Norma O’Hara Murphy Announces New Studio Album Freedom Road
BONY MOUNTAIN, NSW, 5 August 2026 — Celebrated Australian country and folk singer-songwriter Norma O’Hara Murphy has announced the forthcoming release of Freedom Road, her fourteenth studio album and the latest chapter in a recording career spanning more than five decades.
Now available for pre-order, Freedom Road will be officially launched with a live performance at the Bony Mountain Folk Festival in September 2026. The album arrives as Murphy continues to write, record and share Australian stories from her home at Bony Mountain in New South Wales.
Recorded at LUSH Studios on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, Freedom Road was mixed by Murphy’s longtime engineer Russ “Rusty” Pilling. The album continues her commitment to honest songwriting, lived experience and the people, animals and landscapes that have shaped rural Australia.
The single Tennessee Waltz is available now, offering listeners an early introduction to the new collection. The full album can be pre-ordered as a CD for $29.95 or purchased as a digital download for $16.95.
A New Chapter in an Enduring Career
Murphy’s music has always been grounded in real stories. Born in Victoria’s Murray Valley region and raised within a third-generation Irish-Australian family, she developed a strong connection to the land, horses and regional communities.
Her debut album, Rodeo Queen, was recorded in Coffs Harbour in 1982. Early songs inspired by horses and the campdraft circuit helped establish her place in Australian country music, although her songwriting has continued to carry a strong folk influence.
Across her career, Murphy has recorded songs about stockmen, campdrafters, outback stations and everyday Australians. Her catalogue includes recognised works such as The Outlaw and the Lady and The Campdrafter, alongside albums including River Gums & Mallee Dust, Closer Now, Sweet Rain, Whiskey Gully Road and Bloodlines.
That body of work has earned Murphy five Golden Guitar awards, an ARIA nomination for the 1991 album Closer Now, and induction into the Australian Country Music Hands of Fame in 1989. Her career also took her beyond Australia, including tours of the United Kingdom, China and Japan during 1995 and 1996.
Launching Live at Bony Mountain
The live launch of Freedom Road will take place during the Bony Mountain Folk Festival in September. Murphy’s annual Bony Mountain appearance has become a special opportunity for supporters to hear her perform in the environment that now inspires much of her life and creative work.
The festival program will also feature Hillbilly Goats, The Coads and Barley Shakes, bringing together a line-up shaped by Australian folk, country and Celtic traditions.
Although now semi-retired from regular touring, Murphy remains actively involved in songwriting, environmental work and the preservation of wildlife corridors around Bony Mountain. She continues to share stories from the land while maintaining a deep connection with the audiences who have followed her music across generations.
Freedom Road reflects that journey. It is a record shaped by experience, independence and a lasting belief in the power of Australian stories.
About Norma O’Hara Murphy
Norma O’Hara Murphy is an award-winning Australian singer-songwriter, horsewoman, environmentalist, gardener and festival coordinator based at Bony Mountain, New South Wales. A five-time Golden Guitar winner and Australian Country Music Hands of Fame inductee, she has released thirteen studio albums since her 1982 debut, Rodeo Queen. Freedom Road will be her fourteenth studio album.