source : the age
Iconic Australian singer Daryl Braithwaite has announced he has called time on performing live gigs.
Braithwaite shot to fame in the band Sherbet in the 1970s and then as a solo artist with his beloved version of the song The Horses. An announcement about his future as a live performer appeared on Braithwaite’s social media late Tuesday afternoon.
“Good Tuesday. 17.11. I would like to share this news with you all,” the post on his verified Instagram and Facebook pages read.
“After much thought and consideration, I have made the difficult and sad decision to step back from performing live gigs.
“For some time now it has been increasingly physically challenging for me to sing comfortably and as a result it has taken the joy out of performing, which has always been so important to me.
“I have loved the 58 years of being a part of the music industry.
“I sincerely want to thank all of the dedicated and loyal supporters and all of the people and organisations that I have been associated with who have been such a significant part of my singing life. With much love and I thank you – Daryl.”
Attempts were made by The Age to contact Braithwaite and his management on Tuesday night to independently verify the announcement.
Melbourne-based Braithwaite, 77, has ridden the rollercoaster of music fame over his career; from the massive success of Sherbet and hits like Howzat and Summer Love, to lost years on the dole, a huge midlife comeback with hits like The Horses, One Summer, All I Do and As The Days Go By.
Braithwaite released his version of The Horses, written by Rickie Lee Jones and Walter Becker and originally released by Jones on her 1989 album Flying Cowboys, in 1991.
In an interview with the Herald Sun in October 2025, Braithwaite gave thanks for his voice and said he was taking care of it.
“You worry more about your voice now, well, I do, than what I did when I was growing up,” he said.
“If it went, the throat or the feeling, if I felt I was bullshitting to myself, then I would stop because you just have to.”
Braithwaite, who joined UK superstar Harry Styles on stage in Sydney in 2023 to perform The Horses to more than 70,000 fans, recently returned from Norway where he was performing on a cruise.
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Fiona Byrne is the CBD columnist for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.
