Who is John Farnham? Everything about the singer who awed Celine Dion

The name Celine Dion is highly regarded in the music industry thanks to the singer’s powerful and technically skilled voice. Dion is often considered the queen of power ballads and has produced several hits throughout her successful career.

But the Queen herself was enchanted by the singing of Australian singer John Farnham. Here’s everything you need to know about John Farnham, the singer who impressed Celine Dion.

Everything you need to know about John Farnham

John Farnham, born 1 July 1949, is an Australian singer who began his musical career as a teen pop idol. He eventually shifted his career to adult contemporary singing and scored several solo hits. He even replaced Glenn Shorrock and became the lead singer of the Little River Band from 1982 to 1985.

In 1986, he released the most successful song of his career, You’re the Voice, which dominated the Australian singles charts and is often considered the unofficial anthem of Australia. His album Whispering Jack topped the charts for 25 consecutive weeks and became the best-selling album by an Australian in Australia.

The musician, now 74, has received numerous awards, including the title of Australian of the Year, and was even inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. Farnham married his wife Jillian Billman on April 11, 1973 and raised two sons with her. The singer has struggled with numerous health problems and suffers from tinnitus and hearing loss. In 2022, he underwent treatment for his cancer diagnosis and was subsequently able to beat it.

Celine Dion on John Farnham

Celine Dion’s recently released documentary, “I Am: Celine Dion,” covers Dion’s life and her turbulent times, including the death of her husband and her struggle to sing again despite suffering from stiff person syndrome (SPS). During the documentary, the singer revealed that she loves the “hoarseness” of John Farnham’s voice and wishes she could be “more rock’n’roll” like him.

Dion continued, revealing her admiration for Farnham while praising the Australian singer’s powerful vocals. “I didn’t discover John Farnham, but I wish I had. But when I heard John Farnham, I freaked out because he had a power that would bring down the radio,” the The Power of Love singer shared. “When I first heard John, his voice was incredible and so emotional.”

Later in the clip, she is seen finalizing the song list for her Asia-Australia tour and reveals how much she wanted to include Farnham’s mega-hit You’re The Voice in her setlist. The video shows a clip of Dion and Farnham performing on stage in 2018, when Dion was overcome with emotion.

“I never thought I’d sing it with him,” she exclaimed. “It’s prophetic that I sang ‘(You’re) the Voice’ with him and then lost my voice. He’s one of my favorite singers of all time. And I’ll never forget the gift he gave me (of singing it).”

Dion added that if she ever gets to go on stage, she would love to sing the song Help, which is specially dedicated to John Farnham. Dion’s documentary I Am: Celine Dion is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.