BERNARD CARNEY

Bernard Carney has been working full time in the Australian entertainment industry for 50 years. His longevity in the business confirms his great talent as a musician and wordsmith, his versatility and ability to relate well to different audiences with both humorous and serious repertoire. His community music work was recognised in 2010 when he became the face of the Perth Residential White Pages phone book for a year.

His shows focus on his original songs which are exceptional for the wit and smartness of the lyrics and the flawless guitar style that accompanies them. In March 2003 Bernard's success as a major songwriter was recognised by the Port Fairy Festival, Victoria, where he was named Artist of the Year and also won the prestigious Lawson Patterson Songwriting Award. He has previously won three other major Australian songwriting awards. In 2013 he became one of the inaugural patrons of the Folkworld Fairbridge Festival along with Ben Elton, Lucky Oceans, Andrew Winton and Wendy Were.

Bernard has released ten successful albums all recorded in Perth. His last album 'West' celebrates 175 years of European settlement in West Australia. His humorous take on computer love affairs ''My Little Dot Com'' from his previous CD 'Feathers and Tributes' has been on national ABC play lists for years. Bernard is a prominent guest at Australia’s major acoustic music festivals including Woodford Festival in Queensland, Port Fairy Festival in Victoria, the National Folk Festival in Canberra, plus WA’s Bridgetown Blues Festival, Fairbridge and Nannup Folk Festivals. Fairbridge Festival Director Steve Barnes observes ''Bernard has become a major influence on guitarists and songwriters around Australia''.

Bernard lives in Australia and has regularly toured the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Singapore. He has performed with international artists such as Gene Pitney, Taj Mahal, Foster and Allen, Ralph McTell, Richard Thompson and had the honour of opening the late Stephane Grapelli’s final concert at the Perth Concert Hall.

Bernard was commissioned to write four new songs for the opening of the new Western Australian Maritime Museum and a commemorative song for the Perth Mint. He has written for organisations such as the Cancer Foundation, the Trade Union movement, and he has completed a series of ten songs concerning the history and characters of WA’s Rottnest Island. Bernard's award-winning song ''Gardens of Death'' was adopted as the international anthem for the campaign to ban landmines by the International Red Cross in Geneva who have made it into an educational video (Shattered Lives) and a CD single which has raised money for landmine victims. His political songs also reflect his beliefs on Refugees ''Refuge to a Refugee'' Aboriginal issues ''Stolen Car'' and ''Devils' Island'' War and weapons manufacturers ''Don't Ask'', ''Green Weapons'', ''Dreams of Peace on Paper Wings.'' Carney received an Order of Australia Medal in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours.