John Schumann is one of the very few songwriters who have changed the way a nation thinks. He is best known for his leadership of the legendary folk-rock band Redgum, and his Vietnam veterans’ anthem, I Was Only 19.  

John Schumann has recorded ten albums and, with Redgum, toured the UK, Europe and Ireland where his songs are still played. In almost 40 years in Australian music John Schumann has received almost every award the industry has to offer – some twice over. 

In 1998 John’s passion for social justice and the environment led him into mainstream politics. In the 1998 federal election he took the Minister for Foreign Affairs down to the wire in the seat of Mayo, reducing Mr Downer’s “blue-ribbon” margin from 16% to 1.7%. John campaigned for three weeks only. The count took 12 days.

In late 2005 John Schumann released Lawson, a highly praised album of songs drawn from the poetic works of Henry Lawson. John’s band, the Vagabond Crew, was named after a line in the Lawson poem, Knocking Around. Lawson is to be re-released on its original label, Bombora, towards the end of 2019.

Signed to a new label, ABC/Universal Music, in 2007 John released Gelignite Jack - The John SchumannCollectionand Behind the Lines, recorded with The Vagabond Crew. 

In 2013, Australian publishers Allen and Unwin put John together with highly regarded illustrator, Craig Smith, to produce an illustrated children’s book of “I was only 19”. The book was released in early 2014 to great acclaim and commercial success - which continues to this day. 

In mid 2014, John was commissioned by the then Chief of Army, LTGEN David Morrison, to write a song commemorating the service of Indigenous soldiers in World War 1 and beyond to coincide with the Anzac Centenary. “On Every Anzac Day” has been widely acclaimed as the “Only 19” for serving Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders – and their families.

Packed venues and standing ovations demonstrate how, in a very short time, John Schumann has earned for himself a stellar reputation on the festival circuit as an inspirational, intelligent and defiantly Australian performer. 

John Schumann and The Vagabond Crew are sought after to play at important and high-profile events including the Australia Day Concert in Canberra, the Anzac Day Match at the MCG and the 50thAnniversary of the Battle of Long Tan at the Australian War Memorial. 

John and his band have participated in five ADF Forces Entertainment Tours, travelling to East Timor, Afghanistan and the Middle East (twice), the Solomon Islands and Tanzania to entertain the Australian forces deployed there.

John Schumann is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a member of the Flinders University Distinguished Alumni and the recipient of the Order of Australia Medal for services to music, social justice and the veteran community.

In 2016, to coincide with the 50thanniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, John donated the guitar he used to write “19” to the Australian War Memorial where it is displayed in the Vietnam War Gallery.

In 2018, again with his band the Vagabond Crew, John released his “Ghost and Memories” album - including a co-composition, “Times like These” with his friend and brother in song, Shane Howard with whom he performs at festivals and concert events with their “Red Rockin’ Dirt Band”. “Ghost and Memories” also includes the track “Graduation Day”, commissioned by the Police Federation of Australia as part of its program to eradicate the stigma of mental health in Australia’s police forces.

John Schumann is currently chair of the Maxima Group. Based in Adelaide with 300 FTEs and 60 offices across the country, Maxima is a highly regarded not-for-profit organisation committed to recruitment, employment and training - with a particular focus on finding employment for indigenous Australians and people with a disability.

Described by rock historian Glenn A. Baker as “one of the finest songwriters this country has produced”, John’s songs have been paid the ultimate compliment by becoming the property of the people and the country they were written about. His lyrics are on reading lists in schools, colleges and universities throughout Australia.  

“Australians of all ages and from all walks of life are familiar with John Schumann’s song, “I Was Only 19”.  “John Schumann is a one-off  – the artist/intellectual with the unerring popular touch and a campfire voice. He belongs to an Australian tradition of yarn spinners and song-makers. To the familiar Australian and treasured front bar ‘wisdom’ and the paddock fence stoicism, he adds a depth of feeling and an acuity of perception that go beyond the bounds of ‘folk’ and ‘popular’ and are the attributes of the true, creative artist.” - Professor Brian Matthews.

Schumann’s voice carries the wind in from the outback. It has grains of red dust and yellow earth, it’s flecked with toil, hardship, humanity and love. It’s as old as the land, with a gnarled weariness, like the weathered bark of a gum, tinged with the light of hope.  He sings of Australia, of its past and present, its people. - Warwick McFadyen at Daily Review.