John Williamson is winding back, but not before visiting Shepparton

A leg of the tour will land the True Blue singer in the heart of Shepparton, performing at Riverlinks Eastbank on February 18.

Williamson will begin 2022 by recommencing The Winding Back Tour, created as a celebration of his 52-year career in the music and entertainment industry.

From humble beginnings in Quambatook, the musician now has 52 albums under his belt with his work classing him as Aussie music royalty.

But true to his word, beside the icon status, Williamson said his career had evolved beyond all expectations from putting in the hard yards and remaining true to his upbringing.

“A lot of country singers were singing with American accents and I’ve really fought hard against that, that’s been a huge part of my success I’m sure, because people finally realised in Australia that we do want to hear our own song,” he said.

“That was a big part of my drive, I really do know the land; I worked on it and I know the feeling of drought and floods and all the rest of it, if I try and write a song about the city, it just doesn’t work.

“I think one thing that is quintessentially Australian is the land itself, that’s what develops the character of this country, not the cities.”

Although not one to pick favourites, playing in Shepparton sparked a memory for Williamson that still lives with him to this day.

“I played a sold out show 30-odd years back and there was a sign in the dressing room that said ‘sold out’, they didn’t use it,” he said.

“So I asked the woman, ‘can I have this?’ now it’s hanging on the back of my dunny door in the shed, so if they wonder what happened to that sign, that’s where it is.”

The completion of the tour will see the Mallee-born songwriter scale back live appearances.

While not a final goodbye, the end of tour will introduce the performer to a slower pace of life.

Although, slower for the country singer differs to the average Joe, with a little more garden time and a little less touring daily for months at a time.

The show has been put together to reflect a story on the phases of the singer’s life, covering an array of his tracks over the half-century.

Williamson assures crowd favourites will make an appearance on the bill in what he promises to be his “best show ever”.

He said the hiatus from performing due to COVID-19 restrictions had proven, as an artist, a break isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“I can say it now because I’m only comparing it to myself, but I’m performing better now than I ever have,” he said.

“Part of me is saying, ‘I wish there was a reason to get out of it’, but I haven’t really got a good excuse to stop just yet.”

Tickets for the February 18 show are available via the Riverlinks website. For information on other tour dates and locations, visit www.johnwilliamson.com.au/tour/