Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Few voices in Australian music carry the weight, power, and versatility of Melbourne’s Kerri Simpson. Over the decades, Simpson has carved a singular path across blues, gospel, country, swamp rock, and beyond, all while remaining deeply rooted in community and collaboration. From childhood singalongs in the northern suburbs, to busking in Bourke Street Mall, to performing on the Congo Square stage at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Simpson’s career is as wide-ranging as it is authentic. In this candid conversation, she reflects on her beginnings, her musical influences, and the passion that continues to fuel her ever-evolving artistry.
In the interview, Simpson recalls her early musical life growing up in Melbourne, influenced by her family’s singalongs and later discovering the blues through friends and mentors. She reflects on the formative days of The Five Aces and the Swinging Sidewalks, where she learned to move fluidly between genres—a trait that has defined her career, even if it sometimes confused the industry. Simpson discusses her inspirations, from Bessie Smith to Aaron Neville, and the impact of New Orleans on her voice, style, and spiritual connection to music. She shares stories of supporting Dr. John, recording the ambitious Vodou Songs of the Spirits across Haiti, New Orleans, and Melbourne, and the ongoing vitality of Melbourne’s music community and public radio. Touching on her current band Opalousas, her songwriting approach, and her beloved Epiphone guitar, Simpson reveals an artist driven not by genre boundaries but by authenticity, collaboration, and emotional truth.
Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips was thrilled to sit down with Kerri Simpson at Empire Music Studios in Heidelberg to chat about her career as our Musician of the Month for September.
#australianmusician #kerrisimpson
Few voices in Australian music carry the weight, power, and versatility of Melbourne’s Kerri Simpson. Over the decades, Simpson has carved a singular path across blues, gospel, country, swamp rock, and beyond, all while remaining deeply rooted in community and collaboration. From childhood singalongs in the northern suburbs, to busking in Bourke Street Mall, to performing on the Congo Square stage at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Simpson’s career is as wide-ranging as it is authentic. In this candid conversation, she reflects on her beginnings, her musical influences, and the passion that continues to fuel her ever-evolving artistry.
In the interview, Simpson recalls her early musical life growing up in Melbourne, influenced by her family’s singalongs and later discovering the blues through friends and mentors. She reflects on the formative days of The Five Aces and the Swinging Sidewalks, where she learned to move fluidly between genres—a trait that has defined her career, even if it sometimes confused the industry. Simpson discusses her inspirations, from Bessie Smith to Aaron Neville, and the impact of New Orleans on her voice, style, and spiritual connection to music. She shares stories of supporting Dr. John, recording the ambitious Vodou Songs of the Spirits across Haiti, New Orleans, and Melbourne, and the ongoing vitality of Melbourne’s music community and public radio. Touching on her current band Opalousas, her songwriting approach, and her beloved Epiphone guitar, Simpson reveals an artist driven not by genre boundaries but by authenticity, collaboration, and emotional truth.
Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips was thrilled to sit down with Kerri Simpson at Empire Music Studios in Heidelberg to chat about her career as our Musician of the Month for September.
#australianmusician #kerrisimpson
