Elly-May Barnes

Last updated

Elly-May Barnes
Origin Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, disability advocate
Years active1991–present
Formerly of The Tin Lids

Elly-May Barnes (born 1989or1990) is an Australian musician and inclusion advocate. Starting her career as a backup singer for her father, Cold Chisel frontman Jimmy Barnes, she started doing solo rock shows, and then cabaret. She is known for her first solo single, a cover of the Radiohead song "Creep", in 2023, but came to national prominence in November 2024 with the airing of the documentary series Headliners. In this series, Barnes and other musicians formed bands comprising people with disabilities and mentored them over seven weeks, ending with a live performance at the Mundi Mundi Bash. Her debut album, No Good, was released on 12 April 2024.

Contents

Early life and education

Elly-May Barnes was born in 1989or1990, the youngest of four children of rock musician Jimmy Barnes and his wife Jane. Her elder full siblings are Mahalia, Eliza-Jane, and Jackie. Elly-May was born born 14 weeks prematurely, and doctors told her parents that there was only a 50% chance of survival. At the age of three, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. [1] She had her first surgery at the age of six, and more has followed. [2] Barnes is of Scottish-Jewish descent through her father, [3] and Thai descent through her mother. [4] [5]

Barnes looked up to her sisters, and remembers listening to her father sing and wanting to be a singer herself. She was a fan of Silverchair, Dolly Parton, Whitney Houston, and Elvis Presley, and liked drag queens. [1] From the age of two, she was a member of the band formed by the four siblings, called The Tin Lids. [2] Their Christmas 1991 album, Hey Rudolph! , was a platinum-selling album, giving Barnes her first hit single at the age of two. [6]

The family lived in Bowral, New South Wales; the Sydney suburb of Double Bay; and Aix-en-Provence in France. In Year 11 she attended Kambala School in Sydney, and dated Elroy Finn, son of Crowded House frontman Neil Finn, before deciding to apply to study in the UK. She was accepted into Stowe School, in Buckinghamshire, and spent her final years of school there. Finn and a schoolfriend of Barnes flew over at the same time and also went to schools in the UK. Barnes loved the school, excelled in her subjects: advanced English, early modern history, and classical civilisations. However she came home before completing her final year, as she found the size of the school meant that her pain was exacerbated by all of the movement, and around that time her father had to have cardiac surgery. [1]

Career

Barnes started off singing in rock 'n' roll style, and did back-up vocals for her father. [2] She did a few solo shows with free admission, because she "didn't tell anyone about because [she] didn't like people to come", before a breakthrough cabaret show in Darlinghurst in 2018 which came about by chance. She was accompanied on organ by Clayton Doley, and sang Patsy Cline songs. [2] Her career took off after this. She performed a cabaret show called Glittery and Unhinged, in which she performed songs by Dolly Parton, Dusty Springfield, Dionne Warwick, Bob Dylan, and David Bowie. [7] In 2020 she performed a cabaret version of Bowie's 1972 song "Moonage Daydream", [1] accompanied by Doley. [8] She enjoys dressing up, loves sparkly clothes, and uses a "light-up cane" on stage. [2]

She released her first solo single, a cover of the Radiohead song "Creep", on 20 November 2023. [9] She says that the song is "just a really beautiful song to relate to if you're feeling like you're in a world that's just not made for you". [2] It was produced, mixed, and mastered by her "dear friend", Kevin Shirley, brother Jackie played drums, [7] with Lachy Doley on keyboards, Kara Jayne on bass, and Jack Moffitt on guitar. The song was recorded at her father's studio, Freight Train Studios, and the music video was made by Robert Hambling. [9]

No Good (2024)

Her debut album, released through ABC Music on 12 April 2024, is No Good. [7] The tracks are largely original songs, co-written by her Uncle Mark Lizotte (better known as Diesel), Neil Finn, Cold Chisel pianist Don Walker, singer/songwriter Shane Nicholson, and others. The last track is a tribute to Bob Dylan. [1] Other musicians who contributed to the album are Davey Lane (who wrote four of the songs), Kevin Shirley, Charley Drayton, Jack Moffitt, Clayton Doley, and Jackie Barnes. Diesel and Walker co-produced the album. The title track, "No Good", and "Baby Don't Slow Me Down" which were co-written by Barnes and Lane. [7]

Other musical collaborations

Barnes performed live with indie rock band The Preatures on tour, supported Harry Styles, sang in Neil Finn's choir in a series of live shows showcasing songs from his album, Out of Silence . She recorded a song with Kirin J. Callinan, Clayton Doley, and Liam Finn for the 2022 New Zealand comedy film, Nude Tuesday. Davey Lane has appeared with her on stage at several of her cabaret shows. [7]

Advocacy

Barnes advocates strongly for inclusion for people with disabilities, "to show other people that there isn't this one mould of what a disabled person looks like. Or what any person looks like or can be". [1]

Based on her experience, especially flying around on tour with her father, and performing on stage herself, she realised that "the whole world isn't built for everybody to get around". In 2023 she spoke about the need for venues to improve accessibility at a music conference for women. While she had not earlier spoken much about her own disability, started to realise that "it's important to talk about it because… I think people need to see themselves. I don't want people to think they should disappear", citing the case of Ann-Marie Smith in Adelaide, who died of neglect in a chair in her home. Barnes is a friend of younger disability advocate Hannah Diviney, who also has cerebral palsy. [2] Diviney is known for calling out Lizzo and Beyoncé for using the word "spaz" in their songs, leading to both of them altering their lyrics. [10] [11] Both Barnes and Diviney do fundraising gigs for The Children's Hospital at Westmead, where both received treatment as children. [2]

Media work

Headliners

In November 2024, the five-part series Headliners premiered on ABC TV. The series features a project to advocate on behalf of musicians with disabilities, led by Barnes and narrated by Adam Hills. [12] [13] The project entailed bringing musicians with disabilities together to form two bands which, after coaching by experienced musicians and performers, would appear on stage at the Mundi Mundi Bash in western New South Wales, [12] around 40 km (25 mi) from Broken Hill. [14] Barnes described the project, which combines her love of music as her passion for advocacy, as a "group effort" in coming to fruition. [15]

Tim Rogers mentored the group who become indie rock band Together With Strangers, while Ella Hooper took on the other one, forming the classic rock band Sync or Swim. Delta Goodrem, Silverchair drummer Ben Gillies, and Jimmy Barnes also each have a single session with the bands. The bands have just seven weeks to prepare for their live performances at the festival, and the series shows their struggles to play together as a band, [12] but without over-dramatising, as do some reality shows on television. [14]

The songs chosen for each band were as follows: [16]

Both bands proved to be hits in front of the audience, with Rogers afterwards commenting "I've never felt pride like that, it was really overwhelming and very emotional because what these people have had to go through is very humbling". [14] The series was widely covered in the press and received many positive reviews. [17] [14] [12] [18] [19] It is distributed internationally by Banijay. [20]

Headliners was co-produced by ABC Television and Endemol Shine Australia, [12] including the same team who created Old People's Home for 4 Year Olds . [14] They produced the show in association with Screen Australia, with additional support from Screen NSW. [21]

Rock the Rat

An upcoming music documentary series, Rock the Rat, highlights the importance of inclusion for musicians living with disabilities. In July 2024 the series' first live concert, filmed to create the first episode in the series, featured Barnes, Tim Rogers, and Ella Hooper. [22]

Personal life

Barnes is very close to her parents, Jimmy and Jane, [1] and all of her three siblings, Mahalia, Eliza-Jane (EJ), and Jackie, are also involved in the music industry. [2]

Her uncle is Mark Lizotte, better known as the musician Diesel. [1]

She suffers from chronic pain caused by her cerebral palsy, and has had many medical procedures since infancy. [1] She undergoes regular physiotherapy, has to regularly have casts put on her legs to stretch them, and has Botox injections to stop spasms in her legs. In around 2021 she had major surgery to lengthen her calves and Achilles tendons. [2]

She fell pregnant at the age of 24, and had her son Dylan, whom, she credits with leading her to look after herself better and value herself more. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cold Chisel</span> Australian rock band

Cold Chisel are an Australian pub rock band, which formed in Adelaide in 1973 by mainstay members Ian Moss on guitar and vocals, Steve Prestwich on drums, Les Kaczmarek on bass and Don Walker on piano and keyboards. They were soon joined by Jimmy Barnes on lead vocals and, in 1975, Phil Small became their bass guitarist. The group disbanded in late 1983 but subsequently reformed several times. Musicologist Ian McFarlane wrote that they became "one of Australia's best-loved groups" as well as "one of the best live bands", fusing "a combination of rockabilly, hard rock and rough-house soul'n'blues that was defiantly Australian in outlook."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Finn</span> New Zealand musician (born 1958)

Neil Mullane Finn is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known for being a principal member of Split Enz, of which he shared lead duties with his brother Tim, and the lead singer, guitarist, and a founding member of Crowded House. He was also a member of Fleetwood Mac from 2018 until 2022. Ed O'Brien of Radiohead has hailed Finn as popular music's "most prolific writer of great songs".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nellie McKay</span> American singer and songwriter

Nell Marie McKay is an English–American singer and songwriter. She made her Broadway debut in The Threepenny Opera (2006).

Wendy Joan Matthews is a Canadian-born Australian singer-songwriter who has been a member of Models and Absent Friends and is a solo artist. She released Top 20 hit singles in the 1990s including "Token Angels", "Let's Kiss ", "The Day You Went Away" and "Friday's Child" with Top 20 albums, You've Always Got The Blues, Émigré, Lily, The Witness Tree and her compilation, Stepping Stones. She has won six Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Awards. According to rock music historian, Ian McFarlane she provides "extraordinary, crystal-clear vocals [...] a soulfulness that was the mark of a truly gifted singer".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Barnes</span> Scottish-Australian singer

James Dixon Barnes is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer. His career, both as a solo performer and as the lead vocalist with the rock band Cold Chisel ( 1973–1983), has made him one of the most popular and best-selling Australian music artists of all time. By 2022 he had achieved 15 solo number-one albums in Australia, more than any other artist. He has won many awards, and been nominated for many more. In 2005 he was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame as a solo artist, after also having been an inductee in 1992 a member of Cold Chisel. His music has covered many genres, including hard rock, blues rock, soul, R&B, country, country rock, and electronic. Some of his albums were recorded at his own recording studio, Freight Train Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Gudinski</span> Australian music industry executive (1952–2021)

Michael Solomon Gudinski AM was an Australian record executive and promoter who was a leading figure in the Australian music industry. Born and raised in Melbourne, Gudinski formed the highly successful Australian record company Mushroom Records in 1972 through which he signed several generations of Australian musicians and performers ranging from MacKenzie Theory, Skyhooks, The Choirboys, Kylie Minogue, and New Zealand's Split Enz to newer artists such as Eskimo Joe, Evermore and others.

Kevin Shirley, also known as The Caveman, is a South African music producer, engineer, audio mixer, and musician. He has produced music for many artists, including Silverchair, Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin, The Hoodoo Gurus, The Angels, and Cold Chisel. As of 2023 he is a musician in Jimmy Barnes' supergroup, releasing a self-titled album in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tricia O'Neil</span> American actress

Tricia O'Neil is an American actress.

The Tin Lids were an Australian children's pop group formed in 1990 with Mahalia, Eliza-Jane "E.J.", Jackie and Elly-May Barnes all on vocals. They are the four children of Jane and Jimmy Barnes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahalia Barnes</span> Australian singer

Mahalia Violet Barnes is an Australian singer-songwriter, the daughter of Scottish-Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes and Jane Mahoney. She began performing as part of children's pop group The Tin Lids with siblings, Eliza-Jane "E.J.", Elly-May, and Jackie. She later formed her own band, Mahalia Barnes and the Soul Mates, and as of 2024 has recorded four albums with them. She has collaborated with Joe Bonamassa, both in studio and in live performance, as well as other musical artists, including work as a backing vocalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liam Finn</span> New Zealand musician (born 1983)

Liam Mullane Finn is a New Zealand singer and musician. Born in Melbourne, Australia, he moved to New Zealand as a child. He is the son of musicians Sharon and Neil Finn. In 2020, he joined his father's band, Crowded House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackie Barnes</span> Australian musician

Jackie James Barnes is an Australian drummer and singer. He has been performing since the age of four. He is the third child and only son of Jimmy Barnes and his wife Jane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Good Times (The Easybeats song)</span> Easybeats song

"Good Times" is a song by the Australian rock band the Easybeats, written by George Young and Harry Vanda. It was released in June 1968 on their album Vigil, and as a single in July 1968 through Parlophone. It features guest vocals by Steve Marriott of Small Faces, and piano by Nicky Hopkins. The original Easybeats recording reached #22 in Australia. When broadcast by BBC radio, it was reportedly heard by Paul McCartney on his car radio; McCartney apparently rang the station immediately to request a repeat playing.

Australian pop music awards are a series of inter-related national awards that gave recognition to popular musical artists and have included the Go-Set pop poll (1966–1972); TV Week King of Pop Awards (1967–1978); TV Week and Countdown Music Awards (1979–1980); the Countdown Awards (1981–1982) and Countdown Music and Video Awards (1983–1987). Early awards were based on popular voting from readers of teenage pop music newspaper Go-Set and television program guide TV Week. They were followed by responses from viewers of Countdown, a TV pop music series (1974–1987) on national broadcaster Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Some of the later award ceremonies incorporated listed nominees and peer-voted awards. From 1987 the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) instituted its own peer-voted ARIA Music Awards.

Clayton Doley is an Australian musician, singer, songwriter, television musical director, arranger, and record producer best known for his Hammond Organ virtuosity. He started his own bands The Hands and Clayton Doley's Organ Donors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dead Daisies</span> Australian-American rock band

The Dead Daisies are an Australian-American hard rock band formed in Sydney in 2012. Since their formation they have assembled a rotating lineup of musicians who have otherwise played with groups including Whitesnake, Guns N' Roses, Black Sabbath, and Motley Crue, among others. Although functioning as a sort of "supergroup" during its history, the band has been spearheaded by guitarist David Lowy while its various live and studio based releases have come out. The group's eponymous debut album was released by Spitfire Music in August 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lachy Doley</span> Musical artist

Lachlan R. Doley is an Australian musician, singer and songwriter best known for playing the Hammond organ and whammy clavinet. Doley has recorded and/or toured with Jimmy Barnes, Glenn Hughes, Billy Thorpe, Joe Bonamassa, and Powderfinger. Doley has issued one album as a solo artist, Typically Individual Conforming Anti-Social (2011) and four albums fronting Lachy Doley Group. Lovelight peaked at number 40 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

<i>Och Aye the Gnu</i> 2017 studio album by Jimmy Barnes and The Wiggles

Och Aye the G'nu is a 2017 children's album credited to Scottish-born Australian rock singer-songwriter Jimmy Barnes, and Australian children's music group the Wiggles.

<i>Modus Operandi</i> (Jimmy Barnes album) 2019 live album by Jimmy Barnes

Modus Operandi is a live album by Australian musician Jimmy Barnes.

<i>Flesh and Blood</i> (Jimmy Barnes album) 2021 studio album by Jimmy Barnes

Flesh and Blood is the nineteenth studio album by Scottish Australian musician Jimmy Barnes, released on 2 July 2021 through Bloodlines. The album was announced on 25 March and features production from Barnes' long-time collaborator Kevin Shirley. Barnes wrote most of the record while in the peak of the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in 2020.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Trenoweth, Samantha (20 March 2024). "Jimmy Barnes' daughter Elly-May shares personal health journey". The Australian Women's Weekly . Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Scott, Leisa; Cheshire, Ben (19 November 2023). "Jimmy and Jane Barnes's youngest daughter Elly-May on cabaret and cerebral palsy" (text + audio). ABC News . Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  3. ↑ Feneley, Rick (22 August 2009). "Let's get spiritual: Jimmy finds his roots". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  4. ↑ Barnes, Jane (17 June 2021). ""There's nothing more important to me than family": Jane Barnes getting through the highs and lows with her loved ones". Now To Love. Interviewed by Trenoweth, Samantha. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  5. ↑ Koch, Phillip (23 May 2024). "Inside Jimmy Barnes and wife Jane's romantic love story". New Idea. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  6. ↑ Cashmere, Paul (1 November 2023). "Jimmy Barnes Expands The Tin Lids With His Grand Lids". Noise11.com. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Barnes, Elly-May (12 April 2024). "No Good album interview" (text + video (24:28)). Australian Musician (Interview). Interviewed by Phillips, Greg. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  8. ↑ Moonage Daydream (David bowie cover) on YouTube. 6 April 2020
  9. 1 2 Elly-May Barnes - Creep (Official Music Video) on YouTube. 20 November 2023
  10. ↑ Johnson, Paul (4 August 2022). "Hannah Diviney reveals being trolled after calling out Beyoncé for ableist slur as Q+A panel asks for greater disability representation". ABC News . Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  11. ↑ Diviney, Hannah (4 August 2022). "Opinion: I called out Lizzo and Beyoncé for song lyrics. They actually heard me". CNN. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Rigden, Claire (8 November 2024). "Elly-May Barnes' ABC series Headliners raises important questions about disability in the music business". The West Australian . Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  13. ↑ "Headliners takes centre stage on ABC in November". ABC Help. Australian Broadcasting Corporation . 5 November 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 McCabe, Kathy (18 November 2024). "Headliners: Together with Strangers and Sync or Swim rock Mundi Mundi Bash in major win for disabled musicians". news . Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  15. ↑ ""I hope it's a turning point": Elly-May Barnes on pushing for representation in music with her new show Headliners". Missing Perspectives. 19 November 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  16. ↑ Knox, David (26 November 2024). "Headliners: Nov 26". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 16 December 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
  17. ↑ McManus, Bridget (8 November 2024). "Jimmy Barnes' daughter Elly-May Barnes hosts new show Headliners on the ABC". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  18. ↑ Varvaris, Mary (22 October 2024). "ABC To Celebrate Live Music & Inclusion With New Series 'Headliners'". The Music . Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  19. ↑ Rockman, Lisa (15 November 2024). "Musicians with a disability rock in new ABC series Headliners" . Newcastle Herald . Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  20. ↑ Brzoznowski, Kristin (9 May 2024). "Endemol Shine Australia Unveils Headliners". TVFORMATS. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  21. ↑ "'Headliners' (First Look)". IF Magazine. 20 October 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  22. ↑ Varvaris, Mary (26 July 2024). "New Music Series 'Rock The Rat' Launches Next Week". The Music. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.