The Voice Inside

WINNER OF THE 2025 ABIA BOOK OF THE YEAR
WINNER OF THE 2025 ABIA BIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR

At last, the unflinching and unforgettable memoir of music and life from the much-loved Australian legend.

Growing up in London and Melbourne, music was always part of John Farnham's world. But the young John never dreamed of what was to come. Pop stardom in the 1960s. The release of Whispering Jack, the critically acclaimed and highest-selling Australian album of all time. A decades-long touring career. Twenty-one ARIA awards. Australian of the Year. The list of accolades and achievements is long - so, at first glance, the John Farnham story is one filled with remarkable highs.

It is, however, so much more than that. It is the story of the resilience John found as his stellar career stalled, record companies turned their backs, and he faced financial ruin. John has never shown how hard he fell and how difficult it was to stay true to himself in an industry that can be ruthless. It is the story of family, friendship and finding your voice.

Throughout a lifetime filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, John has remained steadfast, never losing his unique musical talent, creative strength nor his powerful ability to make human connections through his music. After his devastating cancer diagnosis and far too many goodbyes, John is now telling his story, his way.

The Voice Inside is like sitting down with an old friend sharing stories that are both deeply personal and wildly entertaining. Written alongside award-winning filmmaker Poppy Stockell, this is a captivating and powerfully honest insight into the man whose music is the soundtrack to so many of our lives.

'Honesty, intimacy, vulnerability - these are the traits we tend to crave from this genre. And Farnham, ably assisted by Stockell as both interlocutor and co-writer, succeeds . . . A compelling and complete memoir' THE AUSTRALIAN

'At its heart, John Farnham's story is one of resilience . . . Moving and at times shocking' WOMAN'S DAY

'Completely compelling. It's the look inside his life we always dreamt of but never thought we'd get . . . It's been worth the wait' ABC NEWS

'[A] fascinating and rather brave account that gives us the first real window into the singer's mind' THE GUARDIAN

JOHN FARNHAM is an Australian national treasure, one of Australia's top performing artists and the greatest singer Australia has ever produced. Born in London, John immigrated to Australia with his family in 1959. From high school, he played in local bands around Melbourne and in 1967, John left a plumbing apprenticeship to pursue a full-time career in entertainment. And what a career it has been.

For five years, from 1969 to 1973, John was voted the King of Pop and his success brought him screaming fans and recording contracts, won him starring roles in stage shows and musicals, and delivered twelve singles and six albums that all achieved gold status. The fickle nature of pop saw his pop career wane in the late seventies, but John's talent continued to develop. In 1982, he was invited to front the Little River Band (LRB) and he toured extensively with the band in the US. But it was after leaving LRB that John truly came into his own. In 1986, he released his solo album, Whispering Jack. This phenomenal album is still Australia's highest-selling album of all time by a local artist.

In August 2022, John was diagnosed with mouth cancer and retreated with his wife of over fifty years, Jill, to fight this cancer battle. In 2023, the documentary called John Farnham: Finding the Voice, which looked at John's career and the creation of Whispering Jack, was released. It became the highest-grossing Australian-made film in 2023.

POPPY STOCKELL is an award-winning writer, director and producer with a penchant for stories exploring human identity, humour and the inherent contradictions of existence. She has written and directed for all the major networks and her independent projects have played to big audiences at the world's most prestigious festivals including SXSW, Hot Docs, Sheffield Doc/Fest, New Orleans Film Festival and the Sydney Film Festival. Her work has been recognised by an AACTA, a Walkley Award, a UN Media Peace Prize, two Logie nominations and the Audience Award at the Sydney Film Festival.

Poppy's debut feature, John Farnham: Finding the Voice, recently became the highest box-office grossing Australian documentary of all time, and her scripted comedy series Triple Oh! won the coveted Luna de Valencia Grand Jury Prize.