About The Howie Brothers

The Howie Brothers (twin brothers John & Graeme Howie) are one of Australia’s leading country music / easy listening acts.

John and Graeme have been performing and recording for over 30 years and are renowned for their distinctive vocal harmony sound. They play a variety of instruments, including piano, guitar, accordion, mandolin, ukulele and drums.

They are both dedicated songwriters and have recorded many of their own songs over the years.

Originally, as members of the band 1901, the Howie brothers won three Golden Guitar awards at the Australasian Country Music Awards in Tamworth, including two Group of the Year awards (1980 & 1982).

The Howie Brothers have recorded more than 20 albums, including the successful Singalong with the Howie Brothers series, and the very popular 20 Love Songs. One of their most recent country music CDs is the highly acclaimed Singing ‘til the Cows Come Home.

It has often been said that The Howie Brothers have a ‘sound of their own’. However, their music could accurately be described as being Australian country, with bluegrass, Irish/Scottish, easy listening, singalong type influences. Think Hawking Brothers, Slim Dusty, Foster & Allen, and Max Bygraves and that will give you some idea of what the Howies are about, musically. They like to incorporate a few funny yarns into their shows. As John says, ‘Good music and a few laughs is a winning combination.’

The Howie Brothers love performing and audience members often say, ‘You seem to enjoy yourselves so much when you perform.’ John & Graeme perform with various back-up musicians, depending on the type of show. Lots of Howie Brothers shows feature Robert Edge (also a member of 1901). Rob sings light-hearted songs, like The Court of King Caractacus, plays banjo, and generally makes people laugh. The Howie Brothers most often perform as a 3 or 4 piece outfit. They are based in Melbourne, but perform throughout Australia, undertaking several major tours each year.

For many years now John Howie has been running successful Music Tours, in partnership with Australian travel company Travelrite International. These music tours are sightseeing coach tours, with a focus on music, especially in the evenings. John runs tours to Ireland, Scotland, America, Europe, New Zealand, Canada, and the Australian Outback.