Andrew Charles Farriss AM is an Australian rock musician and multi-instrumentalist best known for his work with the rock band INXS as a pianist, backing vocalist, and principal composer. In 2021, Farriss released his first studio album.
Andrew Farriss was born in Western Australia in 1959. Dennis and Jill Farriss took their children from Perth to England when Andrew was five years of age. In London, they went to a broadcast, theatrical presentation. Farriss met with the future lead singer of INXS at Davidson High School. They became friends, but it took some time before they joined together for the creation of INXS. At first, he played only the keyboard, but he also played the guitar after some time. He played other handheld instruments, including the harmonica.
After the founding members of INXS developed friendships, Farriss became the group's composer while Michael Hutchence became the lyricist. Even though other members wrote some songs, Farriss has written most of the songs. Some were even written by his younger brother, who was a drummer in the band.
INXS sold more than 30 million records, some of them hit number one within four continents. The group is not only successful in Australia but also internationally. Tom Farriss, guitarist, Andrew Farriss, pianist, and Jon Farris, drummer, made the original group. The INXS was formed on the 20th birthday of Tim Farris. All team members moved together and spent time playing in local hotels, rehearsing, and writing songs. The name INXS is believed to have been inspired by XTC, an English band.
Andrew Farriss collaborated with other groups to write different songs, and the most famous collaboration was with Jenny Morris, a singer in New Zealand. In 2005, INXS started a reality TV show called Rock Star. This program was a worldwide search for a new lead singer, and INXS knew that it might be an impossible task to replace Michael Hutchence after he died in 1997. Farriss was shy and did not offer too much criticism to the contestants. Canadian singer JD Fortune became the winner, and the first album they produced with him was called Switch in 2005.
Farriss has composed many songs that became instant hits like Original Sin and Need You Tonight. The INXS said that without him, then the group would not be able to make music anymore. In addition to composing for his group, he has also written for GUN, Yindi, Yothu, and Jenny Morris.
In 2020, Andrew released his first independent collection, which featured a single, Good Momma Bad. His country music album was a radical new course for Farriss. The album collection includes melodies about America's old West and Australia's bushranger time, all recorded utilizing instruments of the period.
Andrew Farriss has an estimated net worth of over $20 million.
Andrew Farriss met his first wife in 1987 and got married in 1989, but their marriage ended in a divorce. They had three children together during their marriage.
Farriss reveals his dread of touring and being away from his family in the official INXS autobiography Story to Story.
In October 2013, Farriss married Marlina Neeley. The pair owns a cattle farm in NSW's Tamworth region.
| Birth Date: | 27 Mar, 1959 |
| Age: | 61 yrs |
| Occupations: | Composer Guitarist Pianist |
| Citizenship: | Australia |
| Birth Place: | Perth |
| Education: | Davidson High School |
| Gender: | Male |
| Description: | Australian musician |
| Net Worth 2021: | 20 million |
