Josh Cunningham

Joshua Hayden Cunningham^[1] is an Australian guitarist, vocalist and songwriter who is one-third of folk rock band the Waifs.^[2] His involvement with the Waifs has resulted in a total of four Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Award wins, all in 2003 for Up All Night and ten further nominations.^[3] Cunningham has released five studio albums with The Waifs and co-writes songs with fellow members Donna Simpson and Vikki Thorn, including "Lighthouse", which was nominated for ARIA Award for Single of the Year at the ARIA Music Awards of 2003.

Josh Cunningham
Josh Cunningham, The Waifs 22 May 2007 Perth, Western Australia.
Background information
Birth name	Joshua Hayden Cunningham
Origin	New South Wales
Genres	Folk rock
Occupation(s)	Guitarist Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)	Guitar Ukulele Mandolin Dobro
Years active	1987–present
Labels	Jarrah Records

Cunningham has been a regular member of Missy Higgins's backing band, performed on her album On a Clear Night and appeared in her live shows. He has constructed some of the guitars he plays, both acoustic and electric.

Biography

Joshua Cunningham grew up on a farm in Moruya, New South Wales, and picked up his first guitar in 1987. He met Donna and Vikki Simpson while the two sisters played gigs in Broome, in 1992. At the time, Cunningham played bass guitar in an all-male band. Donna Simpson described, on The Waifs' official website, how they met:

"We jammed for about 10 minutes and I asked him to join the band and he said "ok"... Just like that, and we became The Waifs."

Cunningham has been a member of The Waifs ever since.

In Perth at the WA Art Gallery, March 2017

Cunningham was nominated for six awards at the 2024 Country Music Awards of Australia.^[4][5]

Discography

Solo studio albums

Title	Details	Peak chart positions
		AUS [6]
Into Tomorrow	Release date: 2011 Label: Format: CD, DD	—
The Song Club (with Felicity Urquhart)	Release date: 7 May 2021 Label: ABC Music/Universal Music (3595271) Format: CD, DD, streaming	77
Birdsong (with Felicity Urquhart)	Released: 29 September 2023[7] Label: ABC Music/Universal Music Format: CD, digital	—

Awards and nominations

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2022[8][9]	The Song Club (with Felicity Urquhart)	Best Independent Country Album or EP	Won

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual ceremony presented by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the music of Australia. They commenced in 1987.

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result	Ref.
2021	The Song Club (with Felicity Urquhart)	Best Country Album	Nominated	[10][11]

Country Music Awards of Australia

The Country Music Awards of Australia is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival. Celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. They commenced in 1973.

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result	Ref.
2022	Felicity Urquhart & Josh Cunningham	Group or Duo of the Year	Nominated	[12]
	The Song Club	Alt. Country Album of the Year	Nominated
	The Song Club	Album of the Year	Nominated
	"Spare Parts"	Video of the Year	Nominated
2023	"Bogswamp" (written by Josh Cunningham) – Recorded by Felicity Urquhart & Josh Cunningham	Heritage Song of the Year	Nominated	[13]
2024	Birdsong (with Felicity Urquhart)	Album of the Year	Nominated	[4][5][14]
	Birdsong (with Felicity Urquhart)	Traditional County Album of the Year	Won
	"Size Up" (with Felicity Urquhart)	Single of the Year	Won
	"Size Up" (with Felicity Urquhart)	Song of the Year	Won
	"Size Up" (with Felicity Urquhart) (dir. Duncan Toombs & The Filmery)	Video of the Year	Nominated
	Josh Cunningham & Felicity Urquhart	Group or Duo of the Year	Nominated