Timothy James Freedman[1] (25 November 1964) is an Australian musician, best known as the mainstay lead singer and keyboardist of the Australian band The Whitlams formed in 1993.[2][3] The song "No Aphrodisiac", co-written by Freedman,[4] was their breakthrough hit in 1997;[5] their top four ARIA albums by sales are Love This City (1999), Torch the Moon (2002), Little Cloud (2006), and their compilation album Truth, Beauty and a Picture of You: Best of the Whitlams in 2008.[5]

Tim Freedman
Freedman in 2023
Freedman in 2023
Background information
Birth nameTimothy James Freedman
Born (1964-11-25) 25 November 1964 (age 59)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
GenresRock, pop, alternative rock, indie pop, ska
OccupationsSinger, songwriter
InstrumentsVocals, piano
Years active1986–present
LabelsSony
Signature

A highlight of his career was receiving an ARIA Music Award for 'Song of the Year' in 1998 from the former Australian prime minister Gough Whitlam—after whom his band is named.[6][7]

Biography

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Freedman performing in 2006

Tim Freedman was born in 1964 in Sydney and was raised in Collaroy,[citation needed] in Sydney's Northern Beaches region, and was educated at the Shore School in North Sydney. Prior to co-founding The Whitlams, Freedman was the front man of ska band Itchy Feet, and later the indie pop bands Penguins on Safari and The Olive Branch.[3] He had stints as sideman with Sunnyboys 1986–87 (who he would later manage), and The Hummingbirds 1989–90.[8]

At the Gimme Ted benefit concert on 10 March 2001, Freedman performed his cover version of two songs, "Julia" and "Falling in Love Again", originally by Ted Mulry.[9] In an interview, which aired on 612 ABC Brisbane on Friday 29 September 2006, Freedman said he became a pianist "by mistake" after quitting law school. He later completed a Bachelor of Arts at The University of Sydney.

Since late 2006, Tim has been the host of the music chat show The Tim Freedman Sunday Session at 6pm, airing Sunday nights on the Sydney radio station Vega 95.3 (now known as Smooth FM).[citation needed]

In 2014, he started writing as a music critic for a newly founded print and digital newspaper, The Saturday Paper, to help support the paper's growth, which has since grown to a circulation of 900,000 as of 2021.[10]

Discography

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Solo

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  • Australian Idle (2011)

The Whitlams

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References

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  1. ^ ""Gough" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  2. ^ McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'The Whitlams'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 26 July 2004. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
  3. ^ a b Spencer, Chris; Paul McHenry; Zbig Nowara (2007) [1989]. "Tim Freedman". The Who's Who of Australian Rock. Moonlight Publishing. ISBN 1-86503-891-1. Archived from the original on 15 October 2009. Retrieved 26 November 2009. Note: [on-line] version was expanded from the 2002 edition.
  4. ^ ""No Aphrodisiac" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 29 January 2010.
  5. ^ a b "Discography The Whitlams". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
  6. ^ "ARIA Awards: History: Winners by Artist: Whitlams, The". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  7. ^ "ARIA Awards: History: Winners by Year: 1998: 12th Annual ARIA Awards". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  8. ^ Zuel, Bernard (4 May 2014). "Tim Freedman and the musical built around his songs". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  9. ^ Holmgren, Magnus. "Gimme Ted – The Ted Mulry Benefit Concerts". Australian Rock Database. Archived from the original on 22 August 2003. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  10. ^ Hayes, Alex (28 January 2014). "The Saturday Paper to launch on March 1". Mumbrella. Retrieved 30 December 2022.