Adam Harvey

HE GETS TO CRISS-CROSS THE COUNTRY, playing to sold-out audiences night after night, has notched up record sales in excess of 300,000 units, and has an impressive stash of Golden Guitar Awards - seven, no less -- to his name. Don't imagine for a second, though, that Adam Harvey's about to take it all for granted. "I've been one of the lucky ones," he says. "You get a few kicks along the way and it really toughens you up a bit. If you want it bad enough, and you're prepared to do what it takes to get there, it makes you appreciate it even more, you know?" Adam risked everything when he first started out, quitting his day job to follow his dream of being a country music artist full time. And although he credits his former boss for forcing to choose ("You can only have one master," he was told), he believes the key to his longevity in an ever-changing world is the loyalty of his fans and that distinctive voice, which sets him apart from his contemporaries. "I've got a deeper voice compared to a lot of the other guys," he says. "So if you come on the radio, people can spot you straightaway. He continues: "The greatest thing, though, is to look on that wall and see those gold records. They mean more to me than even winning Golden Guitar Awards and things like that. I'm honoured that people are willing to go out and buy my music." Adam's had country music in his blood - literally - since the day he was born, thanks to a chance gift from his aunty and a non-stop music education from his dad: an avid Johnny Cash fan. "My aunty moved into a new flat and there was an old guitar left in the cupboard," he recalls. "It didn't have any strings on it or anything. But she said, ?Do you want this?' So I got it, put strings on it, and would sit next to my dad's stereo, listening to all these old Johnny Cash records. That's how I learnt how to play guitar. Dad used to brainwash us as kids with country music - it was going all the time. I knew then and there what I wanted to do when I grew up." It's fitting, then, that Sony Music has released the ?Best So Far' CD and its accompanying DVD, which together look back at an astonishing career in Australian country music. A career which began at a talent quest back in 1996, when he was aged 15, and has since seen him play overseas in countries as diverse as Canada and China and, crucially, the iconic Grand Ole Opry stage in Nashville. "Singing on the Grand Ole Opry - which is kinda like a choir boy singing in the Pope's lounge room - that's the big gig for a country singer," he says. "To walk out on that stage where Hank Williams stood, where Johnny Cash and Elvis started out, it's pretty amazing." Despite all this, though, Adam is adamant that he won't be tempted by the lure of Nashville on a long-term basis. Australia is home and always will be. "You get to a stage in life where you appreciate what you've got," he says. "And if you're happy with your lot, it's bloody hard to be unhappy, you know?" It's easy to see why. As well as ongoing success and having his own family to watch over, he's increasingly teamed up with likeminded stars, both on record - notably, last year's ?Both Sides Now' duets album - and most recently on tour. It's something, he says, which he can't wait to do more and more. Before he heads back into the studio in early 2011 to start work on his next solo album, Adam's back out on the road later in the year with Beccy Cole and Troy Cassar-Daley, and admits that he couldn't imagine doing anything else. "I'm really happy," he says. "I've found my place. I've found how I want to sound. Once you find that, it helps you find the message you want to get out to people. And just what you're all about, you know? I'm enjoying music probably more now than I ever have. You can't really ask for more than that."