Famous Australian Guitarists

Malcolm Young was an Australian musician. He is credited with co-founding the popular rock band AC/DC. He is also credited with popularizing the band and was described by many as the leader and the driving force of the band. Widely regarded as one of the best rhythm guitarists ever, Young was a leading exponent of rhythm guitar in rock music.

Four-time Grammy-winner Keith Urban had already tasted success in Australia, before making his American debut with a platinum-certified solo album. He knows how to play a variety of instruments, including the sitar, guitar, piano, and mandolin. His track Somebody Like You was named Billboard’s greatest country hit of the 2000s.

Australia’s beloved Yellow Wiggle, Emma Watkins grew up trained as a classical dancer and later became the first female member of the Australian dance group the Wiggles. She also completed a film studies course on a scholarship. Emma is an Endometriosis Australia ambassador, having suffered the ailment herself.  

Colin Hay is an Australian-American musician, actor, singer, and songwriter. Known for his work with popular bands like Men at Work, Hay's music has been immortalized by actor-director Zach Braff, who has used his music in many of his own works. In 2020, Hay was honored at the APRA Awards with the Distinguished Services Award for his contribution to music.

Courtney Barnett is an Australian musician, singer, and songwriter. Renowned for her witty lyrics and deadpan singing style, Barnett achieved international recognition after releasing her highly successful EP, The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas. Over the years, she has won several important awards, such as APRA Music Awards, ARIA Music Awards, and AIR Awards. 

Daniel Johns is an Australian singer, songwriter, and musician best known for his association with Silverchair where he was the former frontman and lyricist. Renowned for his guitaring skills, Daniel Johns was ranked 18th on Rolling Stone magazine's 25 Most Underrated Guitarists list in 2007.

Brody Armstrong is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. She had a tumultuous childhood marred by abuse and violence. She sought solace in music and began her career as a teenager. As a young woman, she was part of many bands with which she released numerous hit albums and singles. She also has a successful career as a soloist. 

Morgan Evans is an Australian country music singer-songwriter. Interested in music from a young age, he performed his first gig when he was just 13. As a teenager, he was part of a local rock trio that also featured his brother, Tom. He released his self-titled debut album in 2014 and has since released several albums, EPs, and singles.  

Tal Wilkenfeld is an Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She developed an early interest in music and graduated from Los Angeles Music Academy College of Music. She is the bandleader of her own bands and has also performed in collaboration with artists including Jeff Beck, Herbie Hancock, Prince, and Mick Jagger. She is a regular practitioner of meditation. 

Tommy Emmanuel is an Australian guitarist. He started early, becoming a professional musician at the age of six! He initially played with his family band. After the death of his father, he became a part of country music star Buddy Williams’ band. As a young man, he played for many bands and also pursued a solo career. 

Betty Who is a singer-songwriter best known for her cover of Donna Lewis’ song I Love You Always Forever. Born in Australia, she moved to USA as a young girl to attend Interlochen Center for the Arts. She began her career as an independent artist and later signed with RCA Records. She is openly bisexual. 

Luke Hemmings, the youngest member of the phenomenally successful Australian pop-rock band 5 Seconds of Summer, had started his career with YouTube covers. A promising model, he has graced the cover of Glass Man magazine. He was part of a highly publicized and controversial relationship with social-media star Arzaylea Rodriguez.

Iconic Australian country singer Slim Dusty mirrored the Australian bush life through his songs. His masterpieces include A Pub with No Beer, the first gold-certified Australian track. He earned a record 45 Golden Guitar honors at the Tamworth Country Music Awards but lost his battle with cancer at 76.

Australian musician Peter Furler is best known for his band Newsboys, which he co-established and now leads as its main vocalist. Born to Christian missionaries, he grew up to establish himself as a significant figure in the Christian rock genre. He is also the cousin of renowned singer Sia.

Jon English was an Australian singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. Born in England, he moved to Australia with his family as a young boy. He began his career in music by chance when he was just in his teens. He proceeded to become a famous singer and also ventured into acting. He was the recipient of several awards. 

The cofounder of the Australia’s iconic rock band, INXS, Andrew Farriss also serves as its main songwriter, keyboardist, guitarist, and backing vocalist. Opening his first band, Doctor Dolphin, while in high school, he later joined The Farriss Brothers before cofounding The Vegetables, which later became INXS. Winner of many awards, he released his debut album at the age of 62.

Though known as a country singer, Australian singer-songwriter Kasey Chambers also mixes folk, blues, and rock n’ roll in her music. Born to the country singer duo Bill and Diane Chambers, she joined her family band at age 10. She later released chartbusting solo hits such as Not Pretty Enough.

Rowland S. Howard began his career playing the guitar and writing songs as a teenager. A significant name in the rock, punk, and post-punk scene, he later gained fame with the band The Birthday Party. He was working on the album Pop Crimes when he lost his battle with liver cancer.

Mick Harvey is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and arranger. He often collaborates with his longtime friend and fellow musician Nick Cave, with whom he formed the bands The Boys Next Door and The Birthday Party. He also has a successful solo career. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including many ARIA Awards.

Known for his signature horn-rimmed glasses and his sarcastic sense of humor, Red Symons gained fame as a judge on Red Faces and Australia's Got Talent. The Australian radio and TV personality has also performed as part of Skyhooks and used the pseudonym Red Pinko Sims for many recordings.

Australian guitarist Jona Weinhofen is best known for his association with the Australian band I Killed the Prom Queen and the British band Bring Me the Horizon. His death metal and deathcore music has earned him a spot on the Australian Guitar magazine’s list of the country's top 50 guitarists.

Michael Clifford is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. He is a member of the pop-rock band, 5 Seconds of Summer. Interested in music from his teens, he played guitar with his school’s church band. He and his future bandmates formed 5 Seconds of Summer in late 2011. The band has since sold over ten million albums worldwide.  

Australian psychedelic rock sensation Nick Allbrook is better known as the lead singer of Pond. Initially interested in sports such as soccer and skateboarding, he took to music much later. His was one of the rare bands to release a track, Pink Lunettes, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Andrew Stockdale gained fame as the lead singer and guitarist of the rock band Wolfmother. Apart from releasing iconic albums such as Cosmic Egg with his band, he also released solo records such as Keep Moving. The APRA Award winner has revolutionized the neo-psychedelia and stoner rock genres.

Billy Thorpe was an English-born Australian record producer and singer-songwriter. He is best remembered for his association with the popular rock band Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs which enjoyed success in the mid-1960s. Thorpe is credited with co-developing the pub rock scene in the early-1970s. In 1991, Billy Thorpe was made an inductee of the ARIA Hall of Fame.

Steve Kilbey is an English-Australian singer-songwriter and bass guitarist best known for his association with the rock band The Church. He performs as a solo artist as well and has 14 solo albums to his name. A multi-talented personality, he is also a poet, painter, and music producer. As an artist, he has had at least two exhibits in US. 

Best known as lead singer and solo continues member of the Australian alternative rock band The Vines, Craig Nicholls developed an early interest in music. He opened his band, then called Rishikesh, in 1994. Later he changed the name to Vines and as it started playing gigs he began writing songs for it, also painting covers for several of its album.

Australian jazz fusion guitarist Frank Gambale has released twenty albums over a period of three decades. After graduating from the Guitar Institute of Technology in Hollywood, Gambale taught there from 1984 to 1986. He is known for his use of sweep picking and economy picking techniques. Gambale has also been head of the guitar department at the LA Music Academy.