John Huxham

An accomplished and experienced multi-instrumentalist and multi-award winning songwriter John Huxham grew up wandering the beaches north of Brisbane, Australia; the smell of salt air piquing his senses, sand between his toes, and the sound of the waves breaking around him. But he also spent a number of years working in the red dust of sheep and cattle properties west of the Great Dividing Range, and amongst the bustling city skyscrapers before returning to the coast. It’s this eclectic blend of city, coast and country influences that infuse his music.

Having spent a number of years successfully playing with bands, and as a solo artist, the birth of his son changed John's world. At birth it was discovered that his son's kidneys were not functioning properly and he would need a kidney transplant. The next four and a half years were spent providing him with constant care getting him strong enough to take a new kidney. When the transplant finally came the world changed completely and the future once again became bright and full of possibilities. Six months later, his son contracted viral encephalitis and died.

His son's death, along with a number of other things that were happening in John's life at the time, thrust him into severe depression. It was his re-discovery of the power of music that brought him back from the brink.

To ease the pain he began writing songs; songs that reflected the eclectic pastiche of emotions, experiences and people that come to make up our lives as we travel through them. Over the space of about two years his songs reached the finals of the “UK Songwriting Contest” , the “Song Of The Year Songwriting Contest”, and the "Unisong International Songwriting Contest", as well as attained semi-final berths, honorable mentions, commendations, and short-listings, in other contests such as the “Billboard World Song Contest”, “Westcoast Songwriting Competition” and “Australian Songwriting Contest”. To date, he has accumulated almost fifty awards.

It is many of these songs that have made their way onto his new album, "Songs From The Tree Of Life". Sounding like a cross between John Mayer, Joe Cocker, Jack Johnson and Tom Waits, it is John's instrumental versatility and experience across a number of genres from folk to rock to blues, funk and jazz that is reflected in the richness and diversity of the lyrics and instrumentation. Combining musical experience with life experiences has lead to the development of lyrics that connect with audiences on many levels.

When asked why he thinks people react the way they do to his music his reply is that: "I think it's because they sense that it is real; there are no fakes allowed here."

We hope you also like some of what you hear.