Jimmy Barnes to publish two warts-and-all books to tell his life story in lucrative deal

FROM struggling immigrant to wild rocker, Jimmy Barnes will reveal his epic rise and fall and rise again over two books in a lucrative deal.

JIMMY Barnes was halfway through his autobiography two decades ago when a burglar stole his laptop.

He attempted another draft at the turn of the millennium as he battled drug addiction but aborted the book because he wasn’t being candid about his demons.

Barnes has finally finished the first instalment of his life story, Working Class Boy, after signing a lucrative two-book deal with Harper Collins.

It will be published in October, with a second book due to be published in 2017.

The Cold Chisel frontman has been writing for the past year in between recording their recent albumThe Perfect Crime and completing national solo and band tours.

Barnes said Working Class Boy is “no holds barred; the good, the bad and the ugly.”

‘I first started trying to make sense of my life by writing it down in the early nineties when I lived in France, Barnes said.

“I had thirty thousand words on my laptop, then one night I woke up to the sound of someone outside the house.

“I had interrupted a burglar helping themselves to our belongings. My laptop was gone and the idea of writing my story with it.

“I forgot about writing it again until about 2001, when I was in the midst of severe drug addiction and the book I was writing skirted around everything I needed to write about. So I scrapped it again.”

Family man ... Barnes will detail his life and loves, including wife Jane and his children over two books. Picture Gregg Porteous

Barnes alluded to “a few things happening” at the beginning of 2015 which motivated him to have another crack at the autobiography.

But a sizeable six-figure cheque from Harper Collins, negotiated by Chisel’s co-manager and respected music industry heavyweight John Watson, may have offered extra incentive.

Music biographies are proving wildly popular in Australia, with the recent Molly series which was inspired by his book, watched by millions.

Working Class Boy will chart the rocker’s earliest memories of his childhood in Glasgow before the family immigrated to Elizabeth in South Australia.

Barnes’s second book in 2017 will address his days with Cold Chisel, his solo career and his time in rehab. Picture: Daniel Boud / Supplied.

“Life was not easy for most immigrants but things seemed to go from bad to worse for our family. It was like being on a train rolling at full speed and rapidly running out of tracks,” Barnes said.

“Eventually we did, and this is the story of our survival from the twisted wreckage.”

The second, as yet untitled book, is due in October next year and will chronicle his musical career from Chisel to solo and detail the wild behaviour which landed him in rehab.

Originally published as Jimmy Barnes to publish two warts-and-all books to tell his life story in lucrative deal