List of Indigenous Australian musicians
Encyclopedia
Solo artists
- Trevor AdamsonTrevor AdamsonTrevor Adamson is a country/gospel singer best known for his song Nyanpi Matilda, a Pitjantjatjara version of Waltzing Matilda. He is from Pukatja, South Australia and sings in both Pitjantjatjara and English...
-- country/gospel singer - Auriel AndrewAuriel AndrewAuriel Andrew is an Indigenous Australian country musician of the Arrernte people of Central Australia.Andrew grew up in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, leaving for Adelaide, South Australia aged 21 to pursue her music career.She appeared in the SBS documentary "Buried Country: The Story of...
-- country musician - Christine AnuChristine Anu-Early life:Anu was born in Cairns, Queensland to a Torres Strait Islander mother from Saibai and Mabuiag Islands.-Career:Anu began performing as a dancer and later went on to sing back-up vocals for The Rainmakers, which included Neil Murray of the Warumpi Band. Her first recording was in 1993...
(Torres Strait Islander) -- pop singer - David ArdenDavid ArdenDavid Arden is an Australian guitar player and singer. He has performed with Archie Roach, Ruby Hunter, Tiddas, Bart Willoughby, Mixed Relations and with members of Goanna, Crowded House, Not Drowning Waving and Hunters and Collectors and Weddings, Parties, Anything...
-- singer and guitar player - George AssangGeorge AssangGeorge Assang was a singer and actor from Thursday Island. He performed under his own name and the stage name Vic Sabrino. Assang was of Aboriginal, Islander and Asian descent....
-- singer and actor - Mark Atkins -- didgeridoo player
- Maroochy BarambahMaroochy BarambahMaroochy Barambah is an Australian Aboriginal mezzo-soprano singer.She was born Yvette Isaacs in the 1950s in Cherbourg, Queensland. She is of the Turrbal-Gubbi Gubbi people and is a member of the Stolen Generations. She considers herself a beneficiary of her removal...
-- mezzo-soprano - Black Allan BarkerBlack Allan BarkerAllan Moarywaalla Barker, known as Black Allan Barker, is a singer and songwriter from Port Hedland. He described his music as "Aboriginal grassroots blues". Barker was a co-founder of Greenpeace Australia. Barker only recorded one album, 1983's Fire Burning...
-- country/blues singer - William BartonWilliam Barton (musician)William Barton is an Australian Aboriginal didgeridoo player. He was born in Mount Isa, Queensland on 4 June 1981. and learned to play from his uncle, an elder of the Wannyi, Lardil and Kalkadunga tribes of Western Queensland...
-- didgeridoo player - Lou BennettLou Bennett (musician)Lou Bennett is an Indigenous Australian musician and actor.Bennett is a Yorta Yorta/Dja Dja Wurrung woman from Echuca.Bennett started her musical career with her uncle's band The Shades. She later joined Richard Frankland's band Djaambi where she met Sally Dastey and Amy Saunders. Bennett, Dastey...
-- musician and actor - Harold BlairHarold BlairHarold Blair AM was an Australian tenor and Aboriginal activist.- Early life :Blair was born at the Cherbourg Aboriginal Reserve, 5 km from Murgon in Queensland. His mother was Esther Quinn, a teenage Aboriginal woman. His surname, Blair, came from the family that had "adopted" his mother...
-- tenor - David BlanasiDavid BlanasiDavid Blanasi was an Aboriginal man of the who is recognised for popularising the didgeridoo beyond the shores of Australia. This can be attributed to Blanasi's first television appearance in London in 1967, where he gave didgeridoo playing demonstrations for the popular Rolf Harris Show...
-- didgeridoo player - BrothablackBrothablackShannon Narrun Williams, known as Brothablack, is a Sydney-based Indigenous Hip Hop performer.Brothablack was a founding member of Deadly award winning group South West Syndicate...
-- hip hop performer - BurragubbaBurragubbaAdrian Burragubba is an Aboriginal Australian musician skilled in didgeridoo particularly known from his many years busking in Brisbane's Queens Street Mall and for having stood for Queensland parliament in 2004 seeking full reimbursement of past Aboriginal wages 'stolen' by the Queensland...
-- didgeridoo player - Sammy ButcherSammy Butcher (musician)Sammy Butcher, an Indigenous Australian, was born at Papunya, Northern Territory in Central Australia. He formed the Warumpi Band with George Burarrwanga, Neil Murray and Gordon Butcher in the late 1970s...
-- guitarist, ex Warumpi Band - Kev CarmodyKev CarmodyKevin Daniel "Kev" Carmody is an Indigenous Australian singer-songwriter. His song "From Little Things Big Things Grow" was recorded with co-writer Paul Kelly for their 1993 single; it was covered by the Get Up Mob in 2008 and peaked at #4 on the Australian Recording Industry Association singles...
-- singer-songwriter - Troy Cassar-DaleyTroy Cassar-DaleyTroy Cassar-Daley is a multi-award-winning country musician from New South Wales, Australia.He released his first EP, "Dream Out Loud", in 1994 and was nominated for his first Golden Guitar for Best Male Vocalist the same year...
-- country musician - Deborah CheethamDeborah CheethamDeborah Joy Cheetham is an Australian Aboriginal soprano, actor, composer and playwright.Cheetham is a member of the Stolen Generations; she was taken from her mother when she was three weeks old and was raised by a white baptist family. Jimmy Little is her uncle...
-- opera singer - Jimmy ChiJimmy ChiJimmy Chi was born in 1948 in Broome, Western Australia, to a Chinese/Japanese/Anglo-Australian father and a Scots/Bardi Aboriginal mother. He is a composer, musician and playwright.- Biography :...
-- composer, musician and playwright - Seaman DanSeaman DanHenry Gibson "Seaman" Dan , known universally as Seaman Dan, is a Torres Strait Islander singer-songwriter with a national and international reputation whose first recording was released in 2000...
(Torres Strait Islander) -- singer and songwriter - Ash DarganAsh DarganAsh Dargan is an indigenous Australian didgeridoo player. He is a member of the Larrakia people but did not find out about his aboriginality until he was 21. He teaches and performs all over the world...
-- didgeridoo player - Alan DarginAlan DarginAlan Dargin was a didgeridoo player from Wee Waa, New South Wales, Australia. He started learning the instrument at age five, being taught by his grandfather...
-- didgeridoo player - Casey DonovanCasey Donovan (singer)-Australian Idol :Donovan transferred to the Australian Institute of Music in Sydney's Surry Hills in 2004 and it was in this year that her stepfather encouraged her to audition for the second season of Australian Idol...
-- pop/rock singer, winner of the 2004 season of Australian IdolAustralian IdolAustralian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on July 2003 and ended its run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive... - Emma Donovan -- singer and songwriter
- Kutcha EdwardsKutcha EdwardsKutcha Edwards is an Indigenous singer and songwriter. He was born in Balranald, New South Wales in 1965. A member of the stolen generation, he was removed from his parents at the age of 18 months. He is a Mutti Mutti man...
-- singer and songwriter - Sharnee FenwickSharnee FenwickSharnee Fenwick is a country singer from Newcastle. Her song "How 'Bout Never" reached the Top 20 on the Australian Country Music Charts. She won a Deadly in 2006 for best new talent. and was nominated in 2007 for single release of the year. She was featured in an episode of SBS's TV series Living...
-- country singer - Leah FlanaganLeah FlanaganLeah Flanagan is a singer-songwriter from Darwin, Northern Territory.She has Italian and Irish heritage. She received a nomination for Best New Artist at the 2008 Deadly Awards. Flanagan and her band released their debut album in 2008...
-- Darwin singer and songwriter - Richard FranklandRichard FranklandFor the nonconformist minister, see Richard Frankland Richard Joseph Frankland is an Australian playwright, scriptwriter and musician. He is an Aboriginal Australian of Gunditjmara origin from Victoria. He has worked significantly for the Aboriginal Australian cause.-Biography:Richard J. Frankland...
-- playwright, musician and activist - Joe GeiaJoe GeiaJoe Geia is an Australian musician of Murri Aboriginal heritage from North Queensland. He is best known as the composer of the song "Yil Lull", which has been recorded by many other artists including Paul Kelly, Archie Roach, Jimmy Barnes, and most recently by the Singers for the Red, Black and...
-- musician, composer of the song "Yil Lull" - Djalu GurruwiwiDjalu GurruwiwiDjalu Gurruwiwi Djalu Gurruwiwi Djalu Gurruwiwi (first name also spelled Djalu; born at Milingimbi Mission on Wirriku Island, one of the smaller islands in the Wessel Islands group, Northern Territory, Australia, in the early 1930s (before World War II) is a senior member of the Galpu clan, of the...
-- didgeridoo player - Grant HansenGrant HansenGrant Hansen is an Australian Indigenous musician and broadcaster.Hansen works as a host of the Marngrook footy show, broadcast on National Indigenous TV and Channel 31, and as a presenter on Melbourne's Indigenous radio station 3KND. Hansen won a Deadly in 2000 for Aboriginal Broadcaster of the...
-- musician and broadcaster - David Hudson -- didgeridoo player
- Ruby HunterRuby HunterRuby Charlotte Margaret Hunter was an Australian singer and songwriter. She was a member of the Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal nationality, and often performed with her partner, Archie Roach, whom she met at the age of 16, while both were homeless teenagers...
-- singer and songwriter - J BoyJ BoyJ Boy is a singer and songwriter from Mount Isa. He is a former member of Native Ryme Syndicate and released his solo debut CD in 2002. J Boy won a Deadly in 2001 for Most Promising New Talent .-References:...
-- R&B singer and songwriter - Adam JamesAdam James (singer)Adam James is an Indigenous Australian country singer from Moreton Bay. He is the host of Letterbox, a TV series broadcast on Fox and NITV. James won a Deadly in 2008 for Best New Talent and was a finalist at the 2008 Toyota Star Maker Quest in Tamworth....
-- country singer - Toni JankeToni JankeToni Janke is an Australian soul singer. She is a mother of two, a lawyer and was Australia's youngest indigenous university graduate. She won a Deadly in 2002 for Female Artist of The Year Janke has Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Malay, Islander and Filipino heritage.-External links:...
-- soul singer - Roger KnoxRoger KnoxRoger Knox is an Australian country singer known as the Black Elvis and the Koori King of Country. He is an Gamilaroi man , was born in Moree and grew up in the Toomelah Aboriginal Mission near Boggabilla near the border between New South Wales and Queensland.In 1980s Knox was in a plane crash that...
-- country singer - Sharon-Lee LaneSharon-Lee LaneSharon-Lee Lane is an Australian country music singer. Her music career took off after her battle with cancer was featured on the channel nine TV series RPA, a battle that was revisited on RPA: Where Are They Now?. She won the 2007 Deadly award for most promising new talent.-References:...
-- country singer - Herbie LaughtonHerbie LaughtonHerbie Laughton is a country singer from Alice Springs, Northern Territory. He was born in 1927 in a creek bed. He was a member of the stolen generation....
-- country singer - Georgia LeeGeorgia Lee (singer)Georgia Lee was a jazz and blues singer from Cairns, Queensland, Australia.Born as Dulcie Rama Pitt, her father was of Jamaican descent and her mother was Indian, Australian Aboriginal, Islander and Scottish. With her sisters Sophie and Heather Pitt, she formed the Harmony Sisters and performed as...
-- jazz and blues singer - Tom E. LewisTom E. LewisTom E. Lewis is a Murrungun man , who is an actor and musician. His first major role was the title role in the 1978 Fred Schepisi film The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith.-Early life:He was born and grew up at Ngukurr in South Eastern Arnhem Land...
-- actor and musician - Jimmy LittleJimmy LittleJimmy Little AO , is an Australian Aboriginal musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist, whose career has spanned six decades. For many years he was the only Aboriginal star on the Australian music scene...
-- country singer - Little GLittle GLittle G is a rapper, actor, dancer and community activist from Melbourne, Victoria. She is of Aboriginal and Greek descent....
-- rapper - Jessica MauboyJessica MauboyJessica Hilda Mauboy , is an Indigenous Australian R&B singer-songwriter and actress. In 2006, Mauboy was the runner-up on the fourth season of Australian Idol, she had auditioned for the talent show in Alice Springs to pursue a recording career...
-- pop and r&b singer, runner-up in the 2006 season of Australian IdolAustralian IdolAustralian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on July 2003 and ended its run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive... - Bobby McLeodBobby McLeodBobby McLeod was an Aboriginal activist, poet, healer, musician and Yuin elder. He was from Wreck Bay Village, Jervis Bay Territory. He was involved in the fight for Aboriginal rights in Australia and travelled the world speaking about cultural lore, health and healing.- Life :Bobby was born in...
-- activist, poet, healer and musician - Ali MillsAli MillsAli Mills is an indigenous singer based in Darwin, Northern Territory. She is a Larrakia woman with some Irish ancestry. Her Kriol version of "Waltzing Matilda" sung in her Gurindji-Kungarakan language has received national airplay. She was a member of Darwin group Mills Sisters before going solo...
-- singer from Darwin - Rita MillsRita MillsRita Mills was a singer from the Torres Strait Islands. She was previously part of the Mills Sisters with her sisters Cessa and Ina. She was born in 1934 on Naghir Island in Torres Strait. She lived on Thursday Island and during World War II was temporally evacuated to the mainland...
-- singer from Torres Strait Islands - Shellie MorrisShellie MorrisShellie Morris is an Australian indigenous singer/songwriter who plays a mix of contemporary folk music and contemporary acoustic ballads. She was raised in Sydney and began singing at an early age...
-- singer, song writer - MunkimukMunkimukMark Ross, known as Munk or Munkimuk is a Sydney based Indigenous Hip Hop performer. He is known as The Godfather of Indigenous Hip Hop and has been performing since 1984 as a breakdancer and rapping since 1988. He is known for his music production, MCíng, breakdancing, event hosting and radio...
-- hip hop artist - Johnny NicolJohnny NicolJohnny Nicol is a jazz singer born in Ayr, Queensland.Nicol began his career in 1958 as a member of The Maori Troubadours and recorded an album, A Little This, A Little That, with them...
-- jazz singer - Rachel PerkinsRachel PerkinsRachel Perkins is a film and television director, film and television producer and a writer. She is known for her films Bran Nue Dae, Radiance and One Night the Moon. Perkins is an Arrernte woman from Central Australia, who was raised in Canberra by parents Eileen and Charles Perkins...
-- director, producer, screenwriter and singer - Bob RandallBob RandallBob Randall is a member of the Stolen Generations and former Indigenous Person of the Year. He is credited with bringing to light the issue of forced removal of Aboriginal children from their families, in 1970...
-- singer and author - Wilma ReadingWilma ReadingWilma Reading is a singer from Cairns, Queensland.Reading begun her singing career in 1959 after singing for friends in a Brisbane jazz club. She has performed on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, had a residency at New York's Copacabana nightclub, and toured with Duke Ellington...
-- jazz singer - Archie RoachArchie RoachArchie Roach is an Australian musician. A singer, songwriter and guitarist, he survived a turbulent upbringing to develop into a powerful voice for Indigenous Australians, a storyteller in the tradition of his ancestors, and a nationally popular and respected artist.- Biography :In his own words,...
-- singer, songwriter and guitarist - George RrurrambuGeorge RrurrambuGeorge Burarrwanga , known in life as George Rrurrambu, was a Yolngu man from Elcho Island in Arnhem Land. He was an icon of Aboriginal rock music, and was most well known as the charismatic frontman of the Warumpi Band....
-- rock singer, ex Warumpi Band - Vic SimmsVic SimmsWilliam Victor Simms, known as Vic Simms and Vicki Simms, is an Australian singer and song writer. He is from La Perouse, New South Wales and is a Bidjigal man....
-- singer and songwriter - Dan SultanDan SultanDan Sultan is an Australian singer and songwriter. Sultan plays what he calls country soul rock ‘n’ roll.-Biography:Daniel Leo Sultan was born in 1983 and grew up in Williamstown, Melbourne. His father was Irish and his mother, Roslyn Sultan, was Aboriginal from the Arrernte and Gurindji people...
-- rock singer - Richard WalleyRichard WalleyDr Richard Walley OAM is a Nyoongar man, one of Australia's leading Aboriginal performers, musicians and writers, who has been a campaigner for the Indigenous cause.-Biography:...
-- actavist and didgeridoo player - Rochelle WatsonRochelle WatsonRochelle Watson is an Australian R&B and Soul singer. She won the 1999 Deadly award for Most Promising New Talent.-References:...
-- R&B and Soul singer - David WilliamsDavid Williams (didgeridoo)David Williams was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, on 28 January 1983 and is an Australian musician and artist.-Life:David Williams is a descendant of the Wakka Wakka people from central southwest Queensland, he was brought up with his culture in suburban Rockhampton,...
-- didgeridoo player - Gus WilliamsGus Williams (musician)Kasper Gus Ntjalka Williams OAM, known as Gus Williams was a country singer from Hermannsburg in Central Australia. He was an Arrernte man, who was born in Alice Springs. He was the father of country star Warren H Williams.In 1983 Williams was given a Medal of the Order of Australia for services...
-- country musician, community leader - Warren H WilliamsWarren H WilliamsWarren Hedley Williams is a singer, musician and song writer from Hermannsburg in Central Australia. Williams is an Arrernte man who plays country music. He started playing guitar at six with his father Gus Williams...
-- country musician - Bart WilloughbyBart WilloughbyBart Willoughby is an Indigenous Australian musician, noted for his pioneering fusion of reggae with Indigenous Australian musical influences, and for his contribution to growth of Indigenous music in Australia....
-- musician, No Fixed Address, Coloured Stone, Mixed Relations - Frank YammaFrank YammaFrank Yamma is an Australian musician.Frank is a singer and song writer from Central Australia and is a Pitjantjatjara man who speaks 5 languages and sings in both Pitjantjatjara and English...
-- indigenous roots musician - Isaac YammaIsaac YammaIsaac Yamma was a country singer from Central Australia. He was a Pitjantjatjara man who was born by a waterhole near Docker River . He started his musical career as a member of Areyonga Desert Tigers...
-- country musician - Dougie YoungDougie YoungDougie Young was a singer and songwriter from South West Queensland. Young had a white father and a Gurnu mother.Earlier in his life he worked as a stockman, during which he learnt the guitar and started writing songs. A riding accident later ended his working as a stockman...
-- country musician - Ursula YovichUrsula YovichUrsula Yovich is an actress and singer. She received a Helpmann Award in 2007 for her performance in Capricornia and was nominated in 2005 for her performance in The Sapphires...
-- actress and singer - Geoffrey Gurrumul YunupinguGeoffrey Gurrumul YunupinguGeoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu is an Indigenous Australian musician, who sings in the Yolngu language.He was born in Galiwin'ku , off the coast of Arnhem Land, Northern Australia about 350 miles from Darwin. He is from the Gumatj clan of the Yolngu and his mother from the Galpu nation...
-- singer and guitarist, Yothu Yindi, Saltwater Band - Mandawuy YunupinguMandawuy YunupinguMandawuy Yunupingu , born 17 September 1956, is an Aboriginal Australian musician, most notable for being the front man of the band Yothu Yindi.-Early life:...
-- singer,community leader, Yothu Yindi
Indigenous bands
See also CAAMA, Aboriginal rockAboriginal rock
Aboriginal rock refers to a style of music which mixes rock music with the instrumentation and singing styles of Aboriginal people. Two countries with prominent Aboriginal rock scenes are Australia and Canada.-Australia:...
, The Deadlys
The Deadlys
The Deadlys are an annual celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. Vibe Australia hosts the awards, which for have been held at the Sydney Opera House since 2001. The first Deadly awards were held in 1995...
, Stompen Ground, Vibe Australia
Vibe Australia
Vibe Australia Pty Ltd is an Aboriginal media, communications and events management agency. Located in Darlinghurst, Sydney, New South Wales, they work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people throughout Australia.-Productions:Vibe produces:...
- Aim 4 MoreAim 4 MoreAim 4 More is an indigenous Australian band. They released their debut self-titled CD in 1997. They won a Deadly in 1997 for Most Promising New Talent. They were features in the ABC tv show Defining Black....
-- Brisband band - AmundaAmundaAmunda are a rock band from Alice Springs formed in 1985. The band's name is based on Mbantua, the Arrernte word for meeting place, which is associated with the spring at Heavitree Gap in the MacDonnell Ranges at Alice Springs....
-- rock band from Alice Springs - BanawurunBanawurunBanawurun is a band from Queensland. Their music has been described aa "outback Motown". They started in 2004 as a duo of Troy Brady and Trevelyn Brady. They expanded and became Troy n Trevelyn & The Tribe and changed their name in 2007 to Banawurun . Troy and Trevelyn had previously worked...
-- "outback motown" band - The Black Arm BandThe Black Arm BandThe Black Arm Band is a collection of some of Australia's premier Indigeous musicians. The band, conceived by Artistic Director Steven Richardson, was brought together "to perform, promote and celebrate contempary Australian Indigenous music". Members come from all over the country and have diverse...
-- concert band of some of Australia's premier Indigenous musicians. - Black ImageBlack ImageBlack Image is a band from north Queensland, Australia. Band members have been brothers Vincent, Anselm, Dylan, Damien and Clifford Harrigan, their cousin Quinton Walker and Patrick Nandy. They won a Deadly in 2007 for Band of the Year....
-- North Queensland band - BlackfireBlackfire (Australian band)Blackfire was a Melbourne based Koori band. They were formed in late 1992 and disbanded in 1999. Members included Kutcha Edwards, Grant Hansen, Selwyn Burns , Kelli McGuiness and Bradley Brown...
-- rock band from MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater... - BlackstormBlackstormBlackstorm are a rock/blues band from Yuendumu in the Northern Territory. The members are Warlpiri and their songs are sung in Warlpiri and English. The band was nominated for a Deadly for Best Band in 2001....
-- rock/blues band from Yuendumu - Blekbala MujikBlekbala MujikBlekbala Mujik is a musical group based in from Arnhem Land, Australia. They have a unique pop/rock/dance/reggae sound and have a huge support base for their live shows and recordings. They are cited in the World Music: The Rough Guide as next best known to Yothu Yindi-History:Blekbala Mujik was...
(Blackfella Music) -- band from Arnhem Land - Coloured StoneColoured StoneColoured Stone is a band from the Koonibba Mission, west of Ceduna, South Australia. Their sound has been described as having a unique feel and Aboriginal qualities...
-- rock/reggae group from Ceduna - The Country LadsThe Country LadsThe Country Lads are an Australian Indigenous band who played country rock with gospel themes. They released two albums through CAAMA Music, The Country Lads and, with Irwin Inkamala, Hermannsberg Mountain ....
-- country rock band - DeadheartDeadheartDeadheart is an Australian rock/pop band from Geelong. The band released two albums in the 90s and finished in 2000 when singer and songwriter Ron Thorpe was killed in a car accident. Thorpe had previously played with No Fixed Address and performed on the Terrasphere album and had been removed from...
-- rock/pop band from Geelong. - DjaambiDjaambiDjaambi were a band from Melbourne, Victoria containing both Aboriginal and white members formed by Richard Frankland. Three other members later formed the band Tiddas Djaambi released a selftitled album in 1990 and supported Prince on his Australian Tour in 1991.Djaambi were the subjects of the...
-- band from Melbourne, Victoria - The DonovansThe DonovansThe Donovans is an Australian Aboriginal country band. It comprises the Donovan brothers and Troy Russell. They won a Deadly Award in 2004.They are members of a large musical family who were profiled in an episode of ABC's Dynasties television series...
-- country band based around the Donovan family - Fitzroy XpressFitzroy XpressFitzroy Xpress is an indigenous Aboriginal country rock band from the remote Kimberley town of Fitzroy Crossing, Western Australia-Career:They performed at the Stompen Ground festival in 1992, 1996 and 1998, the Fremantle Arts Festival in 1997 and the "Don’t Dam the River" concert in Broome in 1999...
-- country rock group from Fitzroy Crossing - Ilkari MaruIlkari MaruIlkari Maru is a Central Australian Indigenous band from the 1980s. They played country rock music and sing in English and Pitjantjatjara. They released two albums through CAAMA Music, Ilkari Maru and Lightning Strikes ....
-- rock band from Central Australia - KucklesKucklesKuckles is an Australian band. They formed in 1981 by students from Broome, Western Australia studying at the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music in Adelaide. Their music moved from acoustic calypso toward an electric reggae/rock style...
-- Broome band featuring Jimmy Chi - Kulumindini BandKulumindini BandKulumindini Band are an aboriginal rock band from Elliott, Northern Territory. They are named after a Jingili dreaming site. The members are Jingili-Mudbura people and they sing in both Mudbura and English. In 2008 they were inducted into the hall of fame at the NT Indigenous Music Awards....
-- rock band from Elliott, Northern TerritoryElliott, Northern TerritoryElliott is a town in Northern Territory, Australia. It is located almost halfway between Darwin and Alice Springs on the Stuart Highway. The town is in the Yapurkulangu ward of the Barkly Shire. The area is the home of the Jingili people and the traditional name of the town is Kulumindini... - Lajamanu Teenage BandLajamanu Teenage BandLajamanu Teenage Band are a rock band from Lajamanu, a town located about 600 km to the north of Yuendumu. The members are Warlpiri and their songs are sung in Warlpiri and English. They are popular in the Aboriginal communities...
-- rock band from Lajamanu, Northern TerritoryLajamanu, Northern TerritoryLajamanu is a small town of the Northern Territory in Australia. It has a population of 669 , of which a significant amount are of Aboriginal origin... - The Last KinectionThe Last KinectionThe Last Kinection are an Indigenous hip-hop group from Newcastle, New South Wales.They were formed in 2006 Joel Wenitong and DJ Jay Tee from Local Knowledge and Naomi Wenitong from Shakaya. They first came to attention with their reworking of the Peter Allen tune "I Still Call Australia Home"...
-- hip-hop group from Newcastle, New South WalesNewcastle, New South WalesThe Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas... - Letterstick BandLetterstick BandLetterstick Band are a band from Northeast Arnhem Land in Australia. The members are from the An-Barra Clan on the coast near Maningrida. They are named after the wooden tools on which messages are carved to communicate between places...
-- reggae/rock band from Northeast Arnhem Land - Local KnowledgeLocal Knowledge (band)Local Knowledge were an Indigenous hip-hop group from Newcastle, New South Wales.They were formed in 2002 by brothers Abie and Wok Wright and Joel Wenitong with DJ Jay Tee joining later. They disbanded in 2006...
-- hip-hop group from Newcastle, New South WalesNewcastle, New South WalesThe Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas... - The Medics -- rock band from Cairns, QueenslandCairns, QueenslandCairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia, founded 1876. The city was named after William Wellington Cairns, then-current Governor of Queensland. It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was...
- Mills SistersMills SistersMills Sisters is a group of three sisters from Torres Strait Islands, Rita and twins Cessa and Ina. All three sang and Rita played guitar, Cessa the ukulele and Ina the tambourine. Cessa and Ina retired in 1996 and Rita continued on a solo career. They started singing in the 1950s and in the 80s...
-- band from Torres Strait Islands - Mixed RelationsMixed RelationsMixed Relations are an Australian band formed by Bart Willoughby. They play a mixture of reggae, pop, rock and jazz.Mixed Relations have toured extensively throughout the Aboriginal communities, Australian cities, Pacific Islands, New Zealand, USA, Europe and Hong Kong...
-- reggae, pop, rock and jazz band - NabarlekNabarlek (band)Nabarlek are an Indigenous Roots band from Manmoyi, a tiny community in Arnhem Land, 215 kilometres from the remote community of Gunbalanya . The band formed in 1985 as a group of singers and dancers with a couple of busted guitars and flour tins for drums...
-- Indigenous Roots band from Arnhem LandArnhem LandThe Arnhem Land Region is one of the five regions of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around 500 km from the territory capital Darwin. The region has an area of 97,000 km² which also covers the area of Kakadu National... - Native Ryme SyndicateNative Ryme SyndicateNative Ryme Syndicate is a Brisbane based rap group. Native Ryme Syndicate won a Deadly award in 1998 for Most Promising New Talent They have played with Spiderbait, Regurgitator and 28 Days and at the Big Day Out and Livid festivals....
-- Brisbane rap group - No Fixed AddressNo Fixed AddressNo Fixed Address is an Australian Aboriginal reggae group formed in 1978. Led by Bart Willoughby, the band supported Peter Tosh on his 1982 Australian tour...
-- reggae/ska/rock band from Ceduna - NoKTuRNLNoKTuRNLNokturnl is a band formed in 1996 in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia. Sometimes called rap metal their music is hard to categorise, but their lyrics are influenced by their experience as Indigenous Australians. Nokturnl won "Band of the Year" at The Deadlys in 1998, 2000 and 2003.They...
-- hip hop/metal group from Alice Springs - North Tanami BandNorth Tanami BandNorth Tanami Band are a reggae/ska band from Lajamanu, a town located about 600 km to the north of Yuendumu. The members are Warlpiri and their songs are sung in Warlpiri and English...
-- reggae/ska band from Lajamanu, Northern TerritoryLajamanu, Northern TerritoryLajamanu is a small town of the Northern Territory in Australia. It has a population of 669 , of which a significant amount are of Aboriginal origin... - Ntaria Ladies ChoirNtaria Ladies ChoirNtaria Ladies Choir are a choir from Hermannsburg in Central Australia. The members are aboriginal women from the area and they sing a mixture of English and Arrente. The choir has its roots in work done by Lutheran Pastors Kemp and Schwartz in 1887 They created an Arrente language hymn book from...
-- choir from Hermannsburg, Northern TerritoryHermannsburg, Northern TerritoryHermannsburg is an Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory of Australia, 131 km southwest of Alice Springs. It is known in the local Western Arrernte language as Ntaria.... - The Pigram BrothersThe Pigram BrothersThe Pigram Brothers are a 7 piece Indigenous Australian band from the pearling town of Broome, Western Australia formed in 1996.They were heavily involved in Broome's musical and theatrical exports - forming the original backing band for Jimmy Chi's Bran Nue Dae in 1990 – a musical that received...
-- country/folk group from BroomeBroome, Western AustraliaBroome is a pearling and tourist town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, north of Perth. The year round population is approximately 14,436, growing to more than 45,000 per month during the tourist season... - Saltwater BandSaltwater BandSaltwater Band are an Indigenous Roots band from Galiwin'ku on Elcho Island, around 560 kilometres from Darwin. The members are Yolngu and they sing mostly in language. Their songs are a mixture of traditional songs and reggae/ska influenced pop...
-- Indigenous Roots band from Galiwin'ku on Elcho IslandElcho IslandElcho Island is an island off the coast of Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. It is located at the southern end of the Wessel Islands group located in the East Arnhem Region. The island's largest community is the settlement of Galiwin'ku.... - Scrap Metal -- country/reggae band from Broome, Western AustraliaBroome, Western AustraliaBroome is a pearling and tourist town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, north of Perth. The year round population is approximately 14,436, growing to more than 45,000 per month during the tourist season...
- ShakayaShakayaShakaya were a two-piece girl group from Australia, that consisted of Simone Stacey and Naomi Wenitong, two Cairns, North Queensland based songwriters and performers. The two met at the Atsic Music College in 1999 while studying an Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander music course and they had...
-- two piece girl group - Soft SandsSoft SandsSoft Sands are a country and gospel band from Galiwin'ku in Arnhem Land formed in 1970. They were one of the first Arnhem Land bands to incorporate contempary instruments, music styles and technologies into their music and have had a major influence on the development of popular music in top end....
-- country and gospel band from Galiwin'ku on Elcho IslandElcho IslandElcho Island is an island off the coast of Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. It is located at the southern end of the Wessel Islands group located in the East Arnhem Region. The island's largest community is the settlement of Galiwin'ku.... - South West SyndicateSouth West SyndicateSouth West Syndicate were an Australian hip-hop collective from Sydney. They started performing in 1992. and have been made up of Aboriginal, Lebanese-Australian, Pacific Islander, Croatian, German and Anglo hip hop artists...
-- hip hip group - Spin.FXSpin.FXSpin.FX is a Central Australian Indigenous band from the community of Papunya, Northern Territory. They sing in Luritja and play a mixture of reggae, rock, country and traditional sounds...
-- reggae, rock, country band from Papunya, Northern TerritoryPapunya, Northern TerritoryPapunya is a small Indigenous Australian community of about 299 people roughly 240 km northwest of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Australia... - Stiff GinsStiff GinsStiff Gins are an Indigenous Australian band from Sydney. They call their music "acoustic with harmonies" and are regularly compared to Tiddas. The band was formed by Emma Donovan, Nardi Simpson and Kaleena Briggs after meeting at the Eora Centre while studying music...
-- acoustic group from SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... - Street WarriorsStreet WarriorsStreet Warriors are an Australian hip hop group. The group is made up of brothers Abie and Warwick Wright from Local Knowledge. They perform in both English and the Awabakal language...
-- hip-hop group from Newcastle, New South WalesNewcastle, New South WalesThe Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas... - Sunrize BandSunrize BandSunrize Band are a rock band from the Northern Territory.Sunrize Band are from the remote community of Maningrida in the Arnhem Land and were the first band signed to Triple-J's record label.-Discography:Albums* Sunset to rize!...
-- rock band from Maningrida - ThylacineThylacine (band)Thylacine were a three piece Australia rock band from the Northern Territory who were active during the 1990s. They released two albums through CAAMA music, Thylacine Live and Nightmare Dreaming ....
-- rock band from Darwin, Northern TerritoryDarwin, Northern TerritoryDarwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities... - TiddasTiddasTiddas are a three piece all-girl folk band from Victoria, Australia.-Biography:Originally the three women, Amy Saunders , Lou Bennett and Sally Dastey combined their vocal talents as backing singers for Aboriginal band Djaambi, led by Saunder's brother Richard Frankland in 1990...
-- three girl folk band from Victoria, Australia - Tjimba and the Yung WarriorsTjimba and the Yung WarriorsTjimba and the Yung Warriors are an Australian hip hop group.They released their debut album Warrior 4 Life in August 2007. They played at 2008 Big Day Out, at Yabun in Sydney, at the World Indigenous Peoples Conference: Education in Melbourne and supported 50 Cent...
-- hip hop group from MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater... - Tjupi BandTjupi BandTjupi Band is an is a Central Australian Indigenous band from the community of Papunya, Northern Territory. They sing in Luritja and English and play desert reggae...
-- reggae band from Papunya, Northern TerritoryPapunya, Northern TerritoryPapunya is a small Indigenous Australian community of about 299 people roughly 240 km northwest of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Australia... - Us MobUs MobUs Mob were an early Aboriginal rock band from South Australia. The band was formed with the help of the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music in Adelaide.- Overview :...
-- rock band from South AustraliaSouth AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland... - Warumpi BandWarumpi BandThe Warumpi Band is an Australian band from the bush, coming from Papunya, Northern Territory, Australia.The band was formed in 1980 by Neil Murray, a Victorian "whitefella" working in the region as a schoolteacher and labourer, George Burarrwanga, from Elcho Island, and local boys Gordon and...
-- rock/reggae group from Papunya - The Wilcannia MobThe Wilcannia MobThe Wilcannia Mob is a rap/hip-hop musical group of five aboriginal boys from Wilcannia, New South Wales, Australia. The group members are Wally Ebsworth, Keith Dutton, Colin "Colroy" Johnson, Lendal King, and Buddy Blair...
-- rap/hip-hop group from Wilcannia, New South WalesNew South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales... - Harry and Wilga WilliamsHarry and Wilga WilliamsHarry and Wilga Williams were an Indigenous Australian husband and wife duet who performed professionally between the 1960s and 1980s. Harry Williams was called the godfather of Koori country and Wilga the first lady...
-- country music artists - Wirrinyga BandWirrinyga BandWirrinyga Band are a rock band from Milingimbi, a small island in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. The band members are Yolngu...
-- rock band from Milingimbi, Northern TerritoryNorthern TerritoryThe Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions... - Yabu BandYabu BandYabu Band is a Aboriginal band formed in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. Yabu is a Wogutha word for rock. They are made up of brothers Delson and Boyd Stokes with Jade Masters. Live they are joined by Roy Martinez and Lilly Gogos Tony Shaw and Tim Ayre...
-- desert rock/reggae band - Yothu YindiYothu YindiYothu Yindi are an Australian band with Aboriginal and balanda members formed in 1986. Aboriginal members come from Yolngu homelands near Yirrkala on the Gove Peninsula in Northern Territory's Arnhem Land...
-- rock/folk group from Arnhem LandArnhem LandThe Arnhem Land Region is one of the five regions of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around 500 km from the territory capital Darwin. The region has an area of 97,000 km² which also covers the area of Kakadu National... - YugulYugulYugul are a blues band from Ngukurr, a small community in southeast Arnhem Land. They are the first Aboriginal blues band in the Northern Territory. They released their debut album in 2003 with help from Charles Darwin University....
-- blues band
See also
- Indigenous Australian musicIndigenous Australian musicAustralian indigenous music includes the music of Australian Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, who are collectively called Indigenous Australians; it incorporates a variety of distinctive traditional music styles practiced by Indigenous Australian peoples, as well as a range of contemporary...
- Aboriginal rockAboriginal rockAboriginal rock refers to a style of music which mixes rock music with the instrumentation and singing styles of Aboriginal people. Two countries with prominent Aboriginal rock scenes are Australia and Canada.-Australia:...
- Vibe AustraliaVibe AustraliaVibe Australia Pty Ltd is an Aboriginal media, communications and events management agency. Located in Darlinghurst, Sydney, New South Wales, they work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people throughout Australia.-Productions:Vibe produces:...
- List of Indigenous Australian performing artists