Lee Kernaghan OAM (born 15 April 1964) is an Australian country music singer, songwriter and guitarist.

Lee spent his formative years growing up in Albury New South Wales.

[5] In 1986, Kernaghan traveled to the United States to represent Australia at the Nashville 'Fan Fair' country music festival.

I didn't think anyone would be that interested in us... we were just kids from the bush but Garth said 'this record (The Outback Club) has to be about your life and where you come from so we wrote that song and several others and before long I had a band and we were out on the road performing them live.

[7] In February 1998, Kernaghan released his fourth studio album, Hat Town.

[6] In January 2000, Kernaghan released his sixth studio album, Rules of the Road.

[7] In July 2007, Kernaghan released his ninth studio album, Spirit of the Bush.

[7] In November 2009, Kernaghan released his tenth studio album, Planet Country.

In 2009 Kernaghan was named the biggest hit-maker of the last twenty years on the Australian Country Tracks chart, beating musical greats from Australia and international.

[6] In 2019 Kernaghan released his fifteenth studio album, Backroad Nation with the title track staying four weeks at #1 on the country singles charts.

[10] During July 2015, Kernaghan's music was played at anti-Islam rallies in Australia, without his permission.

[11][12] He responded that the use of his work should be "consistent with – and respectful of, the memory of ... [soldiers who] laid down their lives for the freedoms we have today.

"[12] Fellow local artists, Jimmy Barnes, John Farnham and Mark Seymour, objected to the use of their material at those rallies.

[13] For several years, Kernaghan owned the historic Great Western Hotel in Rockhampton, Queensland, after buying the pub in 2003 when it was placed into receivership after a downturn in trade and public liability concerns.

[14][15] Kernaghan has described the time during which he owned the Great Western Hotel as one of the greatest periods of his life.

It was inaugurated in 1976 and the inductee is announced at the Country Music Awards of Australia in Tamworth in January.