James Blundell (born 8 December 1964) is an Australian

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer. Born in

Stanthorpe Stanthorpe is a rural town and locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Stanthorpe had a population of 5,406 people. The area surrounding the town is known as the Granite Belt. Geography Stanthorpe lies on the New ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Blundell first rose to prominence after being named "best new talent" at the 1987

Country Music Awards of Australia The Country Music Awards of Australia also known as the Golden Guitar Awards (originally named Australasian Country Music Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, in Tamworth, New South Wales ...

. Blundell has since released several albums in both Australia and the United States, with his most successful album '' This Road'' (released in 1992) selling more than 145,000 copies in Australia. Blundell was an unsuccessful candidate for the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

in Queensland at the 2013 federal election, running for

Katter's Australian Party Katter's Australian Party (KAP) is an agrarian political party in Australia. It was founded by Bob Katter, an independent and former Nationals MP for the seat of Kennedy, with a registration application lodged to the Australian Electoral ...

. At the 2019

, Blundell was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Early life

Blundell was born in

town of

, and was brought up on a sheep and cattle station near the town. As an adult he worked as a station hand across various locations in northern Australia. After a back injury sustained while working on a farm in

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

he turned to music.

Music career

1987–1991: Career Beginnings

In 1987, Blundell won the Australia's Starker Quest at the

(CMAA) and won a recording contract with RCA Victor Australia where he released "Gidgee Bug Pub Song". In 1988, Blundell won the

Golden Guitar Award The Country Music Awards of Australia also known as the Golden Guitar Awards (originally named Australasian Country Music Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, in Tamworth, New South Wales ...

for the "Best New Talent". Blundell signed with EMI released his

eponymous An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

debut studio album in 1989. The album spawned the singles "Cloncurry Cattle Song" and "Kimberley Moon"; both of which won him Male Vocalist of the Year awards at the CMAA in 1989 and 1990. In 1990, Blundell contributed "Until the Next Big Dry" for the 1990 compilation album ''

Breaking Ground - New Directions in Country Music ''Breaking Ground - New Directions in Country Music'' is a compilation album of Australian contemporary country music. It was produced by John Spence and released in Australia by ABC Records in 1990. It was nominated for a 1991 ARIA Award for Be ...

''. Late in 1990, Blundell released his second studio album '' Hand It Down'' which peaked at number 50 on the ARIA charts in 1991 and won him his first

ARIA Award The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austra ...

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

for

Best Country Album The Grammy Award for Best Country Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the country music genre. Honors ...

. The single "Age of Grace" won Blundell his third consecutive Male Vocalist of the Year awards at the CMAA in 1991.

1992–2002: Commercial Success with EMI

In March 1992, Blundell released a cover of

The Dingoes The Dingoes are an Australian country rock band. They were initially active from 1973 to 1979, and reformed in 2009. Initially based in Melbourne, the band relocated to the United States from 1976. The most stable line-up comprised John Bois on ...

' song " Way Out West" with

James Reyne James Michael Nugent Reyne OAM (born 19 May 1957) is an Australian rock musician and singer-songwriter both in solo work and, until 1986, with the band Australian Crawl. Biography Early years Reyne was born in Lagos, Nigeria. His father, Rod ...

. The song was a commercial success peaking at number 2 on the

ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

and was certified gold. It won Blundell his first

APRA Award The APRA Music Awards in Australia are annual awards to celebrate excellence in contemporary music, which honour the skills of member composers, songwriters, and publishers who have achieved outstanding success in sales and airplay performan ...

for Country Song of the Year. In April, Blundell released his third studio album '' This Road'' which peaked at number 4 on the ARIA Charts, was certified platinum and has sold more than 145,000 copies in Australia. Additional singles "This Road" and "Down on the Farm" were released in 1992 and Blundell won two more Golden Guitar awards at the 1993 CMAA, including Top Selling album of the Year. In August 1993, Blundell released '' Touch of Water'' which peaked at number 11 on the ARIA Charts. Blundell continued to play regularly at folk and country music festivals around Australia. In April 1995, Blundell released his fifth studio album '' Earth & Sea'' which peaked at number 31. In 1996, disillusioned with the music industry, around Europe in a van, earning money by busking. In 1997, Blundell featured in a

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founde ...

commercial, singing "

I Still Call Australia Home "I Still Call Australia Home" is a song written by Peter Allen in 1980. In it, Allen sings of Australian expatriates' longing for home. Significance to Australian culture It has been used to signify Australian patriotism and nostalgia for home ...

", and in the lead-up to the

1999 Australian republic referendum The Australian republic referendum held on 6 November 1999 was a two-question referendum to amend the Constitution of Australia. The first question asked whether Australia should become a republic with a President appointed by Parliament foll ...

, Blundell recorded the official song for the "No" campaign, despite being in favour of a republic. In 1999, Blundell released his sixth studio album ''Amsterdam Breakfast'' which sold 8,000 copies. In August 2001, EMI released his first greatest hits album, '' I Shall Be Released: The Best of James Blundell'', which concluded his record deal.

2003–2012: Independent Artist, CMAA Hands of Fame and CMC Hall of Fame

As an independent artist, Blundell garnered media attention for his 2003 song " Postcards from Saigon", speaking out against the

war in Iraq This is a list of wars involving the Republic of Iraq and its predecessor states. Other armed conflicts involving Iraq * Wars during Mandatory Iraq ** Ikhwan raid on South Iraq 1921 * Smaller conflicts, revolutions, coups and periphery confli ...

. In 2005, the song won Australian Independent Country Music Single of the Year and Independent Country Music Male Vocalist of the Year. In 2005, Blundell released ''Deluge'', followed by ''Ring Around the Moon'' in 2007 and ''Portrait of a Man'' in 2008. In 2007, Blundell was inducted into the Australia Country Music Hands of Fame. In October 2010 Blundell was the narrator for

Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of fiv ...

's television show,

Keeping up with the Joneses Keeping is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Charles Keeping (1924–1988), British illustrator, children's book author and lithographer * Damien Keeping (born 1982), Australian rules football coach * Frederick Keeping (1867 ...

and for four months from November 2010, Blundell performed in a musical theatre show, ''The Ultimate Rock 'n' Roll Jam Session'', with

Nick Barker Nicholas Paul Barker is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist who formed a rock, power pop band, Nick Barker & the Reptiles, in March 1988. Their cover version of Cockney Rebel's " Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" reached the top&nbs ...

, Dave Larkin, Ezra Lee and

Doug Parkinson Douglas John Parkinson (30 October 1946 – 15 March 2021) was an Australian pop and rock singer. He led the bands Strings and Things/A Sound (1965), the Questions (1966–1968), Doug Parkinson in Focus (1968–1970, 1971), Fanny Adams (1970� ...

. Blundell released his tenth studio album ''Woolshed Creek'' in April 2011. In March 2012, Blundell was the inaugural inductee into the

Country Music Channel Country Music Channel (CMC) was an Australian cable and satellite music television channel owned and operated by Foxtel Networks. It was the only country music video channel in Australia, created after the departure of MusicCountry from the A ...

's Hall of Fame.

2013–present: politics and music

In June 2013, Blundell became a candidate in the

2013 Australian federal election The 2013 Australian federal election to elect the members of the 44th Parliament of Australia took place on 7 September 2013. The centre-right Liberal/National Coalition opposition led by Opposition leader Tony Abbott of the Liberal Party of A ...

. In August 2015, Blundell released ''Come On In'' and in February 2017, his twelfth studio album ''

Campfire A campfire is a fire at a campsite that provides light and warmth, and heat for cooking. It can also serve as a beacon, and an insect and predator deterrent. Established campgrounds often provide a stone or steel fire ring for safety. Campf ...

'' which became his first charting album in over 20 years, peaking at number 58. In February 2018, a tribute album ''30 Years of Pride: A Tribute to James Blundell'' was released.

Politics

In June 2013, Blundell was selected as

's lead

candidate for Queensland in the 2013 federal election. This was largely at the urging of

Bob Katter Robert Bellarmine Carl Katter (born 22 May 1945) is an Australian politician who has been a member of the House of Representatives since 1993. He was previously active in Queensland state politics from 1974 to 1992. Katter was a member of the ...

, the party's founder and only federal member of parliament. Blundell had previously been approached to stand in elections by the Liberal National Party (LNP), but declined.Jamie Walker (2013)
"Country star gives Katter something to sing about"
– ''The Australian''. Published 3 August 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2013. His selection was controversial within the party, in part because he had not been a party member before his candidacy was announced, and contributed to a former vice-president, Kevin Brown, resigning his membership. Some of Blundell's political positions have been controversial within the party, notably his support for

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

and the abolition of

penalty rates Public holidays in Australia refer to the holidays recognised in law in Australia. Although they are declared on a state and territory basis, they comprise a mixture of nationally celebrated days and holidays exclusive to the individual jurisdi ...

Personal life

Blundell has been married twice—first to Louise, a former manager, and second to Lidia, with whom he had two sons. He left his second wife in August 2007 for Jesse Curran, a singer who he had met at one of his concerts and while she was a contestant on Australian Idol. He and Curran have since had two children together, Fian Blundell and Ria Blundell. Blundell was engaged to Kristal Padget in 2017. In March 2020 he announced his engagement to Rebecca Williams, 28 years after she inspired his 1992 hit "Down On The Farm". In May 2010, Blundell filed for

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debto ...

, having gone into debt attempting to finance his albums, as well as having lost money on the sale of an investment property the previous year. The bankruptcy was discharged in April 2013—had it not been, he would have ineligible to stand as a candidate for election. Blundell's brother, Peter Blundell, died on 24 December 2021. He was a former mayor of the Stanthorpe Shire and the

Southern Downs Region The Southern Downs Region is a local government area in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, along the state's boundary with New South Wales. It was created in 2008 from a merger of the Shire of Warwick and the Shire of Stanthor ...

as well as the LNP candidate for Keppel in the

2017 Queensland state election The 2017 Queensland state election was held on 25 November 2017 to elect all 93 members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, the unicameral Parliament of Queensland. The first-term incumbent Labor government, led by Premier Annastaci ...

Discography

*'' James Blundell'', 1989 *'' Hand It Down'', 1990 *'' This Road'', 1992 *'' Touch of Water'', 1993 *'' Earth & Sea'', 1995 *''Amsterdam Breakfast'', 1999 *'' I Shall Be Released: The Best of James Blundell'', 2001 *''Deluge'', 2005 *''Ring Around the Moon'', 2007 *''Essential'', 2007 *''Portrait of a Man'', 2008 *''Woolshed Creek'', 2011 *''Come On In'', 2015 *''

'', 2017

Awards

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as

AIR Awards The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. History The inaugural 2006 awards were held at ...

) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. , - ,

AIR Awards of 2009 The AIR Awards of 2009 is the fourth annual Australian Independent Record Labels Association Music Awards (generally known as the AIR Awards and Jagermeister AIR Awards) and was an award ceremony at The Forum Theatre, in Melbourne, Australia ...

, ''Portrait of a Man'' , Best Independent Country Album , , -

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

are a set of annual ceremonies presented by

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replac ...

(ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the music of Australia. They commenced in 1987. Blundell had been nominated for five

and has won one.ARIA Award previous winners. , - ,

, , ''Hand it Down'' , ,

, , , - ,

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engin ...

, , "Time On His Hands" , , Best Country Album , , , - ,

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

, , ''This Road'' , , Best Country Album , , , - ,

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...

, , ''Touch of Water'' , , Best Adult Contemporary Album , , , - ,

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...

, , Ring Around the Moon , , Best Country Album , , , -

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the

Australasian Performing Right Association APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwri ...

to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually. Blundell has been nominated for three awards and has won one. , - , 1992 , "Way Out West" (with

) , Country Song of the Year , , - , 1999 , "Goondiwindi Moon" (with

Lee Kernaghan Lee Kernaghan OAM (born 15 April 1964) is an Australian country music singer, songwriter and guitarist. Kernaghan has won four ARIA Awards and three APRA Awards, and has sold over two million albums, and as of 2021, has won 38 Golden Guitars at ...

and

Garth Porter Garth Ivan Richard Porter (born 24 September 1948) is a New Zealand-born Australian multi-instrumental musician, songwriter and record producer. He was a member, on keyboards and backing vocals, of the pop group, Sherbet (1970–84), and co-wr ...

) , Most Performed Country Work , , - ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, "Higher Than Heavan" , Country Work of the Year , , -

Country Music Awards (CMAA)

Blundell has won ten

Golden guitar The Big Golden Guitar is one of the many "big" attractions that can be found around Australia. Located in Tamworth, New South Wales, the monument is one of the best-known points of interest in New England. It is also a major attraction duri ...

awards at the Tamworth

. In 2019, Blundell was inducted into the

Australian Roll of Renown The Australian Roll of Renown was inaugurated bRadio 2TMin 1976. The award honours Australian and New Zealander musicians who have shaped the music industry by making a significant and lasting contribution to Country Music. The award is determin ...

, which honours Australian and New Zealander musicians who have shaped the music industry by making a significant and lasting contribution to Country Music. (wins only) , - , 1987 , , himself , , Star Maker , , , - , 1988 , , "Song for Louise" , , New Talent of the Year , , , - , 1989 , , "Cloncurry Cattle Song" , , Male Vocalist of the Year , , , - , 1990 , , "Kimberley Moon" , , APRA Song of the Year , , , - , 1990 , , "Kimberley Moon" , , Male Vocalist of the Year , , , - , 1991 , , "Blue Heeler" , , APRA Song of the Year , , , - , 1991 , , "Age of Grace" , , Male Vocalist of the Year , , , - , 1993 , , ''This Road'' , , Top Selling album of the Year , , , - , 1993 , , "Way Out West" (with James Reyne) , , Vocal Group or Duo of the Year , , , - , 1994 , , ''Touch of Water'' , , Top Selling album of the Year , , , - , 2007 , , himself , , Hands of Fame Inductee , , , - , 2019 , , himself , ,

, , , -

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the

Mo Awards The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards) were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, that where established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were l ...

), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. James Blundell won one award in that time. (wins only) , - , 1989 , James Blundell , Male Country Entertainer of the Year , , -

Queensland Music Awards

The Queensland Music Awards (previously known as Q Song Awards) are annual awards celebrating

Queensland, Australia ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

's brightest emerging artists and established legends. They commenced in 2006. (wins only) , - ,

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...

, "Move Into the City" , Country Song of the Year , , -

Tamworth Songwriters Awards

The Tamworth Songwriters Association (TSA) is an annual songwriting contest for original country songs, awarded in January at the

Tamworth Country Music Festival The Tamworth Country Music Festival is an annual Australian music festival held for 10 days from Friday to Sunday in mid to late January each year, sometimes including Australia Day, in Tamworth, New South Wales. The festival is the second bigg ...

. They commenced in 1986. (wins only) , - , 1988 , "Gidgee Pub Song" by James Blundell , Comedy/Novelty Song of the Year , , -

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blundell, James 1964 births ARIA Award winners Australian country singer-songwriters Australian country singers Australian republicans Katter's Australian Party politicians Living people People from the Darling Downs People educated at the Southport School