John Lewis Schumann was born on 18 May 1953 and is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist from Adelaide.
17 Facts About John Schumann
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John Schumann is best known as the lead singer for the folk group Redgum, with their chart-topping hit "I Was Only 19 ", a song exploring the psychological and medical side-effects of serving in the Australian forces during the Vietnam War.
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John Schumann was born on 18 May 1953 and attended Blackfriars Priory School, and then Flinders University studying philosophy, English and drama for his Bachelor of Arts.
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John Schumann was by then teaching English and Drama at Marion High School and performing on weekends and school holidays.
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John Schumann has now written a picture book with the lyrics of "I was only Nineteen".
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John Schumann left Redgum due to continual pressure to tour and to spend more time with his young family in the Adelaide Hills returned to teaching at Reynella East Primary School.
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John Schumann embarked upon a solo career with CBS, where he released several records, including Etched in Blue, and a children's record, Looby Loo.
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In 1998 John Schumann accepted an appointment as the chief of staff for the then leader of the Australian Democrats, Meg Lees.
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John Schumann speaks on issues of social justice and Australian identity to universities and companies.
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In 2005 John Schumann invited a number of musicians to play and sing on an album, Lawson, which comprises songs John Schumann wrote based on poems by Australian poet Henry Lawson.
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John Schumann sang the Redgum hit "I Was Only 19" only.
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John Schumann signed a new multi-album deal with ABC Music and Behind the Lines, an album of songs related to Australians at war, was released in August 2008.
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In 2011 John Schumann worked with the Defence department on "Dents in the Soul", a project designed to help soldiers deal with post traumatic stress disorder.
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John Schumann met Denise 'Denny' Storen in 1981 and they later married.
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John Schumann is the sister of Vietnam veteran Mick Storen, whose recollections inspired "I Was Only Nineteen".
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In 2014, John Schumann was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2014 Australia Day Honours for "service to music, and to the veteran community".
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In 2022, John Schumann was appointed Member of the Order of Australia in the 2022 Australia Day Honours for "significant service to the veteran community, to music, and to the community".