Jimmy Barnes dusts off his red satin jacket for Soul Deep 30th anniversary tour

It was the biggest record of his career and Jimmy Barnes will revisit his fave 60s r&b classics with his Soul Deep 30 album and tour.

IT was the biggest gamble of Jimmy Barnes’ solo career.

After four straight No. 1 rock’n’roll records, the country’s most famous rocker dug his heels in and made Soul Deep, a tribute to the 60s r&b songs and singers who had inspired him.

Barnes will celebrate the phenomenal success of the biggest selling album of his career with a 30th anniversary edition and national arena tour in June.

Back in 1991, soul music was not on the Australian music gatekeepers’ radar until the cult film The Commitments exploded globally.

Barnes already had Soul Deep in the can, having recorded it in just 10 days over the Christmas holidays in 1990 during jam sessions at his home studio in Bowral.

Barnesy is back in soul mode for his next tour. Picture: Jonathan Ng.

“I remember we presented the songs to Michael Gudinski and Michael was worried: ‘Do you really want to put out a soul record? Everyone knows you as a rock singer,’” Barnes recalled.

“But like he always was, he said he’d back me.”

The album would sell more than 700,000 copies and is also still the highest selling release in the history of Mushroom Records.

One of the most loved tracks was When Something Is Wrong With My Baby which featured Barnes singing for the first time with that other national musical treasure John Farnham.

Barnesy singing with Farnsey was a big deal back in 1991.

“That’s the only recording I’ve ever done with John; I’d never sung with him before,” Barnes said.

“Even from the days of Sadie, I’d been a fan and always thought he had the best voice.

“I remember him coming to the studio to sing, it was about 10 in the morning, and his voice was just frightening – he opened his mouth and sounded like an angel while I’m all croaky and hoarse.

“He’s such a pleasure to sing with, so generous in the way he sings around you and we became really good friends through that.”

Mahalia Barnes and her Soul Mates will join the Soul Deep 30 tour. Picture: Supplied.

Barnes has updated the original album for its 30th birthday, enlisting 86-year-old soul legend Sam Moore to sing on Soothe Me, the 1967 Sam & Dave classic.

Josh Teskey joins with Barnes on Do You Love Me and his Cold Chisel brother Ian Moss collaborates on Reflections.

The Soul Deep 30 tour will also feature The Teskey Brothers, son David Campbell in Adelaide and daughter Mahalia Barnes and her Soul Mates band at all shows.

It kicks off on June 16 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena before heading to Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena on June 18, Sydney’s Aware Super Theatre on June 24, before winding up at Brisbane Entertainment Centre on July 2.

The Frontier Touring pre-sale starts on April 26 with general tickets available from April 28 and to pre-order Soul Deep 30 via jimmybarnes.com