With more than half a million album sales, back-to-back number one albums, eight Golden Guitars, multiple ARIA nominations, and a succession of gold and platinum albums, it’s easy to see why Harvey’s trophy room sparkles from every angle.

For the celebrated entertainer and country music purist, one musical era stands out head, hat and shoulders above all the rest: Nashville’s seminal 1970s 'golden age'.

Fulfilling a lifelong dream, Harvey jetted off to the bright lights of the immortal music city to record a 10^th studio album, The Nashville Tapes.

“It’s one of those things that’s been on my bucket list for probably 20-odd years, to actually go and record an album over there in Nashville,” Harvey said.

“I thought, I want to make a 70s country album: that’s my favourite era in country music.

"I just wanted to make it really authentic. While everybody else is heading further and further away from classic country music, it’s a good step for me to not only follow my passion and my heart, but also to go the other way.”

In making The Nashville Tapes, Harvey decamped to Nashville, Tennessee, where he and another long-time mate, producer Nash Chambers, assembled a crack team of the city’s finest and most sought-after session players to assist in realising the album.

“Nash and I have been talking about recording an album together for as long as we’ve known one another,” Harvey said. “He’s well known for the stuff he’s done for Kasey, and he’s a mad, passionate traditional country fan. It felt like a really good fit to go and work there with him. Someone who knows and loves that classic 70s country.”

The pair set up shop in Sound Emporium’s hallowed Studio A – a facility established by the late great “Cowboy” Jack Clement and the site of career-defining recordings from the likes of world renowned artists Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings.

Joining Adam and Nash in the studio was a contingent of Nashville luminaries including bassist Glenn Worf, drummer Jerry Roe, Mike Rojas on piano, pedal steel player Paul Franklin and Mickey Raphael, whose distinctive harmonica parts have long been a hallmark and essential ingredient of Willie Nelson’s best-loved songs.

“I was like a kid at Disneyland,” Adam joked. 

The Nashville Tapes is said to be a career-best album for Harvey.

Turning his attention to the magic of Australia’s own 1970s country heyday, Harvey enlisted Lee Kernaghan to duet on a reverent rendition of Slim Dusty classic Three Rivers Hotel.

Harvey also pays tribute to the decade with Anything You Want Me To - a breeze through the halcyon days of 70s country radio - and Those Holden Days - a song on the glory days of Holden’s manufacturing presence in Australia.

He co-wrote We’ll Have to Drink Our Way Out of This with Troy Cassar-Daley.

Harvey and band are now hitting the road with The Nashville Tapes, supported by The Voice Australia 2017 winner – and Harvey's newly minted lead guitarist – Judah Kelly.

He will land in Nelson Bay in June in time for the Bluewater Country Music Festival.

See Harvey at Wests Nelson Bay Diggers from 8.30pm on Saturday, June 8. Tickets, available through westsnewcastle.com.au, cost $35.