John Williamson announces end of an era with final Tamworth festival show
Legendary Australian singer songwriter John Williamson has saddened fans by announcing that the 2026 Tamworth Music Festival will be his last.
In the 54-year history of the Tamworth Country Music Festival, Williamson, whose song True Blue became an unofficial Australian anthem, missed just one show during his hall of fame career and won 28 Gold Guitars.
Despite stepping away from the festival scene, Williamson says he still loves writing songs and recording music, but he’s ready to spend some time with his family.
Williamson told NBN News that after nearly 56 years in the industry he was now “stopped being on the road”.
“There are a lot of things I want to do, and I’m 80 now and I want to do this before I die,” he said.
Held annually in the city of Tamworth in northern NSW, the 10-day extravaganza brings together Australians and international country stars.
It is the largest country music event in the southern hemisphere and ranks among the top 10 festivals in the world.
Ahead of his final show on Saturday, Williamson said he wasn’t sure how he would feel when it was over, but he wanted to finish with a good performance.
“I think it’s good to pull out while we’re still doing good shows and not having to read lyrics or have a monitor on stage,” he told ABC.
“We’ll see how I feel afterward, but I mean, almost everyone who retires wants to go back and do it again.”
Williamson’s career took off in 1969 when he wrote a new song called Old Man Emu, before rising to prominence in the 1970s.
He has released more than 50 albums and sold more than five million copies in Australia alone.
His breakthrough album went triple platinum with classics like Mallee Boy, True Blue and Raining on The Rock.
Nearly 50 years later, Bondi performed a stirring rendition of True Blue in last year’s Ashes series in the wake of the terror attack.
Williamson was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1992 for his contributions to music and conservation awareness.
Tamworth previously honored him with a life-size bronze statue.
