Jimmy Barnes Scores 13th Number One And Dedicates It To Michael Gudinski

Jimmy Barnes ‘Flesh and Blood’ is the number one album in Australia and Jimmy wants to thank Michael Gudinski for the success.

Mushroom Records and Frontier Touring Company founder Michael Gudinski passed away on 2 March 2021. Jimmy first performed the title track to ‘Flesh and Blood’ at the Gudinski memorial on 24 March.

“I don’t take any of this for granted,” Jimmy said in a statement. “Firstly, I’d like to thank all the people who are still willing to listen to my new music after all these years. I hope they get as much pleasure from listening to it as I get from making it. I’m also deeply grateful to Warren and the whole staff at Bloodlines and the Mushroom Group. Michael loved to call them ‘the A Team’ and they’ve certainly shown that yet again with all their hard work promoting Flesh And Blood. I also want to thank my brother-in-law Mark Lizotte for writing most of the songs on the album with me and, lastly, I’d like to thank my Jane and our beautiful family for continuing to inspire me, and for being such a huge part of this record”

Michael’s son Matt Gudinski grew up with the Barnes family and family friends. “The Barnes and Gudinski families are just that – family,” Matt said. “The relationship between my dad and Jimmy was one of the most successful partnerships in Australian music history. To deliver Jimmy his 13th number one album is something that brings great pride and joy to all at Mushroom and is something my dad would be immensely proud of. Jimmy is one of a kind and we love him. Congratulations Barnesy!”

An equal part of that family is Warren Costello, who for the past 40 years has guided Mushroom, Liberation and now Bloodlines to its position of most influential Australian Record labels ever.

In a heartfelt statement Warren said, “I know the significance of this unbelievable achievement won’t be lost for one minute on Jimmy, his own family and his long-standing Mushroom family. Since the early 1980’s, Jimmy and Michael both alone and together have championed each other’s achievements, but even more importantly, they have championed Australasian music.

“As they were pushing boundaries and kicking goals in the 80’s and 90’s, they were also challenging each other to go harder, faster and better than before. Some of the best A&R decisions back then were taken by MG and Jimmy as they clocked up the first two decades of international touring and chart dominance for a raft of solo albums that followed. And whilst ego was never in short supply they were never ever naïve enough to think that #1 albums grew on trees. In the late 90’s that same level of success became a little more elusive, as it does at some point in every great career, but typically Jimmy fought back as he always does.”

“His first album for the new label, Liberation, that Michael and I had started, saw him back bigger and better than ever. Double Happiness debuted at #1 in 2005 and was a catalyst in many ways for all of us to re-focus.”

“There have been a further five solo #1 albums since then, and also notably two #1 bestselling books and a #1 film at the Australian box office! Jimmy shows no signs of slowing down – indeed it’s the exact opposite.”

“Throughout the entire journey there have been a village of great people on both sides to unite and conquer. This new threshold of chart success is testament to the energy and enthusiasm that each and every one of those women and men have contributed over the four decades since Bodyswerve debuted atop the charts in 1984, right through to Flesh And Blood in July 2021.”