John Lewis Schumann (born 18 May 1953) is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist from

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

. He is best known as the lead singer for the folk group

Redgum Redgum were an Australian folk and political music group formed in Adelaide in 1975 by singer-songwriter John Schumann, Michael Atkinson on guitars/vocals, Verity Truman on flute/vocals; they were later joined by Hugh McDonald on fiddle and Ch ...

, with their chart-topping hit " I Was Only 19 (A Walk in the Light Green)", a song exploring the psychological and medical side-effects of serving in the Australian forces during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. The song's sales assisted Vietnam Veterans during the 1983 Royal Commission into the effects of

Agent Orange Agent Orange is a chemical herbicide and defoliant, one of the "tactical use" Rainbow Herbicides. It was used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. It ...

and other chemical defoliants employed during the war. Schumann was an

Australian Democrats The Australian Democrats is a centrist political party in Australia. Founded in 1977 from a merger of the Australia Party and the New Liberal Movement, both of which were descended from Liberal Party dissenting splinter groups, it was Austral ...

candidate in the 1998 federal election, narrowly failing to unseat Australian Foreign Minister

Alexander Downer Alexander John Gosse Downer (born 9 September 1951) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who was leader of the Liberal Party from 1994 to 1995, Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1996 to 2007, and High Commissioner to the United King ...

for the

Division of Mayo The Division of Mayo is an Australian electoral division located to the east and south of Adelaide, South Australia. Created in the state redistribution of 3 September 1984, the division is named after Helen Mayo, a social activist and the fir ...

. Since 2005 he has been performing as part of John Schumann and the Vagabond Crew, including fellow ex-Redgum member Hugh McDonald.

Biography

1975–1985: Redgum

Schumann was born on 18 May 1953 and attended

Flinders University Flinders University is a public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across 11 locations in South Australia and the Northern Territory. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of British navigator M ...

studying philosophy, English and drama for his Bachelor of Arts. In 1975 he contributed to a radical politics in art project, convened by Professor Brian Medlin with fellow students Michael Atkinson and Verity Truman. The three students went on to form political folk band

and began performing in local pubs and campuses. An 'underground recording' of their music was made at the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owne ...

(ABC) studios in Adelaide by Darc Cassidy – the tapes went on to become popular on campuses across Australia and on independent radio. Chris Timms (also from Flinders University) joined the group in 1976 and they toured to Melbourne as a part-time group. Schumann was by then teaching English and Drama at Marion High School and performing on weekends and school holidays. By December 1980, they decided to become a full-time band. Schumann wrote their biggest hits including "Long Run", "The Last Frontier", "I Was Only Nineteen" (March 1983) and "I've Been to Bali Too" (1984). In 1985 Redgum toured overseas performing at major festivals across England and Europe including the Edinburgh Festival and in war torn Belfast in Northern Ireland. The band had a strong following in Scandinavia. He has now written a picture book with the lyrics of "I was only Nineteen" . And has got a book coming out about police mental health .

1985–1993: Early solo music career

Schumann left Redgum (late 1985) due to continual pressure to tour and to spend more time with his young family in the Adelaide Hills. He embarked upon a solo career with CBS, where he released several records, including '' Etched in Blue'' (1987), and a children's record, ''Looby Loo'' (1989). The 1987 single "Borrowed Ground" from ''Etched in Blue'' was given 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 ...

(APRA) Most Performed Australasian Country Work Award in 1988. In 1992 he recorded a single for

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

titled "Eyes on Fire", this was followed by an album for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...

in 1993, ''True Believers''.

1998–2001: Political career

Schumann used his public profile and became involved in social justice issues: rallying against Queensland's Premier

Joh Bjelke-Petersen Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen (13 January 191123 April 2005), known as Joh Bjelke-Petersen, was a conservative Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, during ...

; the ' Save The Franklin River' campaign including as a member of Gordon Franklin & the Wilderness Ensemble (contained members of

Goanna A goanna is any one of several species of lizards of the genus '' Varanus'' found in Australia and Southeast Asia. Around 70 species of ''Varanus'' are known, 25 of which are found in Australia. This varied group of carnivorous reptiles ranges ...

and Redgum) to record a single "Let the Franklin Flow" in 1983 and seeking justice and compensation for Vietnam Veterans in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1998 Schumann accepted an appointment as the chief of staff for the then leader of the

, Meg Lees. He stood against Australian Foreign Minister

for the

, winning 22.4% of the primary vote to Downer's 45.6%, taking the vote to preferences. After the distribution of

preferences In psychology, economics and philosophy, preference is a technical term usually used in relation to choosing between alternatives. For example, someone prefers A over B if they would rather choose A than B. Preferences are central to decision t ...

, Downer held the seat 51.7% to Schumann's 48.3%. Despite coming close to winning the seat, Schumann decided not to contest the seat in the 2001 election, citing a number of reasons including family commitments and the Democrats' decision to elect Senator

Natasha Stott Despoja Natasha Jessica Stott Despoja AO (born 9 September 1969) is an Australian politician, diplomat, advocate and author. She is the founding Chair of the Board of Our Watch, the national foundation to prevent violence against women and their childr ...

as leader in April 2001.

2001–current: later career

Schumann is a co-director of Schumann & Associates – a communications, public relations and consultancy company. He speaks on issues of social justice and Australian identity to universities and companies. In 2008 Flinders University recognised him as a distinguished alumnus for his contribution to Australian music and social justice. He is not affiliated with any political party. In 2005 Schumann invited a number of musicians (including ex-

members Hugh McDonald and Michael Atkinson) to play and sing on an album, ''

Lawson Lawson may refer to: Places Australia * Lawson, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Lawson, New South Wales, a town in the Blue Mountains Canada * Lawson, Saskatchewan * Lawson Island, Nunavut United States * Lawson, Arkansas * ...

'', which comprises songs Schumann wrote based on poems by Australian poet

Henry Lawson Henry Archibald Hertzberg Lawson (17 June 1867 – 2 September 1922) was an Australian writer and bush poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial perio ...

. ''Lawson'' was credited to John Schumann and the Vagabond Crew and released by ABC Music. Schumann and Redgum were bought back to public attention in 2006 when Australian hip-hop group The Herd covered "

I Was Only 19 "Only 19", "I Was Only 19" or "A Walk in the Light Green" is the most widely recognised song by Australian folk group Redgum. The song was released in March 1983 as a single, which hit number one on the national Kent Music Report Singles Chart ...

" with Schumann supplying some vocals. On 18 August 2006, John Schumann and the Vagabond Crew performed in

Vũng Tàu Vũng Tàu (''Hanoi accent:'' , ''Saigon accent:'' ) is the largest city of Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu province in southern Vietnam. The city area is , consists of 13 urban wards and one commune of Long Sơn Islet. Vũng Tàu was the capital of the p ...

, Vietnam, to mark the 40th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tân. The concert was broadcast nationally by ABC radio. In 2007 John Schumann and The Vagabond Crew provided the music for a stage play, ''Lawson'', starring

Max Cullen Max Cullen (born 29 April 1940) is an Australian stage and screen actor. He has appeared in many Australian films and television series but is best known for his role in the film '' Spider and Rose'' and the television series '' The Flying Docto ...

. After refusing to appear live on the 1980s ABC music-TV show, ''

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and ev ...

'', Schumann appeared in the Countdown Spectacular 2 concert series in Australia in August and September 2007. He sang the Redgum hit "I Was Only 19" only. From late 2007, John Schumann and the Vagabond Crew have appeared at major music festivals around Australia. Schumann signed a new multi-album deal with

ABC Music ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

and '' Behind the Lines'', an album of songs related to Australians at war, was released in August 2008. Schumann has performed for Australian forces overseas several times. In December 2009 he visited

East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-w ...

to play for Australian and New Zealand troops stationed there, in September–October 2011 he played for Australian troops in Afghanistan and in July 2013 he played for Australian troops and Australian Federal Police in the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...

. In 2011 Schumann worked with the Defence department on "Dents in the Soul", a project designed to help soldiers deal with

post traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...

. In 2015, Schumann recorded "Kokoda – Only The Brave Ones", a duet 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 ...

for his album ''

Spirit of the Anzacs "Spirit of the Anzacs" is the first single from Lee Kernaghan's 2015 album of the same name. The charity single features Guy Sebastian, Sheppard, Jon Stevens, Jessica Mauboy, Shannon Noll and Megan Washington. It was released on 22 January 2 ...

.'' In 2015 he was commission by the Australian Army to write "Every Anzac Day", a song about aboriginal soldiers who served in the Australian military. It was released in April 2015 ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings. It was released with "Anzac Biscuits" as a B-side.

Personal life

Schumann met Denise 'Denny' Storen in 1981 and they later married. She is the sister of Vietnam veteran Mick Storen, whose recollections inspired "I Was Only Nineteen". The couple have a son and a daughter.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Charting singles

Awards

Order of Australia

In 2014, Schumann was awarded the Medal of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Go ...

(OAM) in the

2014 Australia Day Honours The 2014 Australia Day Honours were announced on 26 January 2014 by the Governor General of Australia, Quentin Bryce. The Australia Day Honours are the first of the two major annual honours lists, announced on Australia Day (26 January), with the o ...

for "service to music, and to the veteran community". In 2022, Schumann was appointed Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the

2022 Australia Day Honours The 2022 Australia Day Honours are appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 2022 by the Governor General of Australia, David Hurley. The Australia ...

for "significant service to the veteran community, to music, and to the community".

Country Music Awards of Australia

The

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 ...

(CMAA) (also known as the Golden Guitar Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during 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 ...

, celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. They have been held annually since 1973. , - , rowspan="2", 1984 , rowspan="2", "I Was Only 19" (written by John Schumann) performed by Redgum , Top Selling Song of the Year , , - , APRA Song of the Year , , -

Footnotes

External links

John Schumann
Official Website

ABC Radio
Redgum Lyrics Archive
Online collection of Redgum and John Schumann lyrics {{DEFAULTSORT:Schumann, John 1953 births APRA Award winners Australian Democrats politicians Australian folk singers Australian male singers Australian songwriters Flinders University alumni Living people Australian people of German descent Musicians from Adelaide Members of the Order of Australia Redgum