Jane: Mahalia, Eliza-Jane ("EJ"), Jackie, and Elly-May. They are also known as The Tin Lids. His eldest son, David Campbell, was born from an earlier relationship. Barnes also has three other daughters, Amanda, Megan, and Katy Lee, from other relationships. He met Amanda and Megan in 2010 and welcomed them into his family. He met Katy Lee Carroll around 2019, and she has also been welcomed by the family.

Jimmy Barnes is also brother-in-law to musician Diesel, who married Jane Barnes's sister Jep in 1989.

After playing in Darwin in 1991, Barnes was "adopted" as a white brother into the Yunupingu clan in east Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.

The Jane Barnes Band

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jane Barnes learned to play the guitar. She and Jimmy, sometimes with other family members, started the Jane Barnes Band. They performed in their living room and shared videos online. Their performances became very popular, and the band later toured Australia in 2023.

Autobiographies

In 2016, Barnes published his autobiography, Working Class Boy, which shared stories from his childhood.

In November 2017, he published a second memoir, Working Class Man. On 3 May 2018, Barnes won the biography of the year award at the Australian Book Industry Awards for the second year in a row.

His autobiography Working Class Boy was made into a film by Universal Pictures. The film premiered in Australian cinemas on 23 August 2018. A soundtrack was also released.

Beliefs

Jimmy Barnes practices Buddhism. He is a supporter of the Australian Labor Party and the Port Adelaide Football Club.

Discography

Cold Chisel

Studio albums

Written Works

Books by Jimmy Barnes

As of November 2024, Jimmy Barnes has written six books. He is the only author to win back-to-back Australian Book Industry Awards for a non-fiction book. His first two books sold over 500,000 copies.

Books Featuring Jimmy Barnes

Awards and Recognition

Jimmy Barnes's career, both as a solo artist and with Cold Chisel, has made him one of Australia's most popular and best-selling music artists.

In 2017, Barnes was given the title of Officer of the Order of Australia. This was for his great service to music as a singer and songwriter, and for supporting non-profit groups, especially those helping children with disabilities.

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (AIR Awards) celebrate the success of Australia's independent music artists.

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards recognize songwriting skills and music performance in Australia and New Zealand.

ARIA Awards

Barnes has won seven Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Awards. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 2005, and as a member of Cold Chisel in 1992.

Country Music Awards of Australia

The Country Music Awards of Australia (CMAA) celebrate excellence in Australian country music.

Helpmann Awards

The Helpmann Awards celebrate live entertainment and performing arts in Australia.

Rolling Stone Australia Awards

The Rolling Stone Australia Awards recognize contributions to popular culture in Australia.

TV Week / Countdown Awards

Countdown was an Australian pop music TV series that presented music awards.

See also

In Spanish: Jimmy Barnes para niños