Karen Knowles celebrates 50 years of music at Flaxton Gardens

From Young Talent Time to The Seekers and a string of gold and platinum records, Karen Knowles has provided the soundtrack to generations of Australian lives.

Now, the much-loved singer is celebrating 50 years in music with a special album launch and concert at Flaxton Gardens on Sunday, November 1.

The intimate event will combine live music with a conversation about her career, hosted by ABC Sunshine Coast broadcaster Sheridan Stewart.

Karen first captured Australia’s attention as a teenage performer on Young Talent Time from 1975 to 1980, becoming a household name before she had even finished high school.

Her debut single, Why Won’t You Explain, earned her a gold record, making her the first Australian schoolgirl to achieve the milestone.

Her subsequent albums, You Are the Reason and Loves Us All, achieved platinum and gold status respectively, and for two consecutive years she was Australia's highest-selling female recording artist.

Her career has also included countless television appearances, an 18-month national tour in the musical Big River and two years as lead singer of the legendary Australian group The Seekers.

“It's quite extraordinary to look back over 50 years and think about all the wonderful experiences I've had, from those early days on Young Talent Time to recording albums, touring with The Seekers and performing for audiences around Australia,” Karen said.

To mark her milestone, Karen is releasing Through the Years Volume 1: 1974–1982, the first instalment of a musical anthology revisiting her recording career.

The album will be released on streaming platforms on Friday, October 30, just two days before the Flaxton celebration.

During the afternoon, Sheridan Stewart will interview Karen about her early television years, recording successes, life on the road, experiences performing with The Seekers and her decades in the recording studio with 8 studio albums now to her credit.

Following the interview, guests will enjoy a grazing plate prepared by Flaxton Gardens before moving to the winery's concert space for a live performance beginning at 6pm.

Karen will perform songs from the new album, alongside selections from her wider repertoire, including The Rose, You Needed Me, Why Won’t You Explain, La Vie en Rose, Vincent, You Raise Me Up and Imagine.

“Music has this wonderful ability to bring back memories and connect us with different times in our lives. I'm really looking forward to revisiting some of those songs and sharing them with everyone at Flaxton Gardens,” Karen said.

The celebration runs from 4pm to 7.15pm at Flaxton Gardens, Flaxton Drive.

• Tickets are available at events.humanitix.com/karenknowles50yearsofmusicalbumlaunch.

Australian singing favourite Karen Knowles will celebrate 50 years in music with an intimate concert and album launch at Flaxton Gardens on November 1.