Jimmy Barnes’ sixth book, Highways and Byways:Tall tales and short stories from the long way round a #1 Australian Biography / Autobiography!
There’s always lots to be thankful for in the Barnes family, but along with 2024’s rollercoaster of medical emergencies the year has well and truly brought its blessings.
Late 2023 through early 2024 was a tumultuous time of hospitals and medical appointments for Jimmy Barnes, the upside of which enabled the singer, songwriter, musician, author and family man to complete his sixth book, Highways & Byways: Tall tales and short stories from the long way round, which became the #1 Australian Biography/Autobiography in its first week on the bestseller chart.
Across Barnes’s six titles (including Where the River Bends, co-authored with his wife, Jane Barnes), Australian consumers have bought 535,000 printed books since the publication of his debut, Working Class Boy, in 2016.
In the Arts Autobiographies and Biographies print category, Jimmy Barnes is the highest selling author by volume since BookScan records began in December 2002.*
In the broader Biographies and Autobiographies print category, Jimmy Barnes is the second highest selling author by volume, after Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love.*
Jimmy responded: “It’s been a big year for me, from recovering from hip replacement surgery at the end of last year, to emergency open-heart surgery and another hip operation earlier this year, and I’m thrilled to still be here and to have such great fans/readers still travelling the highways and byways with me. I started writing eight or so years ago and it’s been a wonderful, cathartic experience for me and my family, as well as an honour to see my stories help other families start conversations that might assist their healing.
“For this to happen in the middle of The Big Five-0 tour with my Cold Chisel brothers is even more special.
“I couldn’t have done it without the help of the people around me, from my Jane and our family to the fabulous team at HarperCollins – thank you from the bottom of my heart. But, most of all, thanks to all the readers and listeners out there who make it all possible.”
Charming, personal and poignant, Highways and Byways is a collection that celebrates Jimmy’s Scottish heritage, family, friends, music and the adventure of a grand life.
Statement from Helen Littleton, Head of Non-Fiction, HarperCollins Australia:
When, in 2016, Jimmy Barnes set out to tell his story with his landmark childhood memoir, he ended up writing an Australian classic. Less than a decade later, on the publication of his sixth book and with nearly 400,000 words written, Jimmy has established himself as one of Australia’s most beloved and widely read authors. It is a modern publishing fairytale for all of us at HarperCollins, including Jimmy’s long-time editor Scott Forbes, to see Jimmy attain such success and acclaim for his writing. His successive bestsellers are testament to his sheer talent and the legendary work ethic that has defined his landmark musical career. HarperCollins is the publishing house of Banjo and Henry, and we are so proud to see Barnesy take his place alongside such iconic storytellers.
Highways and Byways: Tall tales and short stories from the long way roundis out now through HarperCollins. Format: CHB | RRP: $45.00 | ISBN: 9781460766729| eBook available | Audio edition: available early 2025.
*Source: Nielsen BookScan Australian Book Market (ABM) data, December 2002 to the week ending 19 October 2024.
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About the author
Jimmy Barnes is a Scottish-born rock singer-songwriter who grew up in Adelaide. His career, both as a solo performer and as the lead vocalist of the legendary band Cold Chisel, has made him one of the most successful and distinctive artists in Australian music history. A prolific songwriter and performer, Jimmy has been a storyteller for more than forty years, sharing his life and passions with Australians of all ages at over ten thousand gigs throughout his adopted homeland. In the process, he has amassed more number-one albums in Australia than The Beatles: six with Cold Chisel and fifteen as a solo artist, including the iconic For the Working Class Man.
Across his career Jimmy has sold over 12 million albums and he has been inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame twice. Jimmy’s childhood memoir, Working Class Boy, became a number-one bestseller and won the Australian Book Industry Award (ABIA) for Biography of the Year in 2017. His sequel, Working Class Man, won him a second ABIA for Biography of the Year in 2018.
From larger-than-life adventures to vivid and poignant tales of the imagination, no one tells a yarn quite like Jimmy Barnes, and Highways and Byways takes readers on another enthralling tour – this one complete with the odd detour and a roundabout or two – through the life of one of this country’s most successful and beloved artists.
