Jimmy Barnes has been igniting audiences in Australia and across the globe with a unique brand of performance, passion and raw magnetism that has made him a national treasure.

He is Australia's most successful solo recording artist, he brings his A-game to every live show and his rock'n'roll lifestyle is the stuff of legend. 

He has also added bestselling author to his long list of accomplishments with the release of his two-part memoir, Working Class Boy (2016) and Working Class Man (2017).

In an exclusive interview with the NFSA, to accompany our new online Jimmy Barnes curated collection, Jimmy tells us about the early influences and pivotal moments that helped shape his extraordinary life and career.

'That's what I want to do'

In the following interview excerpt, Jimmy talks about his brother John introducing him to new music and the moment he decided he wanted to be in a band:

'That was my ticket out'

In this exclusive interview excerpt, Jimmy Barnes talks about two defining moments in his life – dropping out of school and leaving Adelaide:

All for You

See more from the phenomenal career of Jimmy Barnes with rarely-seen interviews, live performances, posters, photographs and oral history interviews in our curated collection.

In 2018, it was 40 years since the release of the first, self-titled Cold Chisel album. Explore highlights from the band's history with interviews, images, posters, reviews, documentary excerpts and more in our Cold Chisel curated collection.

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