One of Australia’s most respected long-standing country music heroes, Lee Kernaghan, has influenced plenty of young local musicians over the years. Now, he’s hand-picked a list of the songs and artists that have inspired him. His selections range from American legends including Hank Williams Jr. and Elvis Presley to Australians Keith Urban, James Reyne and James Blundell. “I’m country to the core; however, I love to rock,” Kernaghan tells Apple Music. “My early influences included Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and The Beatles, but Elvis Presley will always be the king of rock ’n’ roll to me. As John Lennon famously said, ‘Before Elvis there was nothing.’” Turning his attention to his Aussie heroes, he reminisces about growing up with Slim Dusty’s music. “My dad literally wore out the vinyl on his [Live at Wagga Wagga] record. I could never have believed back then that I would one day record a duet with Australia’s King of Country.” And he thanks Blundell for “redefining Australian country in the late ’80s. One of Australia’s finest singer-songwriters, he kicked down the doors, changed the perception as to what country music was all about and marked the beginning of a whole new era.”