Cooma’s Stephen (Zither) Jackson is an accomplished Australian musician, vocalist, songwriter and creative practitioner whose career spans decades across multiple musical genres and disciplines.

As an established musician for more than 40 years, now performing under the name Zither Jackson, he is very excited about recent achievements in the country music genre, which may shoot his career to potential global recognition.

Zither embraced country music over the past decade, writing and recording eight original songs and releasing his debut country album, ‘Valleys of Your Mind’. His debut single from the album (of the same name), is currently gaining plenty of traction in the country music scene through Star Central Tamworth and country music stations.

On its first day of release it scored at number 20 on the Alternate Music Chart; it has now been picked up by a radio station in Europe.

“Thanks to Shaza Leigh, Mark Eckel OZ Country Music Radio, Oz Radio Gold, Peggy Gilchrist, Richard Cooke for their support and pushing the single...it’s all going really well,” Zither said.

Zither was also recently notified he is in the Top 30 finalists in the Global Songwriter Awards.

“I can’t even express how proud I am to have my name included alongside 29 other great songwriters,” Zither said.

The winners were announced during the Capital Country Music Association National Jamboree at the Tamworth Town Hall on 21 January.

Born on 5 September, 1958, Zither comes from a distinguished lineage of professional singers, songwriters, and musicians with strong foundations in opera and theatrical performance.

He began working professionally in the music industry at just 15. Over the years, Stephen has performed extensively in cover bands, predominantly within the hard rock genre. His most notable band, Axis, toured nationally throughout Australia.

He has also shared the stage with renowned performer Eddy Young Blood and Samy Gaha in the stage production ‘Follow That Dream’, joining the show while concurrently performing his acclaimed ‘I’m Still Standing’ Elton John tribute.

Zither’s diverse career includes appearances in television commercials, the acclaimed series Underbelly, and numerous musical theatre productions.

He is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Music, where he spent six years studying opera and completed training in the Marchesi Method of operatic singing.

Beyond performance, Zither/Stephen is deeply committed to community work.

He runs a disability-focused business, using non-verbal vocal techniques to help non-speaking clients with Down Syndrome develop vocal awareness and expression.

Two of his clients have won awards at the Australian National Busking Championships for three consecutive years.

His songwriting reflects love, resilience, and personal growth, inspired by life’s journey with his wife, Kirrilly Jackson, whom he married in 2019.

In 2025, his work received industry recognition, with songs shortlisted and semi-finalist placements in both the Australian Songwriters Association and Tamworth Songwriters Association Awards.

Zither headed to Tamworth last month to perform (busk) at the Tamworth Country Music Festival.

“I’ve never busked in my life. I have always played live and had my own shows, so at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, I’ll promote the album and get my song out there,” he said.

“It’s being played heavily on Tamworth radio already so people there know who I am...and we shall see where it all goes.

“It’s all been a bit overwhelming, but you’re never too old,” Zither said.