1. Bernard Joseph Fanning was born on 15 August 1969 and is an Australian musician and singer-songwriter.
28 Facts About Bernard Fanning
1. 2.
Bernard Fanning was the lead vocalist of Queensland alternative rock band Powderfinger from its formation in 1989.
3.
Bernard Fanning joined Haug, John Collins, and Steven Bishop, who had recently formed Powderfinger, and took the role of lead singer.
4.
Bernard Fanning plays guitar, piano, keyboards, and harmonica both when performing solo and with Powderfinger.
5.
Bernard Fanning was raised with two brothers and a sister in an Irish Catholic family in the inner Brisbane suburb of Toowong.
6.
Bernard Fanning's mother began teaching him to play piano as a young child, although his siblings were not interested in music.
7.
Bernard Fanning attended St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace, and began writing his own music at the age of 15.
8.
Bernard Fanning has described these early works as "terrible", but notes that he enjoyed writing and arranging them.
9.
Bernard Fanning first met Powderfinger guitarist Ian Haug in a University of Queensland economics class in 1989.
10.
In 2003, Bernard Fanning was called upon by film-maker Gregor Jordan to perform the folk song "Moreton Bay" and his own original composition "Shelter for My Soul" in his film Ned Kelly.
11.
Bernard Fanning then enlisted Jordan to film Powderfinger's first live DVD, These Days: Live in Concert.
12.
Bernard Fanning was supported by musicians Jerry Marotta, Keith Duffy, and John Bedggood, who formed part of his live band.
13.
Bernard Fanning took home the award for Best Video at the 2006 ARIA Awards for "Wish You Well".
14.
On 2 December 2005, Bernard Fanning announced a nationwide Which Way Home Concert Tour, named after the song on the album of the same name.
15.
Bernard Fanning played seven shows between 25 February and 10 March 2006, in each of Australia's major capital cities.
16.
Bernard Fanning was supported by Perth band The Panics and Brisbane singer Andrew Morris.
17.
Bernard Fanning followed this with the Yesterday's Gone tour, announced on 11 August 2006, which concluded with Powderfinger re-uniting and returning to the recording studio.
18.
The title of the album came from a chapter of Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster, a book that Bernard Fanning had read during recording.
19.
Bernard Fanning released his third studio album Civil Dusk on 5 August 2016.
20.
Bernard Fanning collaborated with Paul Dempsey on a project called Bernard Fanning Dempsey National Park.
21.
Bernard Fanning has been described as having a strong vocal range when singing, but has said he is not highly confident in his voice.
22.
Bernard Fanning said he was not interested in singing for the purpose of singing alone, but rather because he enjoyed getting the purpose of the song across.
23.
Bernard Fanning has said: "For me, writing songs comes from anywhere", drawing inspiration from his experiences.
24.
On 8 July 2007, Bernard Fanning wrote a piece for Adelaide's Sunday Mail, describing his recent trip to Uluru.
25.
Bernard Fanning takes a left-leaning political stance, although he claims he is not fond of discussing the issue.
26.
Bernard Fanning has performed numerous philanthropic tasks independently and with Powderfinger.
27.
Bernard Fanning has contributed to charities, including A Just Australia and Youngcare Australia, and donates his time to youth detention centres in Brisbane running songwriting workshops.
28.
Bernard Fanning is a supporter of cricket and National Rugby League club the Brisbane Broncos.