'One of those things that I regretted': Barnes pays royal tribute to Angry
by Josh Leeson · Newcastle HeraldAs a one-time rock'n'roll hell-raiser, Jimmy Barnes has spent a considerable amount of time exorcising his demons.
His acclaimed memoirs Working Class Boy and Working Class Man are case in point. The Cold Chisel frontman usually lives with no regrets.
But he has one when it comes to his old friend Angry Anderson.
The Rose Tattoo singer died on September 21, aged 79, a month after suffering a cardiac arrest in Germany while on tour with Rose Tattoo.
He left behind a legacy as one of Australia's best-known rock singers and a bunch of hits, including We Can't Be Beaten, Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw and Bad Boy For Love.
Barnes, 70, recorded a cover of Rose Tattoo's 1981 song, Rock 'n' Roll is King, for his 2025 album, Defiant, but the track was completed too late in the process and wasn't included.
"I had it sitting there, and I rang Angry, and I said, 'Look, I've got this song; I really love the recording, and I want to play it for you,'" Barnes says this week.
"Rock 'n' roll being what it is, he was away touring, and I was away touring, and our paths didn't cross.
"Lo and behold, we lost poor Angry a couple of weeks back. So it was one of those things that I regretted: that I didn't get a chance to play it to him because I kept telling him how much I love the song.
"I had it sitting there, and with the loss of Angry, I just thought I'd like to put it out, literally tip my hat to my mate.
"He's one of the great rock 'n' roll frontmen of all time in the world, and that band recorded some of the great songs of all time, and I just wanted to remind people how great they were."
Barnes says the swiftness of Anderson's death has been difficult to comprehend.
"Angry was small in stature, but they are huge shoes to fill," he says.
"He's one of those giants. If you look at Angry on the surface, you don't see the whole depth of what he was.
"He was an incredible family man. I used to get late-night texts from him talking about family and talking about how much we cared for the business we're in."
It was one of those things that I regretted: that I didn't get a chance to play it to him because I kept telling him how much I love the song.- Jimmy Barnes
Anderson will very much be with Barnes in spirit next year when he headlines an all-Australian Red Hot Summer Tour line-up, including Birds Of Tokyo, Eskimo Joe, Jon Stevens, The Baby Animals, Sarah McLeod and Chocolate Starfish.
Barnes has been a regular favourite of the Red Hot Summer Tour franchise, which in recent years featured Paul Kelly, Crowded House, and Missy Higgins.
"Every time the band comes on, the next band has to work really bloody hard to make sure they're better," Barnes says.
"That's a healthy sort of competition, pushing each other along, that makes the show incredible."
Barnes has also recently been paying tribute to another one of his old music mates struggling with his health, the legendary John Farnham.
Barnes was joined by Keith Urban, Tina Arena and Canadian star Celine Dion on the line-up for the cancer fundraiser, The Songs of John Farnham: A Living Legend - Celebration Concert, last month.
Farnham, 77, was unable to attend the concert because of his continuing battle with oral cancer that's left the You're The Voice star requiring oxygen and 24-hour care.
The original broadcast drew 23,000 people to Hoyts cinemas and raised $1.16 million. Hoyts has announced an encore screening for October 22.
Barnes enjoyed huge success in 1991 when his duet with Farnham, When Something Is Wrong with My Baby, peaked at No.3 on the ARIA charts.
The track formed the centrepiece of Barnes' celebrated Soul Deep album of classic soul covers.
"We've been great mates for forever," Barnes says.
"John's been so sick, and quite often people will sort of sit back, and you'll do a benefit show for people who have died.
"Everybody on that bill wanted to play for John and let him know how much we love him.
"So it wasn't about mourning him; it's about encouraging him and letting him know that we love them and the energy doing the show was incredible."