His singing voice has drawn great attention and acclaim with his music. The book includes interviews with family and friends, song lyrics and exclusive photographs. Oct 06, 2010 geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu bapa posted on october 6, 2010 by australianlanguages kirsten. Robert hillman joined mornings to discuss his book gurrumul. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu is a blind aboriginal singersongwriter and guitarist from the gumatj clan of the yolngu people of australias north east arnhem land. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu was born blind and grew up in an indigenous culture with a rich oral history on elcho island off the north coast of. It also won two arias the australian grammy best world music album. The book this unique indigenous man is one of the most inspiring music stories of our generation. On stage with accoustic guitar, drums and upright bass allows for his voice to be centre stage. Gurrumul yunupingu album is first in indigenous language to. His solo excursions highlight his amazing talent as a singer songwritermusician and his beautiful voice singing the songs of his gumatj country. Central to gurrumul s career was michael hohnen, a musician and producer who established skinnyfish records and was the first to encourage the shy singer to step out from the saltwater band to.
Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu born blind aboriginal singer. I was born blind and i dont know why god knows why because he love me so as i grew up, my spirit knew then i learnt to read the world of. On november 23, 2012 the album was certified silver in the united kingdom for sales of 60,000 copies. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingus profile including the latest music, albums, songs, music videos and more updates. Gurrumul s music, like all honest creative work, transcended language and cultural barriers, making him the highest selling aboriginal singer songwriter in australian history. Check out geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu on amazon music. Gurrumuls musical exceptional skills on drums, keyboards, guitar and digeridoo were largely selftaught, despite being born blind. Indigenous singing legend dr g yunupingu has died just 46. Gurrumul, geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu, craig pilkington. Yunupingu, geoffrey gurrumul 19712017 worldcat identities. But that will not be quite the same, for i am listening to the cd that comes with this gorgeous book by robert hillman, and every track seems more haunting than the last it is, the blurb tells me, an exclusive cd of remixed songs from his bestselling albums gurrumul and. He becomes the first indigenous singer to sing in his native language to reach no.
Jan 05, 2019 geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu is the lead singer of the saltwater band and the former keyboard player and guitarist of yothu yindi. Ok, i was interested by the aboriginal side of things here, but the music is very much western like folk, and the lyrics of the track in english are silly and deals with god, so overall i ended up with the feeling that this whole aboriginal thing is only marketing. New documentary on the late aboriginal musician gurrumul at the. This unique indigenous man is one of the most inspiring music stories of our generation. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu gurrumul lyrics and tracklist. Part road trip, part biography, robert hillmans account of gurrumuls life and music offers rare insights into the sources of his inspiration. Indigenous australian music, postminimalism, singer songwriter. His first album as an acoustic artist, gurrumul, was released in australia in 2008 and went double platinum. Why gurrumul is australias most important documentary nitv. Paul kelly, kev carmody remember gough in song duration. An unbelievable voice that will make you feel transported out of this world. He was born on elcho island, off the coast of arnhem land, northern australia about 350 miles from darwin. Mar 30, 2015 geoffery gurrumul yunupingu is the blind indigenous singer best known in australia for his unique voice, aria nominations, two number three albums and stunning archibald prizewinning portrait. Gurrumul hospital row highlights indigenous health obstacles.
Indigenous australian music, postminimalism, singersongwriter. He is from the gumatj clan of the yolngu and his mother from the galpu nation. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu, a blind aboriginal musician renowned for singing in his native yolngu language with a heartrending voice, died july 25 in darwin, australia. His solo excursions highlight his amazing talent as a singersongwritermusician and his beautiful voice singing the songs of his gumatj country. Get all the lyrics to songs on gurrumul and join the genius community of music scholars to learn the meaning behind the lyrics. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu is within the scope of wikiproject australia, which aims to improve wikipedia s coverage of australia and australiarelated topics. Most of his songs are sung in galpu, gumatj or djambarrpuyngu, which are all languages of the yolngu people of northeastern arnhem land. Moving, mesmerising and genuinely from the heart, the extraordinary new australian documentary holds a mirror to the unique life and music of the late indigenous singersongwriter gurrumul yunupingu. For students who have not heard gurrumul singing, there are several sites. In october 2010, it was listed in the top 30 in the book, 100 best australian albums. Singer and guitarist whose soulful voice and songs blending western musical styles and australian indigenous culture made him a world music celebrity published. Singing in his native yolngu tongue, gurrumul yunupingu uses his selftitled debut he had previously been part of the massively successful yothu yindi to showcase a vocal talent rarely heard in any culture, but especially surprising against the backdrop of the usually repetitive, frenetic australian aboriginal forms. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu music, videos, stats, and. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu, gurrumul, matthew cunliffe.
A multiinstrumentalist, he played drums, keyboards, guitar a righthandstrung guitar played lefthanded and didgeridoo, but it was the clarity of his singing voice that attracted rave. The track gurrumul history i was born blind also won a deadly for single of the year. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu listen and stream free. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu is the lead singer of the saltwater band and the former keyboard player and guitarist of yothu yindi. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingus final album djarimirri child of the rainbow, released posthumously last week, becomes the first in an australian indigenous language to. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu music, videos, stats, and photos. And as for the solo success of the year, it was, without question, geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu, a blind aboriginal singer who comes from the remote territory of northeast arnhem land in australia, and sings mostly in the dialects of the gumatj clan. So ive bring back classic albums posttag for gurrumul by geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu but as noted just above, i did try to leave. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu biography, albums, streaming. It follows in the footsteps of the multi aria award winning double platinum debut album released in february 2008 and which has gone on to sell half a. Gurrumuls selftitled debut album topped australias independent music charts earlier this year.
Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu 22 january 1971 25 july 2017, also referred to since his death as dr g yunupingu, was an indigenous australian musician. Find geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu bio, music, credits. Apr 23, 20 but that will not be quite the same, for i am listening to the cd that comes with this gorgeous book by robert hillman, and every track seems more haunting than the last it is, the blurb tells me, an exclusive cd of remixed songs from his bestselling albums gurrumul and rrakala featuring rare remixes of the. While traditional aboriginal music tends to be loud and percussive. Gurrumul grew up on elcho island, in the community of galiwinku. Apr 21, 2018 local indigenous artist geoffrey gurrumul. Celebrated by audiences at home and abroad, indigenous artist geoffrey gurrumul. Gurrumuls producer, collaborator and friend michael hohnen talks about the aboriginal and blindfrombirth musician who was described by. Yunupingu shot to fame on the strength of his haunting. He became the highestselling aboriginal artist in history, selling more than half a million copies of his albums, singing in yolngu and some english.
The late geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu, the blind yolngu orpheus who can see with his heart. Gurrumul is remembered today as one of the most important figures in australian music history, blind from birth and emerging from the remote. Those who practise avoidance of naming the dead are advised that this article may include the full name, voice, images of this person. Moving, mesmerising and genuinely from the heart, the extraordinary new australian documentary holds a mirror to the unique life and music of the late indigenous singer songwriter gurrumul yunupingu. Central to gurrumuls career was michael hohnen, a musician and producer who established skinnyfish records and was the first to encourage the shy singer to step out from the saltwater band to. Mgm distribution, umg on behalf of skinnyfish music. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu simple english wikipedia, the. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu, an aboriginal australian singer whose soulful voice and prodigious guitar playing took him from the remote island of. Hes also a 46yearold yolngu man from australias far north, a member of one the countrys most. Jul 25, 2017 find geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu bio, music, credits. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu born 1970 is an indigenous australian musician, who sings in the yolngu language. With geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu, mark grose, michael hohnen, sting. Aug 09, 2017 gurrumuls music, like all honest creative work, transcended language and cultural barriers, making him the highest selling aboriginal singersongwriter in australian history.
Well perhaps not finallyi couldnt resist adding this beautiful example of geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu singing in yol. Gurrumul, the astonishingly talented blind australian aboriginal singer, has sadly passed away at the very young age of 46 years. May 01, 2015 gurrumul, an aboriginal singersongwriter, sang about tradition and relationships in a concert at subculture in the east village. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu 22 january 1971 25 july 2017, also referred to since his.
His music is a lasting testament to his amazing talent and his worldwide contributions to keeping his culture alive. From concert halls to recording studios and into aboriginal heartlands, this is the story of australias geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu. Gurrumul bio highlights impact of aboriginal musicians. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu was a charting, awardwinning singer, songwriter, and multiinstrumentalist from australia. It follows in the footsteps of the multi aria award winning double platinum debut album released in february 2008 and which has gone on to sell half a million copies worldwide. Gurrumuls music, like all honest creative work, transcended language and cultural barriers, making him the highest selling aboriginal singersongwriter in australian history. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu gurrumul history i was born blind. Blind from birth, geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu is a powerhouse of musical creativity. Jul 26, 2017 geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu, an aboriginal australian singer whose soulful voice and prodigious guitar playing took him from the remote island of his birth to concert halls around the world, died. This article is about an aboriginal australian person who has recently died. Gurrumul, geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu rrakala amazon. Award accepted by jasmine yunupingu on behalf of artist of the year gurrumul yunupingu geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu is a gumatj man from galiwinku on elcho island in the northern territory.
At the time of his passing he was the bestknown aboriginal musician in australias history, with multiplatinum album success as proof. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu bapa posted on october 6, 2010 by australianlanguages kirsten. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu bapa australian aboriginal. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu, worldrenowned aboriginal.
The album reached 3x platinum sales in excess of 210,000. Gurrumul is a portrait of an artist on the brink of global reverence, and the struggles he and those closest to him faced in balancing that which mattered most to him and keeping the show on the road. From concert halls to recording studios and into aboriginal heartlands, thi. Stream adfree or purchase cds and mp3s now on amazon. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu, hauntingly beautiful song in his native tongue, you dont need a translation when the music touches your heart grief have taken hold of me for my father when the sun. Celebrated by audiences at home and abroad, indigenous artist geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu was one of the most important and acclaimed. C this article has been rated as cclass on the projects quality scale.
Aboriginal singer gurrumul sings live on stage in darwin. Music profile for geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu, born 22 january 1971. Mar 28, 2009 geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu born 1970 is an indigenous australian musician, who sings in the yolngu language. In recent years there has been much media focus on the poor conditions in aboriginal communities, but there is something to be said for aboriginals peoples approach to what the rest of us think of as disability. Oct 19, 2008 geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu, hauntingly beautiful song in his native tongue, you dont need a translation when the music touches your heart grief have taken hold of me for my father when the sun. Apr 14, 2016 g eoffrey gurrumul yunupingu is a multiaward winning singer who has toured the world. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu 22 january 1971 25 july 2017, often known simply as gurrumul, was an indigenous australian musician. He was the most commercially successful aboriginal australian musician at the time of his.
Gurrumul s selftitled debut album topped australias independent music charts earlier this year. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu listen and stream free music. If gurrumuls life and music comprise an invitation to his country, his culture and their unexplained mysteries, this book is a gracious act of acceptance. Geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu listen and stream free music, albums, new releases, photos, videos. G eoffrey gurrumul yunupingu is a multiaward winning singer who has toured the world. If you would like to participate, visit the project page. Geoffery gurrumul yunupingu is the blind indigenous singer best known in australia for his unique voice, aria nominations, two number three.
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