Powderfinger’s John ‘JC’ Collins Tapped For King’s Honour
Though Powderfinger is still waiting for induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame, ex- bass player John “JC” Collins steps up for a special piece of silverware.
The Brisbane-based artist and venues professional is recognised in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours list, appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to the arts through music, and to the community.
As a member of Powderfinger, Collins enjoyed a career like few others, collecting five consecutive No. 1 albums on the ARIA Charts and 18 ARIAs Awards, from 47 nominations. Powderfinger split in 2010, their swansong Sunsets tour of Australia selling more than 200,000 tickets. Thanks to a 20th anniversary reissue campaign, the band’s fifth studio album Vulture Street last year returned to No. 1.
These days, Collins throws his energies into the Brisbane venues The Triffid and Fortitude Valley Music Hall, the latter winning for metro venue of the year at the 2024 Queensland Music Awards.
“After COVID 19, we thought the world would open up. It did for TayTay,” Collins said during the QMAs, presented at The Fortitude, for which he serves as venue director and co-owner. “It’s really important that we understand that the costs are up 40% and the ticket sales are down 60%. Do the maths on that.”
Speaking with the ABC about his latest award, JC, a member of the board of QMusic, producers of Bigsound and the QMAs, says “supporting live music has always been so important, but most recently there have been lots of challenges.”
He continues, “I’m really surprised to be honest. I’m pumped and grateful to be included in this year’s honours. We [Powderfinger] always felt responsibility to give back and be charitable where we could be.”
Also, JC was co-founder of the Play Fair campaign 2021, and performed with his former bandmates for One Night Lonely, an online event which raised more than $500,000 for Support Act and Beyond Blue fundraiser during the peak of the pandemic.
This year, 737 Australians were honoured for King Charles’s birthday celebrations, including retired cricketer Glenn McGrath, comedian Hamish Blake, ABC personality Jimmy “Giggle” Rees.
Where Collins makes the cut, Arts Hub addresses the “appalling lack” of figures from the world of arts and culture in this year’s list, which features a “dismal” 43 figures – less than 10% of all award recipients.