1980s
In early 1981 John Williamson's rock group, Sydney Radio, disbanded and he began playing solo in pubs, which attracted more new fans. He recorded a tribute song for ANZACs, "Diggers of the ANZAC (This Is Gallipoli)", which was well received and issued as a single. Williamson met Pixie Jenkins, a fiddle player, and the two toured together for several years. In April 1981 Williamson issued a single, "The Breaker", featuring narrated vocals by Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, which was inspired by the movie, Breaker Morant (1980) (which had Tingwell as a supporting actor). "The Breaker" enabled Williamson to cast off the "Old Man Emu" novelty tag and "is long apprenticeship flowed into an apparently endless set of songs charming Australians with stories and images about themselves and their country". In 1982, he recorded a new track, "True Blue", which was included on a compilation album, True Blue: The Best of John Williamson. Later that year, he issued Fair Dinkum J.W., featuring traditional Australian ballads, "With My Swag upon My Shoulder", "Botany Bay" and "Brisbane Ladies"; as well as originals, "Country Football", "Kill the Night", "Wrinkles" and "(You've Gotta Be) Fair Dinkum", a duet with Karen Johns.
In 1983 Williamson released his first live album, Singing in the Suburbs. From that year until 2000 he performed some of his comical songs by impersonating either Chad Morgan or Merv Currawong. Following the success of Singing in the Suburbs he issued another live album, The Smell of Gum Leaves, in the next year. It featured another comic track, "I'm Fair Dinkum". Williamson then launched his merchandise business, The Fair Dinkum Road Company, in Sydney. The album included his cover version of Spectrum's 1971 single, "I'll Be Gone", which he played using only guitar and harmonica. At the start of 1985 he founded an independent record label, Gumleaf Recordings. At the Country Music Awards of Australia in January that year, he won 'Song of the Year' for "Queen in the Sport of Kings". He then issued a new compilation, Humble Beginnings, featuring tracks from his first three studio albums. He released another studio album that year, Road thru the Heart, which sold well as did its first single, "You and My Guitar". In early 1986, Williamson released another compilation, All the Best, Vol. 1. This contained eighteen of his most-requested tracks both from studio and live works. As a bonus, Williamson collaborated with both of his daughters, Ami and Georgie, and with Australian folk group Bullamakanka on "Goodbye Blinky Bill" – highlighting the comic koala character of the same name. When issued as a single, the purchase price included an A$1.00 donation to the Koala Preservation Society in Port Macquarie. At the Country Music Awards of Australia in January 1986, he won 'Album of the Year' for Road thru the Heart and 'Male Vocalist of the Year' for "You and My Guitar".
In November 1986 Williamson's Gumleaf Recordings distributed his breakthrough album, Mallee Boy, which peaked in the Top 10 on the Kent Music Report Albums Chart. It remained in the top 50 for a year-and-a-half, and was awarded a triple platinum certificate. It was "filled with storytelling that spanned from his own beginnings on that farm in the Victorian Mallee to every corner of the nation". At the ARIA Music Awards of 1987, Mallee Boy was named the inaugural winner of Best Country Album. At the Country Music Awards of Australia in January 1987, he won 'Album of the Year' for Mallee Boy and 'Male Vocalist of the Year' for "True Blue". Popular tracks include the title song, "Galleries of Pink Galahs" (see Galah), "Raining on the Rock" (see Uluru) and "Cootamundra Wattle" (see Acacia baileyana). The album had a re-recorded version of "True Blue" which was released as a single in December. Williamson was asked by the Australian Made Campaign whether they could use "True Blue" for their TV and radio ads. It became a career highlight and was adopted as a theme by the Australia national cricket team. To support Mallee Boy Williamson performed his concerts in a camp fire setting and since that time he commences many of his shows with its title track. At the Country Music Awards of Australia in January 1988, he won 'Top Selling Album' for Mallee Boy.
In April 1988 Williamson issued his next album, Boomerang Cafe, which peaked at No. 22 on the ARIA Albums Chart. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1989, Boomerang Cafe won his second award for Best Country Album. At the Country Music Awards of Australia in January 1989, he won 'Top Selling Album' and 'Album of the Year' for Boomerang Cafe. Despite the title song's lyrics, Williamson has told concert audiences that he did not actually meet his future wife, Mary-Kay, in The Boomerang Cafe but actually by a water tank. Williamson performed at the opening of the New Parliament House. In October 1989, he issued Warragul (meaning dingo in the Wiradjuri language), which became his first number-one album the following month. That same year Variety Club named him 'Entertainer of the Year'.
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