Glenn Wheatley and John Farnham: A lifelong bond

The fairytale relationship between Glenn Wheatley and John Farnham held a common theme: through rich times and poor times they were loyal to the end.

His favourite story about John Farnham was classic Wheatley, a snapshot of the highs and lows of showbiz all in one.

Glenn Wheatley, the musician, artist manager, and broadcast pioneer, told the Herald Sun he had 40-plus year of yarns about Farnham, his best friend and client.

“But my favourite was driving John to another sold-out gig at the Sydney Entertainment Centre,” Wheatley said proudly. “then finding myself going the wrong way over the Sydney Harbour Bridge — and not having any money on us to pay the toll to get back over.”

It was a common theme in the Farnham-Wheatley fairytale; rich, poor and bailing each other out.

Glenn Wheatley with his client — and best friend — singer John Farnham.

Wheatley famously mortgaged his house to pay for Whispering Jack, Farnham’s comeback album released in 1987.

“It had been a gamble, but I was confident that John had delivered something extraordinary and was worth the risk. I had faith that we could make the album a hit,” Wheatley said in his 2010 book, Facing The Music.

When Farnham finished the final mix of the album, he handed it to Wheatley on a cassette with a handwritten note: “Dear Boss. This is the best I can do. Thanks for the chance. Love John.”

With hits You’re The Voice, Pressure Down, Reasons and A Touch Of Paradise, Whispering Jack became one of the biggest selling Australian albums in history, and changed Farnham and Wheatley’s lives forever.

Of course, both had already tasted success — Farnham as a former teen idol, and Wheatley, a bassist in The Masters Apprentices, then an artist manager who took Little River Band to chart-topping heights worldwide.

Glenn Wheatley and John Farnham in 2004.

Wheatley credited John Farnham’s support with giving him ‘an incredible boost’.

As a media proprietor, Wheatley was part of a group that launched Melbourne’s first FM broadcaster, EON FM in 1980.

He was also a former director and part owner of the Sydney Swans.

Ten years after Whispering Jack, when Wheatley fell on hard times after a string of bad investments, Farnham stepped up to help a mate in need.

“I had been living hand to mouth,” Wheatley said in his 1999 book, Paper Paradise. “In fact, if it hadn’t been for (his wife) Gaynor’s income, there is no doubt our family would not have been able to survive.”

By then, Farnham had released three more hit albums and done two sold-out national tours

“John ‘repaid the debt’, as he always called it, by publicly and privately standing by me through my tough times,” Wheatley said. “John’s support, coming from such a well-respected person, not just within the Australian music industry but with the Australian public at large, was an incredible boost for me. He refused to let me drown.

“I’d made mistakes. I had to learn from them and not make them again. I’d regained my confidence,” Wheatley said.

“Occasionally I would like to lead an easier life, but for the most part, it’s not in my make-up to slow down. I’ve always tried to make my life as interesting as I can. I’ve never been bored, never fallen into a rut.”

Wheatley said managing artists was about working out a strategy that was right for them. Picture: David Geraghty

Wheatley’s determination with Farnham, pre-Whispering Jack, came from knocking on doors and pounding the pavement with Little River Band in the US.

Famously, Wheatley got rejection letters from 12 record labels.

LRB broke through in America in 1978 with Help Is On Its Way, and follow-up hits including Happy Anniversary and Reminiscing.

Farnham replaced LRB frontman Glenn Shorrock in 1982.

Wheatley said he turned from being a musician to management because of the way The Masters Apprentices were handled.

“It was due to bad management of my band, The Masters Apprentices, and the need to take control of my life,” he told the Herald Sun.

His management style, Wheatley said, was “doing for my artists what I’d have liked done for me.”

He added: “It’s not rocket science. It’s about listening to the artist and working to a strategy that’s right for them.”

Wheatley was fiercely protective of his charges, and often hilariously so.

Wheatley and Farnham at Princes Park in 1992.

Wheatley with his bandmates in The Masters Apprentices in 1969.

When a 2016 book claimed Farnham was sacked from a double bill tour with Stevie Nicks because he treated the Fleetwood Mac star badly, Wheatley responded with stellar form.

“At the risk of turning this into War and Peace … we weren’t sacked,” Wheatley told the Herald Sun.

“All he did was go on stage every night, blow Stevie off the stage, and she couldn’t cope.”

Wheatley said he and Farnham didn’t “even say a word” to Nicks during the tour.

“She was too busy in her coven with black drapes, lit candles, ouija boards and whatever else,” he said.

“We didn’t have the chance to treat her badly. Given the chance, we would have.”

Delta Goodrem with Glenn Wheatley.

Wheatley also managed pop star Delta Goodrem, and guided her early career and breakthrough album, Innocent Eyes, which spent 27 weeks at No.1.

He also managed, and did occasional roadie duties for his son Tim, who records and performs under the moniker Crooked Saint.

His industry advice to Tim was blunt: “Don’t rely on your old man to pull any strings. At the end of the day, you have to be able do it by yourself. Your talent will get you through.”

In 2007 Wheatley was convicted of tax fraud and sentenced to a 15-month jail following a probe by the Australian Taxation Office into a system of Swiss trust accounts.

He later said of the period, he had “hit rock bottom”.

In 2010, Wheatley said that during his 10-month stay in prison, he turned to a daily regimen of working out, yoga and meditation to survive.

“I am stronger, smarter and tougher than I have ever been. To get through what I have been through, I can get through anything,” he told the Herald Sun.

Wheatley paid tribute to his wife, Gaynor, as his absolute rock.

Wheatley told his son, Tim, his talent would get him through. Picture: David Crosling

He also paid tribute to Gaynor as his absolute rock.

“The fact that she has stood by me through all the good times and bad is what I admire most about her,” Wheatley told the Herald Sun. “She is the best mother to our children and to this day is the rock that stands behind me. Her insight and advice I treasure. I am the most happily married man I know.”

In 2020, Wheatley said Farnham was planning work on a new album.

Asked if he ever considered quitting the music business, Wheatley was adamant. “Never,” he told the Herald Sun.

“Fifteen months off for bad behaviour is the only time I have spent away from the industry. There will be no retiring for me.”