Percy Grainger was a megastar of the European, North American and Australian stages, commanding huge fees and attracting sell-out audiences for his concert piano performances. His most famous work, an arrangement of the folk song Country Gardens, broke its publisher's sales records for seventy-five consecutive years.

Born George Percy Grainger in Melbourne, Australia, on July 8, 1882, he made his concert debut in 1894 at age twelve, departing for Europe soon after to study piano and composition at the Hoch Conservatorium in Frankfurt. He moved to London in 1901, where his good looks, charm and charisma soon made him the darling of the aristocracy and beau monde. It was here that he began performing at major concert venues and festivals, as well as writing the first of his own very popular compositions. Grainger's fame continued to grow with his move to America in 1914 where he toured extensively and performed at the White House through three Presidencies.

Percy Grainger died in White Plains, New York, in 1961. His legacy as a performer, composer, experimental music maker and folk song arranger places him squarely in the firmament of Australia's musical greats.