Kernaghan, Lee

Kernaghan, Lee
▪ 2009
Lee Raymond Kernaghan 
born April 15, 1964, Corryong, Vic., Australia

 On Jan. 25, 2008, Australian country music star Lee Kernaghan was named Australian of the Year by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Kernaghan was honoured for his contributions to Australian music and for his series of fund-raising performances, which had brought in more than a million dollars to benefit struggling farmers and communities in drought-stricken areas of the Australian bush. On the following day Kernaghan received multiple honours at the Country Music Association of Australia's (CMAA's) annual awards ceremony, where his hit single “Spirit of the Bush” (2007), recorded with fellow country music luminaries Adam Brand and Steve Forde, won the best single, best vocal collaboration, and best video awards. A native of the bush who was often described as the embodiment of rural values, Kernaghan reinvigorated Australian country music in the 1990s, synthesizing traditional themes, the energy of contemporary rock, and images from an evolving bush culture. His 27 CMAA career awards were second in number only to those won by Slim Dusty, widely considered the father of Australian country music.

      Kernaghan was the eldest child of Ray Kernaghan, who rose to great popularity as a country music singer during Lee's teen years. In the mid-1970s Lee formed his first band with his brother, Greg, and sister Tania, who also went on to become a successful country singer, and he wrote two songs recorded on their father's album Jet Set Country (1979). In 1982 the younger Kernaghan received a Star Maker Award at the Tamworth Country Music Festival. He released his first single in 1983, and in 1986 he and his father represented Australia at the International Country Music Fan Fair in Nashville.

      Unable to find work, Kernaghan abandoned his musical career in 1990, but in 1991 he recorded several demos with Australian producer Garth Porter. These soon led to a contract with ABC Records. Porter produced Kernaghan's debut album, The Outback Club (1992), and co-wrote some of the songs. The record took the honours for best album, best song (“Boys from the Bush”), best male vocalist, and best producer at the 1993 CMAA Awards. The Australian Recording Industry Association also named it the best country album of 1993. Kernaghan's second release, Three Chain Road (1993), featured collaborations with Slim Dusty, including “Leave Him in the Longyard,” which was named best group vocal at the 1994 CMAA Awards. Each of Kernaghan's subsequent albums—1959 (1995), Hat Town (1998), Rules of the Road (2001), Electric Rodeo (2002), and The New Bush (2006)—earned numerous honours and enthusiastic praise from critics, fans, and the music industry. In 2004 Kernaghan was awarded a medal of the Order of Australia in recognition of his fund-raising efforts on behalf of farmers and rural communities.

Janet Moredock

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Universalium. 2010.

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