Scone musician returns home to make his mark in country music

However, Jimbo Stokes didn't perform at Tamworth at a young age, like many aspiring artists, nor did he follow a conventional pathway into the music scene.

"Growing up in the area, you know a fair bit about the festival, and it's something to look forward to," he said.

"I grew up on a farm near Manilla not far from Tamworth, then we moved to a property at Merriwa; after school, I was in Sydney studying and working in the corporate world down there, then I made the move to Scone.

"It's nice to be back in the country."

While Jimbo has performed at the last two festivals, in 2024, he will take to the big stage alongside nine other performers as a Toyota Star Maker finalist.

More than 500 artists have performed in Star Maker over the past 43 years, uncovering the likes of Keith Urban, Lee Kernaghan, Beccy Cole, James Blundell, and its latest star, Kaylee Bell.

"It was a great feeling to hear it announced and a relief to find out so I could start planning and prepping for January," he said.

"I'm looking forward to playing with the band on the big stage at Tamworth."

Jimbo learned to play the guitar as a child, but in high school, he focused more on playing rugby.

"It was during the COVID-19 years that I picked up the guitar again," he said.

"While I was working from home, I started posting songs on Instagram in my downtime, and they got good traction, so I started writing my own songs.

"About two years ago, I moved back to the country to focus on my music."

Jimbo released his debut single in August 2022, which he described as "a big milestone".

"That was one I wrote as a tribute to my Mum, who passed away a few years ago," he said.

"She was a doctor in Tamworth and had a practice there for many years and likewise in Merriwa."

Since then, he has released another two songs.

"It is ramping up, and there is plenty in the pipeline for next year - it's getting busier and busier, but I'm having a lot of fun," Jimbo said.

"The first song I wanted to get out for personal reasons; I wasn't too worried about radio or streams or anything like that - it was just something I wanted to do.

"We also did a video for it, which was a cool experience.

"Because it did much better than I expected, it buoyed me to keep going with it and get more music out."

Growing up, Jimbo listened to the likes of Garth Brooks and Toby Keith.

"I really like some of the contemporary artists like Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs," he said.

"They're popular and doing cool things.

"Country music is having a resurgence, so it's good to be part of it.

"I'm planning on doing an EP next year, so I'm doing a lot of solo writing at the moment and with different people in the industry."

Jimbo will perform two songs live on the grand final night, which kicks off at 7pm on Sunday, January 21, 2024, at Toyota Park, in addition to a few events throughout the 10-day festival.