Tamworth Regional Council and industry partner the Country Music Association of Australia (CMAA) are excited to announce James Johnston as the winner of the 2026 Golden Guitar Award for Top Selling Australian Country Album of the Year for his sophomore album, Where You’ll Find Me.
The announcement comes following the release of ARIA Charts data, which, along with the Golden Guitar Awards eligibility criteria, is used to determine the winner of the Top Selling Australian Country Album of the Year award for the period 1 January to 31 December 2025.
Where You’ll Find Me celebrates family, mateship and a love of country living through its 16 tracks. Johnston collaborated with Morgan Evans to deliver the record, which was produced by Jared Adlam and Dan Pellarin.
The five top-selling Australian country albums of the year were:
1. James Johnston – WHERE YOU’LL FIND ME
2. Hayley Jensen – COUNTRY SOUL
3. Brad Cox – ENDEMIC INTELLIGENCE IN MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS
4. The Wolfe Brothers – AUSTRALIAN MADE
5. Tom Curtain – HERE’S TO YOU
Toyota Golden Guitar Awards Executive Producer Peter Ross says Tamworth Regional Council believes in the importance of this significant award, which recognises commercial achievement within the Australian country music industry.
“The announcement of James Johnston as the winner of the 2026 Golden Guitar Award for Top Selling Australian Country Album of the Year is very well deserved.
“Audiences watching the Toyota Golden Guitar Awards, at the venue or via the live stream, will be treated to a special performance by James, who will be presented with his award during the event,” Mr Ross says.
The other four top selling Australian country albums for 2025 are all nominated in their respective album categories and are vying for Golden Guitar Awards on the night. Hayley Jensen’s Country Soul album has been earning widespread acclaim, connecting deeply with country music fans, while Brad Cox’s Endemic Intelligence In Multiple Dimensions has cemented his place as one of Australia’s leading contemporary country artists. The Wolfe Brothers’ Australian Made album has had great success, resonating strongly with fans and celebrating homegrown country music, and Tom Curtain’s Here’s to You has touched listeners, further cementing his reputation as a compelling storyteller in Australian country music.
Tamworth Regional Council will present the Toyota 54th Golden Guitar Awards live on Saturday, 24 January 2026, from Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre and will livestream it via the Festival website and Facebook page.
Tamworth Regional Council and the CMAA wish all this year’s nominees the best of luck and look forward to welcoming artists, musicians, songwriters and fans back to the Country Music Capital in 2026, to celebrate excellence in Australasian country music.
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