- John Farnham is a legendary British-born Australian singer; born in England, and raised in Australia after his family relocated in 1959
- He has been married to Jillian Billman for 51 years and has two children, Robert Farnham, and James Farnham
- The singer, whose 1986 Whispering Jack became the second-highest selling album in Australia’s history, underwent surgery to remove a part of his jaw following a cancer diagnosis in August 2022
John Farnham is a 75-year-old British-born Australian singer. He has been married to former dancer, Jillian Billman for 51 years, and has two children; Robert Farnham and James Farnham.
Farnham’s musical ingenuity pitches him as the most successful solo artist in Australia. His Whispering Jack was the first to sell over a million copies, and became the second-highest-selling album in Australian history. Several of his songs, including You’re the Voice, Sadie the Cleaning Lady, Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head, and Age of Reason are chart-toppers.
In August 2022, he was diagnosed with cancer, and underwent an 11-and-half-hour surgery, to have a tumor removed from his mouth, including a jaw reconstruction.
Early Life Of John Farnham
John Farnham was born John Peter Farnham on July 1, 1949, in Dagenham, England to John Peter Farnham Sr., and Rose Pemberton.
According to Wikipedia, he was one of four children born to his parents. His siblings are two sisters; Jean Farnham and Jaquilline Farnham, and one younger brother Steven Farnham. However, other sources indicated he has two siblings; his sister Jean Farnham and brother Alan Farnham.
His family moved to Australia from the UK when he was 10. They found a place to live in Melbourne, Victoria.
He had both his primary and secondary education in Victoria after attending Yarraman Oaks Primary School (formerly Yarraman Park State School), Lyndale Primary School, and Lyndal High School.
Farnham’s Musical Career Began At 15
In 1964 when he was 15, he started performing with the local band ‘The Mavericks’. The following year, he became the lead singer for ‘Unlimited Strings.’
By the time he turned 18, he signed a recording contract in September 1967. Three months later, he released his first single, Sadie the Cleaning Lady. The song earned him massive acclaim in Australia after becoming the highest-selling single in the country in the year of its release.
Following the success of his first single, the British-born Australian singer released a couple of pop hits over the next 6 years, including the covers of Three Dog Night’s One, B.J Thomas’ Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head, and David Cassidy’s Rock Me Baby.
Unfortunately, at its peak, John Farnham’s musical career began to nose-dive in the mid-70s. As a result, he started performing in nightclubs, and much to the disgust of his record company, so, they dropped him.
By 1980, Farnham reinvented himself and planned to revitalize his dying career.
He did this with a bang after reworking the Beatles’ song, Help, and performed it at the Royal Command TV Concert. His electrifying performance reminded everyone that he was still in the business of singing. Shortly after, John released his comeback album, Uncovered, in July 1980, which was recorded under Graham Goble, the lead singer of Little River Band (LRB).
Two years later, he became the lead singer of LRB after one of his fans Glenn Shorrock convinced other members of the band to remove Goble. The development didn’t go well with a lot of people, including the band’s American record label who were shocked at the singer for not saying no.
The resulting backlash forced Farnham to leave LRB in 1985 and started working to release a solo album.
While on the project, Farnham released a nerve-breaking single You’re the Voice as a prelude to what is to come. In October 1986, He released Whispering Jack, an album that topped the chart for 18 weeks, and also became the first album to sell over a million copies in the history of Australian music.
Besides, You’re the Voice, which sold a million copies in Europe, and became a top ten hit in England, the album has the following songs:
- Pressure Down
- One Step Away
- Reasons
- Going, Going, Going
- No One Comes Close
- Love to Shine
- Trouble
- Touch of Paradise
- Let Me Out
Over the next 3 decades, the British-born Australian singer continued to wax in his music career, releasing a few albums, including Age of Reason (1988), Full House (1991), and Jack (2009). He also went on tours and performed for different audiences. Additionally, he had a live performance at the London 2012 Summer Olympics for the Australian Olympic team.
Background Of Jillian Billman, John Farnham’s Wife, And How They Met
Jillian Billman is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bob Jillman. She was a dancer in her younger days.
Interestingly, it was through dancing that she and Farnham crossed paths. It happened in 1971 when they met as performers for the West London musical comedy Charlie Girl, which was staged in Melbourne. The Australian singer fell in love with Jillian when he saw her backstage at the theater.
Farnham and Billman started dating three months after they met. They got married after two years on April 11, 1973, at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, Glenroy, Australia.
The wedding reception was held at Dorset Gardens Hotel in Croydon, Australia, and was attended by over 200 guests, including their friends and family.
After the wedding, the couple didn’t have kids immediately until 6 years later. They gave birth to Robert Farnham in 1979, and then James Farnham in 1980.
John Farnham and Jillian Billman have been married for 51 years now.
The You’re the Voice Singer Had An 11-And-Half Hour Cancer Surgery
On August 23, 2022, the family of the British-born Australian singer announced that he was diagnosed with cancer. Later that same day, he underwent an 11-and-half-hour surgery to remove a tumor from his mouth, including a jaw reconstruction.
Six days later, his family released a statement indicating the singer was responding to treatment, and in a stable condition. They went on to appreciate friends and fans of the singer for the outpour of love and support.
While there are many speculations regarding the type of cancer, several reports assumed it was oral cancer. However, his family didn’t mention the type of cancer.
In the past, Farnham was a smoker and he encountered a couple of health challenges including tinnitus, hearing loss, and kidney infection. After a while, he quit smoking.
Having a part of his jaw removed could mean an end to his singing career. Despite the odds, Farnham has built a legacy as an icon in not just Australia, but the world.
