John Farnham’s highly anticipated memoir The Voice Inside hit shelves last Wednesday, offering a revealing glimpse into the darker side of his early career under the control of his first manager, Darryl Sambell.
In the memoir, Farnham opens up about the abuse he endured as a young musician, accusing Sambell of being “sexually aggressive” and asserting control over nearly every aspect of his life—from what he wore, ate and sang.
Darryl Sambell and John Farnham.
“At times, in the early years, he was aggressively sexual with me,” Farnham writes. “He would try it on, and I’d say, ‘Darryl, no. Just leave me alone,’ or, ‘It’s not going to happen.’ I said it often enough that I can see now his rejection turned into jealousy, hatred, and a need for control.”
The memoir recounts the moment Sambell first took notice of Farnham, who was just 17 and performing at a bar in Cohuna, Victoria. Sambell, four years his senior, quickly asserted control over Farnham’s skyrocketing career following the breakout success of “Sadie the Cleaning Lady.”
According to Farnham, Sambell dictated nearly every facet of his life: “He controlled where and when I worked, what I sang, what I wore, what I ate. He isolated me from my friends and family, kept me away from Jill [Farnham’s now wife], drugged me, and made me believe all my success was because of him.”
Perhaps most shocking is Farnham’s revelation that Sambell drugged him with amphetamines to keep him working long hours, only to sedate him with sleeping pills later. “He drugged me for years, and I had no fucking idea,” Farnham confesses, recalling how he only discovered Sambell’s actions after finding a half-dissolved pill in his coffee.
For the first time in his career, Farnham directly addresses the trauma he faced under Sambell’s management. “I still don’t know why I didn’t react more. I put it down to being young, under stress, tired, and feeling unsure and insecure about my own instincts.”
