Legendary Aussie singer announces retirement after 55 years on the road

After more than half a century on the road, legendary Australian singer John Williamson has announced his retirement from touring.

The True Blue songwriter, 80, revealed that his headlining performance at the Tamworth Country Music Festival over the weekend would be his last.

Speaking to NBN News ahead of his Tamworth swansong, John revealed that while he is saying goodbye to touring, he's not quite ready to put down the guitar just yet.

'I'll keep writing songs. I still love writing songs and I still love playing, but I really am over being on the road,' John said.

'I've got a lot of things I want to do – I'm 80 now – and I want to do it before I drop dead.

Echoing the sentiment to the ABC, he said he was keen to go out on a high.

'I think it's good to pull out while I'm still doing good shows and I'm not having to read the lyrics or have monitors on the stage,' he said.

'We'll see how I feel afterwards, but I mean, just about everybody that retires wants to come back and do it again.'

John is currently in the midst of a swansong Australian tour dubbed 'My Travellin' Days Are Done.'

The tour will culminate in three sold-out performances at Willoshed – John's private property in the Gold Coast hinterland.

John burst onto the scene back in 1970 with the novelty song Old Man Emu, which won him first place on TV talent quest New Faces.

He parlayed that early win into a formidable career that has, so far, seen him release 21 studio albums.

A fixture of the Tamworth Country Music Festival, John has also picked up an impressive 28 Golden Guitars and, in 1992, was made a Member of the Order of Australia for services to music. 

The announcement comes after John recently performed his iconic song True Blue at the third Ashes Test at Adelaide Oval in December.

The Aussie singer performed the famous song as a tribute to the victims of the Bondi terror attack.  

'I firmly have the view we've got to keep putting one step after the other and use cricket as a unifying voice,' Cricket Australia's chief executive Todd Greenberg told reporters in Adelaide.

'(It's) a real moment in time, particularly with John Williamson playing. We moved really quickly to make that happen and I'm really glad he's doing it because it will be a special moment for cricket but also for the country.'

Speaking to NBN about the performance, John said the occasion was 'a big test for the song'.

'I didn't know for sure if it would do the job, because it was a big job for it to do,' he said.

'Luckily I didn't see the reaction, I was just doing my job. I saw it afterwards – the faces in the crowd – and then I got emotional. 

The lauded singer also spoke out after True Blue was played at an anti–immigration rally in October.  

'True Blue is a song for all Australians and should not be hijacked by any group that seeks to use the song to sow division,' he wrote.

'I believe in a multicultural society – one where all Australians come together in unity to celebrate our unique multicultural nature and freedoms.'

Many of his fans flocked to the comments to offer their support.

'Absolutely love it when artists come out and make a stand about their material being used to promote division or hate. Well done,' one person wrote.

'Good on you, mate, I agree. We've been travelling around Australia for 18 months and met people from other countries living and working in Australia,' a second said.

'Good people who want so much to contribute to our great land.'