Singer Jimmy Barnes has cancelled his summer tour to undergo urgent back and hip surgery after dealing with severe pain from years of gruelling performances.

The 66-year-old solo artist and Cold Chisel frontman will be unable to perform for several months after the operations but aims to be back on the road in the second half of next year.

In a statement on Tuesday, Barnes said he had endured back and hip problems for years. But it had got worse in recent weeks, leaving him in “constant and severe pain”.

“I’ve been jumping off PAs and stomping around stages for nearly 50 years, but it’s finally caught up with me,” he said.

“As everybody knows, it’s against my religion to blow out gigs but the doctors tell me I need an operation as soon as possible and it will really limit my movement for a few months.”

Barnes underwent emergency back surgery in 2014 after suffering complications from an earlier procedure.

The singer will perform as the headline act at the Adelaide 500 Supercars race on Saturday as scheduled. But he has cancelled the remainder of his live gigs planned for summer to allow time for recovery.

The cancellations include a planned Byron Bay Bluesfest unveiling of his new project band, The Barnestormers.

Scottish-born Barnes joined Adelaide-based Cold Chisel in the early 1970s and the band went on to release a string of hit albums.

He embarked on a successful solo career in 1983, although the band reunited in 1997.

Barnes also had open heart surgery in 2007 to correct a congenital condition.

– AAP