Lee Kernaghan ProfileWith four ARIA Awards, three APRA Awards, over two million albums sold, and a whopping 38 Golden Guitars, it’s easy to see why Lee Kernaghan continues to uphold his status as a country music icon.
It’s an exciting time in the Kernaghan world: new music, a new tour, and a brand-new track, 4x4 Is King, which has been met with acclaim from fans and critics alike.
“It feels so good to be back in the saddle and making new music,” Lee notes. “It’s what I love to do most.” The brand-new track came to life in the most quintessentially Aussie way, a camping trip up to the Blue Mountains, Lee detailing the process of the song along the way.
“The first instance (of 4x4 is King) was a swag rolled out on the banks of Cooper Creek, just outside of Innamincka in outback South Australia,” he says. “We had the fire burning, camp oven in the ground, a couple of cold cans in the hand, and that's where the song was born. And then we moved on to the songwriting after that in the Blue Mountains.”
“We” being a pair, Lee continues to work with, after decades of work alongside each other, 4x4 Is King welcomed longtime collaborators Nick Wolfe and Colin Buchanan. The former is of The Wolfe Brothers fame, and the latter has co-written many of Lee’s award-winning tracks.
On their relationship, Lee reveals, “We’re all riding the same wave. We share a long past of pubs, clubs, theatres, and travelling thousands of kilometres across Australia together.
“Being able to be surrounded by songwriters of that stature, it’s such a privilege to be able to make music with blokes I consider to be damn good mates.”
The opening of 4x4 Is King harkens back to some classic Kernaghan, notably the a cappella intro of She Waits By The Sliprails from his debut album, The Outback Club.
Kernaghan reflects on his body of work and how his relationship with his music has changed over the years.
“When I make a record, you hear every song hundreds, hundreds of times over and over again, and then you get out there, and you start doing it live, so I often don't go back to the album,” he says.
“And sometimes it can be a year or two can go by, and then I'll play a track that I recorded back in the day, and you think, geez, that's all right,” he adds with a laugh.
“So, you know, it's not something that you sit home playing your own music. I'm more inspired by listening to all the new stuff that's coming out, and I also love the music of my musical roots. I grew up on outlaw country, people like Waylon and Willie and Johnny Cash.”
It’s immediately clear from Lee’s humility - often using his stature to champion this next generation of musicians, often making sure some up-and-comers are in a supporting slot or sharing the stage with him.
“I think that Australian country music is in the greatest shape it's ever been,” he states. “The first time I heard Mack Geiger, I thought this guy is not only one of the greatest singers in Australia; I think he's one of the greatest country singers in the world.
“Wade Foster is also doing some amazing stuff out there, James Johnson, of course, who I've worked with and collaborated with, there’s some very exciting new artists out there. Great times for country.
“Then you got the Wolfe Brothers. A group who are on the cusp of a brand-new album, and I've heard some of the new songs already from that record, and it's just absolutely spectacular, stellar, stellar music.”
The four-time ARIA winner has never been a stranger to a country music festival line-up here in Australia, with his live show showcasing some of the most versatile players in the industry. But country music festivals are not always a victim of the decline we’ve all felt in the industry.
He shares, “People come from all over the country to get to some of these festival events, and it's like a family, and it's a party. It's people coming together because we're all connected through one thing, and that is country music. And it's a beautiful thing to be a part of.”
Kernaghan’s new track 4x4 Is King is out now, and tour dates can be found here.
