Jack’s back – Redgum frontman revisits his past protests

It was in 1975 – half-way through a decade that had already seen the withdrawal of Australian troops from Vietnam and the election and swift dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government – that Redgum formed in Adelaide. 

Fronted by John Schumann, a firebrand singer-songwriter who once dubbed himself “Gelignite Jack”, along with Michael Atkinson and Verity Truman, the band built up a repertoire that built on traditional folk music but tackled contemporary themes. 

Their lyrics reflected political and social issues such as poverty, our sometimes-fractured view of history, the Americanisation of Australian culture, and concerns for the environment. 

Songs from their first album, If You Don’t Fight You Lose, ranged from Poor Ned, telling the story of Ned Kelly from the bushranger’s own perspective, to contemporary observational tunes such as Peter the Cabby and One More Boring Thursday Night in Adelaide. 

Redgum’s popularity exploded in 1983 with the release of I Was Only 19 (A Walk in the Light Green), based on Schumann’s brother-in-law Mick Storen’s experiences in Vietnam, followed by a jaunty but cutting critique of an Aussie travel ritual, I’ve Been to Bali Too. 

I Was Only 19 brought attention to the horrors of modern warfare, including the lasting impact on veterans of Agent Orange, just as an earlier Redgum song, Letter to BJ, did its bit to crystalise opposition to Queensland’s controversial legislation banning street marches.  

Redgum was hailed as “the first band to sing about our country and tell our stories with our place names in our accent”. The band eschewed the trappings of pop stardom and famously refused to appear on Countdown, the ABC-TV pop-music show hosted by Molly Meldrum, whose endorsement was eagerly sought by other musicians.  

Schumann left Redgum in 1986 and, while he has revisited I Was Only 19 on many occasions, often at the request of veterans’ groups, his career moved in surprising directions. He appeared on children’s television, releasing an album titled John Schumman Goes Looby Loo, and briefly flirted with party politics – nearly winning a House of Representative seat for the Democrats. 

More recently, he has been touring with The Vagabond Crew – Julian Ferraretto, Enrico Morena, Rohan Powell, Polly Politis, Anthony Thyer and Jamie Harrison – and performing a show that celebrates the bush poet Henry Lawson. 

Now he has decided to dust off the old Redgum discography, with the eager support of his current bandmates. 

He stresses that the concert, including songs he did not write, will be a tribute to Redgum, not his new band pretending to be Redgum. 

Nevertheless, he describes The Redgum Years as a concert “for all those people who still believe that songs can change the world”. 

Not everyone will share Schumman’s point of view, but few who were there at the time can deny Redgum its place in Australia’s cultural history, and many will welcome the chance to hear those songs sung by that unmistakeable voice.