[3] He is best known as the lead singer for the folk group Redgum, with their chart-topping hit "I Was Only 19 (A Walk in the Light Green)", a song exploring the psychological and medical side-effects of serving in the Australian forces during the Vietnam War.
The song's sales assisted Vietnam Veterans during the 1983 Royal Commission into the effects of Agent Orange and other chemical defoliants employed during the war.
[4] Since 2005 he has been performing as part of John Schumann and the Vagabond Crew, including fellow ex-Redgum member Hugh McDonald.
[5] Schumann was born on 18 May 1953[2] and attended Rostrevor College,[6] and then Flinders University studying philosophy, English and drama for his Bachelor of Arts.
[7] In 1975 he contributed to a radical politics in art project, convened by Professor Brian Medlin with fellow students Michael Atkinson and Verity Truman.
An 'underground recording' of their music was made at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) studios in Adelaide by Darc Cassidy – the tapes went on to become popular on campuses across Australia and on independent radio.
Schumann wrote their biggest hits including "Long Run", "The Last Frontier", "I Was Only Nineteen" (March 1983) and "I've Been to Bali Too" (1984).
Schumann left Redgum (late 1985) due to continual pressure to tour and to spend more time with his young family in the Adelaide Hills returned to teaching at Reynella East Primary School.
On 18 August 2006, John Schumann and the Vagabond Crew performed in Vũng Tàu, Vietnam, to mark the 40th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tân.
Schumann signed a new multi-album deal with ABC Music and Behind the Lines, an album of songs related to Australians at war, was released in August 2008.
[14] In 2011 Schumann worked with the Defence department on "Dents in the Soul", a project designed to help soldiers deal with post traumatic stress disorder.