Spirit of the Anzacs is the thirteenth studio album by Australian country singer Lee Kernaghan. It was released digitally and physically in Australia on March 13, 2015, through ABC Music.[1] A limited deluxe edition features four additional tracks plus a 64-page booklet that includes many of the letters, stories and images behind the songs. It is Kernaghan's first number one album in Australia[2] and has been certified Platinum by ARIA.[3]
Background
2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the ANZAC's landing of Australian and New Zealand soldiers at Gallipoli during World War I. In honour of this landmark occasion, former Australian of the Year Kernaghan teamed up with a host of local artists and musicians to record Spirit of the Anzacs. The album was recorded at Rancom Street Studio in Sydney and Kernaghan worked with long-time producer and collaborator Garth Porter.[4]
The project was inspired by Kernaghan's 2014 visit to the Australian War Memorial when he was shown archives of soldiers' letters to family from the front lines from World War I through to the present day.[5]
Spirit of the Anzacs debuted at no. 2 in Australia behind Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly before moving to no. 1 the next week. It is Kernaghan's first no. 1 album[2] and his first to climb in the second week on the charts.[6] The album sold 7,421 in its first week and 14,005 in its second week.[7] The album spent four weeks at No. 1.
An 8-date national arena tour was intended to commence in Newcastle on 21 August 2015, before travelling to Brisbane, Wollongong, Sydney, Tamworth, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth throughout September 2015.[14] However, in April 2015 the tour was abruptly canceled due to poor ticket sales.[15]
The arena tour would have consisted of an all-star cast of actors and singers, including Kernaghan, Lisa McCune and Jack Thompson, supported by an 11-piece band and vocal group, performing the Spirit of the Anzacs album from start to finish, as well as other classic Australian songs.[16] Thompson would act as narrator and read letters from the Australian War Memorial archives.[15] It was to be directed by Ignatius Jones (the creative director of Vivid Sydney and the 2010 Winter Olympics), and presented by Chugg Entertainment and Stephen White Productions. Although the tour never took place, $3 from every ticket that was sold was donated to the Soldier On and Legacy charities.
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