how did gurrumul go blind

Gurrumul Yunupingu 1971 2017 Born blind, his powerfully emotive yet fragile voice has affected the public unlike any other Australian artist. Guido Maestri saw Gurrumul perform in Sydney on New Year's Eve 2008 and found it unforgettable. It relies heavily on repetition, and Yolngu songs are traditionally quite short, so Gurrumul's vocal contributions are fleeting. So by the time he was Gurrumul, he was ready.". In what has already made history by being the first album sung entirely in language to top the charts on it's release, we see the final musical masterpiece, the posthumously released. [24] He also won three Deadlys, winning for Artist of the Year, Album of the Year for Gurrumul and Single of the Year for "Gurrumul History (I Was Born Blind)". On his left upper forehead, a circular shape of white untouched canvas indicates the light source. Simply so, what causes gurrumul blindness? Jasmine YunupinguGeoffrey Gurrumul . Gurrumul first came to the worlds attention when his self-titled debut album Gurrumul was released to international acclaim in 2008. ", Djarimirri is primarily about legacy. It is like a celebration.'. [38], In November 2020, Decca Records announced they had signed to the rights to Yunupingu's catalogue and future recordings, announcing forthcoming releases, including limited-edition vinyls, a box set and collaborations among a slate of projects. To see without seeing? Lighthearted yarn on all things NBA and NBL, Join Narelda Jacobs and John Paul Janke to get unique Indigenous perspectives and cutting-edge analysis of the biggest stories of the week. Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu - History (I Was Born Blind) - YouTube 0:00 / 3:47 Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu - History (I Was Born Blind) DramaticoMusic 67.2K subscribers 309K views 13. Veltheim started by listening to the recordings of songs Gurrumul had already made back on Elcho. Sir Elton John, Sting and Bjrk are among his fans. I think there was a big education for him as well with that film, of hearing the respect, and what his uncle would say about him, Hohnen says, his voice catching. GURRUMUL, a documentary. Meibomianitis is inflammation of the meibomian glands, a group of oil-releasing (sebaceous) glands in the eyelids. This song has been hailed by critics and millions over th. He was born blind, has never learned Braille and does not have a guide dog or use a white cane. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. [8][28] At the ARIA Music Awards of 2011, he won Best World Music Album and performed "Warwu" featuring Missy Higgins on piano. Required fields are marked *. "It was really only in retrospect, when we looked back, that we said, 'Maybe that was goodbye.' The group was founded in 1985 and headed by his uncle and lead singer, Mandawuy Yunupingu. Toooften Aboriginal Australians feel their culture is hijacked by another agenda, a balanda (whitefella)agenda, and distorted beyond recognition. Hohnen, who was the singers guide and spokesman, talks to the Guardian in the Skinnyfish Music offices in suburban Darwin. About Geoffrey. Blind from birth, the proud Yolngu man spoke through his music. He was one of only two Australian performers at the Queens Diamond Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace. That's remarkable for a man who was born blind, is extremely shy and doesn't speak much English. [8][9] Although his solo career brought him wider acclaim, he was also formerly a member of Yothu Yindi and later of Saltwater Band. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program. Gurrumul is the highest-selling Indigenous musician in Australian history. Half a million copies of Gurrumul have been sold worldwide. He performed "Sing" live at the Diamond Jubilee Concert on 4 June 2012 together with many of the song's contributing artists. Directed by Paul Williams, Gurrumuls uncle, Djunga Djunga Yunupingu, and aunt, Gurruwiwi are the only narrators of the film, but it also features his parents and friends. did he go blind from his family torturing him or was he born that way i don't remember if they expanded on it or not. We used to think Gurrumul wouldnt go far, would never show his independence, says Yunupingu. It also paints a portrait of the close relationship between the artist and Hohnen. (age39in2009). "At first I was trying to figure out how these different traditions could work together, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. The journey that we took with him was almost the opposite. "People forget he was in Yothu Yindi and Saltwater. "He was extremely ill.", Williams, who had known the singer for years before beginning work on the documentary, seems a little haunted, as if Gurrumul knew his time had come. His condition had worsened in recent years, to the extent that Skinnyfish had retired the singer from touring in late 2015. In October 2015, the album won Gurrumul's third ARIA Award for Best World Music Album. source: http://www.thearchibaldprize.com.au/winners/archibald, Aboriginal singer beats poverty and prejudice to top Australian charts "But I now feel like we did everything possible to live up to the standards that he and his family expected of us. Gurrumul's face centrally occupies the frame, leaving minimal room for background detail, indistinct light grey brushstrokes behind his neck and face. Critics raved about his unearthly voice, fusion of music styles and authentic Aboriginal sound and stories. But the basic incompatibility of this shy, private man with the hype and spotlight of the music industry were . Gurrumul performed for HRH Queen Elizabeth II, past-US President Barack Obama, Crown Prince Frederick and Princess Mary of Denmark, in addition to being one of only two Australian performers at the Queens Diamond Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace, confirming this multi ARIA award-winning musicians place as an international star who had transcended cultural boundaries while staying true to his culture. He said it would be wrong to call the singer an overnight success since he had played for many years with the well-known Yothu Yindi band before forming his own Saltwater Band and then striking out on his own. Both men feigned concern about the social plight of the majority of Aborigines and voiced platitudes about Gurrumuls music and indigenous disadvantage. These ritualistic proclamations are thoroughly disingenuous. International Committee of the Fourth International, The Aboriginal intervention in Australia: Four years on, Gurrumul: an evocative and unique musical contribution. "He was special in so many ways, in Western and Yolngu worlds," his niece, Miriam Yirrininba Dhurrkay, tells me. I still think that., Gurrumul, the documentary, is released 25 April through Madman. "[13] He later sang hymns in the mission choir and also enjoyed Western pop music, particularly Dire Straits, Cliff Richard, and Stevie Wonder. He arranged a hasty sitting with the musician at Sydney airport soon after, taking several sketches and a photograph. For those unfamiliar, or vaguely familiar with his work, it's an even greater treat: they will be entertained, enthralled, perhaps in some small way changed. The Ultimate Guideto Choose The Right Guitar Slide, The Ultimate Guide to Choose Guitar Picks. Gurrumul has performed for Her Majesty the Queen of England, US President Barack Obama, Prince Charles, Prince William and Kate Middleton, and Crown Prince Frederik and Princess Mary of Denmark. Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingus friend Michael Hohnen produced the album and acts as his translator. "[21], In 2008 Yunupingu was nominated for four ARIA Awards,[22] winning the awards for Best World Music Album[23] and Best Independent Release. 1 on the iTunes Australia roots music chart in April 2008. In a 2009 interview with him and Hohnen, Yunupingu said that he was generally shy but more comfortable playing music, and went on to say: "I don't have much to say to people when I talk. The painting itself is one hundred ninety-eight centimetres by hundred and sixty seven centimetres. ", The Gospel Album (2015).Credit:Courtesy of ABC. Aged only 46, he'd succumbed to organ failure relating to the hepatitis B he'd contracted in childhood. The contrast of light and darkened eyes imbues the portrait with mystery.His nostrils are round against the broad space between his nose and slender upper lip. Gurrumul (1971 - 2017) was born blind and grew up, as a member of the Gumatj clan and a speaker of the indigenous Yolngu language, on Elcho Island (Galiwin'ku), off the coast of tropical North . Which is better guitar tricks or JamPlay. Shot entirely while he was alive, Gurrumul unable to see was given an audio file of each edit to keep track of its progress and maintain control. I think it's more that they're really proud. Grose publicly protested the hospital delays. Gift of the artist 2011. Where Djarimirri is different, though, is in its minimalism; Hohnen cites the likes of Michael Nyman, Steve Reich, Arvo Prt and Philip Glass as influences. abbreviation. Away from cameras and the stage, we are alsogiven a glimpse of the sense of humour and cheekiness that Gurrumul maintained throughout his life and career. His third release, The Gospel Album (2015), cemented what those close to him had known for years that this unassuming Indigenous Australian, who was born blind and taught himself to play a guitar held upside down, wasn't an angelic-voiced flash in the pan. A mixture of traditional songs and new compositions, they reflect his background growing up in one of the most remote but beautiful parts of the continent. National Endowment for the Arts. Its beyond homesickness, Hohnen tells a promoter in explanation. Guy Maestris portrait of the musician was conceived after the artist saw Gurrumul perform in Sydney on New Years Eve 2008. Earnings from his music sales went to his parentsDaisy Gurruwiwi and Terry Yunupinguand their extended family, his daughter Jasmine and her mother, and were also used to establish a charitable foundation for indigenous youth. [14] He left school at the age of 12, having attended his local school, Shepherdson College, along with a brief stint at an institute in the Victorian city of Geelong for instruction in Braille, which did not interest him. [17] Gurrumul peaked at No. being brought to life through the fusion of Gurrumul's voice and guidance in traditional song being fused with the work ofcomposer Erkki Veltheim and the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra. We try and work in a mainstream music industry but within their [Indigenous] system of how we relate to everyone, Hohnen tells Guardian Australia. In 2012, Gurrumul was refused service by a taxi driver after a concert performance in Melbourne, and in 2015, his musician brother and uncle were refused three pre-booked taxis in Darwin. Critics heaped praise on the singer, describing his voice as having "transcendental beauty". Bapa means father and it is a beautiful song written by Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, in the language of his tribe, Yolnu Matha. The music kind of suits that being on the edge of two worlds and the feeling of how its not completely comfortable, says Hohnen. The concert was co-presented by music producer Quincy Jones, who has called Gurrumul "unbelievable". "It's affected Mark and I very personally," he says, referring to his Skinnyfish Music co-founder, Mark Grose. With Manuel Dhurrkay he also fronted Saltwater Band, the group putting out three records in a decade from 1999. There's a depth to it all, and the drone of the strings and the popping of horns add their own weight to what is, within each song, a slow-building story. He was blind. "One world is Balanda, the other world is Yolngu," as Gurrumul describes it. If he can do it, why can't we do it, you know?". This was deliberate, Hohnen says. Formerly a member of Yothu Yindi and Saltwater Band, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, who was blind from birth and passed away last year at age 46, released his first solo album in 2008. Cut off at the forehead, his peaked hairline just appears that the top. Gurrumuls songs speak of identity, spirit, connection with the land, the elements and the ancestral beings to whom he is related. And I think Yolngu don't want him forgotten, that's what they said to us. Best. Gurrumul was born and raised in Galiwinku, a small community of about 2,200 people on remote Elcho Island, which is about 560 kilometres, or a two-hour flight, northeast of Darwin, the Northern Territory capital. [25], In November 2009, Yunupingu was named Best New Independent Artist and his album, Gurrumul, Best Independent Release and Best Independent Blues/Roots Release at the Australian Independent Record (AIR) Awards held at Melbourne's Corner Hotel. 1 on the independent chart. Critics have heaped praise on the singer , describing his voice as having transcendental beauty. Him and Michael, they've delivered this gift of music. The purity of the singer's voice tops it off. Tired of touring and its associated pressures, Gurrumul left Yothu Yindi, formed the Saltwater Band in 1996 but eventually decided to go solo, releasing his first album in 2008. But I can play and sing and tell people things through my songs. "There's anger, abuse, there's hurt, there are quite sinister ways, destructive ways. The cover of Gurrumul's posthumous album, Djarimirri (2018). We underestimated him.. He was born on Elcho Island, off the coast of Arnhem Land, Northern Australia about 350 miles from Darwin. Throughout his childhood, he was built, given or bought tin cans, sticks, toy keyboards, piano accordions, nylon string guitars, and, later, clap sticks (bilma) and didgeridoos (yidaki). The collar on his right covers the neck and makes the jaw line directly. But the basic incompatibility of this shy, private man with the hype and spotlight of the music industry were . I made sure to read the lyrics and understand the meaning of each song. The exact details of Gurrumuls death are not clear, but according to press reports he had indicated that he did not want to continue with his difficult and debilitating dialysis treatment. Five years in the making, it traces the life of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, the Yolngu singer from Elcho Island, off the coast of Arnhem Land, who had taken Australian music by storm. This portrait of Gumatj man and musician Gurrumul is a large monotone painting. [8] Yunupingu's friend Michael Hohnen produced the album and was his translator, collaborator and confidant. [8], In 2013, Yunupingu joined Delta Goodrem for a special performance of "Bayini" on The Voice Australia. Michael Hohnen with Gurrumul, in a still from the documentary. World-renowned indigenous singer Gurrumul has died after a "long battle with illness" aged 46, his management said Wednesday, as Australians hailed his contributions to music. And you don't really have any options it's dialysis or nothing.". There is no cultural or social context for Gurrumul to understand or translate Every Breath You Take into Yolngu Matha to say nothing of the glaring irony of asking him to sing the line Ill be watching you. Gurrumul was a self-taught instrumentalist, playing guitar, piano, drums, and didgeridoo. Gurrumul History (I Was Born Blind) Lyrics: I was born blind and I don't 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 . Did Geoffrey Gurrumul have children? "Our hope for this film is that the people depicted within it, upon watching it, are filled with pride. .mw-parser-output .awards-table td:last-child{text-align:center}, The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters". The image is made with variously dense, watery and inconsistent brush strokes, creating a allayed three dimensional quality in rich tones of black and gray that construct a voluminous contemplative face. Short curly black hair frames his head. Largely self-taught, he plays drums, keyboards, guitar and didgeridoo, but it is his clarity of voice that has attracted rave reviews. SharkDog333 2 hr. "It was like he was becoming a shadow of his former self," Hohnen recalls. Accompanying a scene that depicts the funeral of his father, the score features Gurrumul singing, the sound bleeding into the strains of a French horn. He was one of only two Australian performers at the Queens Diamond Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace. A member of the Gumatj clan of the Yolngu people, despite being a world traveler, he lived there throughout his life. Born blind, Gurrumul sings in his tribal Gumatj dialect, spoken by no more than 3,000 people. I usually work in a very liberal, gestural way but this time I built up the image quietly and slowly with many glazes in an attempt to capture the beautiful quality of his skin. From a Darwin beach, Gurrumul chatted with Hohnen and Williams as they played him one of the final pieces of music for the documentary. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Which famous people has gurrumul performed for. I think thats the only way you move forward. He was placed on kidney dialysis in mid-2016, but Gurrumul, who'd been admitted to the intensive care unit at Royal Darwin Hospital seven times in the year leading up to his death, had started to refuse treatment. Eight hours later he was admitted into intensive care. Copyright in all materials and/or works comprising or contained within this website remains with the National Portrait Gallery and other copyright owners as specified. Though affectionately calling each other "wwa", the Gumatj word for 'brother', we can see how their connection was more like family. Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (1970-2017), a Gumatj man from north-east Arnhem Land, was born blind but learned to play guitar, keyboard, drums and didgeridoo as a child. "Gurrumul had hundreds of songs in his head," says Hohnen. Although, spending a lot of time with his family, they said to us, even at his funeral, that no one's stopped listening to his music. On Easter Sunday in 2016, he suffered internal bleeding and was taken to Royal Darwin Hospital by Skinnyfish Music managing director Mark Grose and Yunupingus private nurse. The whole process became quite an emotional experience.. The National Portrait Gallery is an Australian Government Agency, The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. [5] An adventurous child, he was taught how to play basketball and ride a push-bike around his community. When Gurrumul arrives home after long periods away from touring and recording, we see a great deal of affection upon his return. I always said he balanced the two worlds better than most people. The Gurrumul Story is the first compilation album from Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu. (age35in2009), Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu Yunupingus doctor Paul Lawton told a press conference that the singer was a victim of incompetence or racial profiling. Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (born 1970) is an indigenous Australian musician, who sings in the Yolngu language. The trick with Djarimirri was in replicating this on Western instruments while leaving them recognisable to Yolngu people. Aborigines, for example, are 10 times more likely to contract kidney disease than Australias non-indigenous population, while in remote communities the figure is between 30 and 50 times the national average. His songs covered themes of identity, spirit, connection with the land and its elements across multiple Yolngu languages as well as English. How did gurrumul go blind? While this rise might have seemed meteoric, Gurrumul paid his dues in a slow build that began with culture-bridging group Yothu Yindi in the late 1980s. The best of these include Bapa, which is dedicated to his father, Wukun, about storm clouds rising over Elcho Island, and History (I Was Born Blind), one of his few English-language songs. If music and guitar has never been part of your interests then this site may change your view and be a music lover. "It was a strange way to sign off a conversation," he says. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present. Briggs, who became friends with Gurrumul after their 2014 collaboration, agrees. Its a clash of cultures, its a clash of world views, says Skinnyfish Music director and cofounder, Mark Grose. To Briggss mind, Gurrumuls popularity was testament to his hard work, his musicality and his talent. He performed with Yothu Yindi from 1985 to 1992, when he formed the Saltwater Band. ", A note released with the advance stream of Djarimirri addresses these questions. He was the most commercially successful Aboriginal Australian musician at the time of his death. The album is an ambitious project which continues Gurrumuls habit of marrying together the two worlds he lived in. Works of art from the collection are reproduced as per the, Let me know when this portraits on display. Deeply embedded in the documentary project, he brought the camera crew along to his fathers funeral. It is difficult to adequately describe the complex and heart-rending qualities of Gurrumuls voice but his rendition of Wiyathul with the Errki String Quartet at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney in 2008 is an important example of its alluring character. Born blind, his powerfully emotive yet fragile voice has affected the public unlike any other Australian artist. When he was four years old, he taught himself how to play a toy piano and an accordion. By his mid-teens he had joined Indigenous rock group Yothu Yindi and a little while later Hohnen convinced him to pursue a solo career. On the other side his neck is cradled by layered fabric, and cut by the line of the cropped image. 0. Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (22 January 1971 - 25 July 2017), commonly known as Gurrumul and also referred to since his death as Dr G. Yunupingu, was an Aboriginal Australian musician of the Yolu peoples. Through the film we get a glimpse of just how special and integral the bond between Gurrumul and Hohnen was, with the latter often being known as the spokesperson for the acutely shy performer both on stage and in interviews. He followed this with two other successful studio albumsRrakala (2011) and The Gospel Album (2015)and two concert recordingsLive in Darwin, Australia (2010) and Gurrumul: His Life and Music with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (2013). Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. That killed me, near the end of the film, when his uncle says that he exceeded all our expectations.. Yunupingu speaks only a few words of English, and is said to be acutely shy. His first solo album, Gurrumul, debuted at #21 on the ARIA Charts and #1 on the independent chart. The cover of Gurrumuls eponymous studio album (2008). Gurrumuls uncle, Mandawuy Yunupingu, died from kidney disease in June 2013, aged 56. Gurrumul's songs speak of identity, spirit, connection with the land, the elements and the ancestral beings to whom he is related. Gurrumul shot to prominence in 2008 with the release of his debut album Gurrumul, which was nominated for four ARIAs and won two. Original track "Take Me Home". sfn error: no target: CITEREFHillman2014 (, Australian Independent Record (AIR) Awards, Australasian Performing Right Association, Honorary awards: Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, "Dr G Yunupingu: Australia's most prominent Indigenous musician dies aged 46", "Dr G. Yunupingu, Australian Aboriginal Singer, Dies at 46", "Dr G. Yunupingu: An exquisite singer who 'spoke to the soul', "Decca Australia signs Gurrumul, new releases in pipeline", "Australian indigenous singer Dr G. Yunupingu dies", "Case Study: Inspiring Stories Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu", "Aboriginal musician astonishes Australian audiences", "Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu's legacy: why his music didn't stop", "Aboriginal singer beats poverty and prejudice to top Australian charts", "Gurrumul interview: the mystical heart of Australia", Australian Independent Record Labels Association Ltd (AIR), 2012, "7 Great Performances from the History of the ARIA Awards Music Reads", "Delta to sing Gurrumul's indigenous anthem Bayini on The Voice tonight", "Courtney Barnett, Hermitude, Tame Impala Lead 2015 ARIA Award Nominations", "Gurrumul review stirring and soulful ode to Australia's most important voice", "50 Greatest Australian Artists of All Time number 33: Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu", "Uperoleia gurrumuli Catullo and Keogh, 2021 | Amphibian Species of the World", "ARIA Charts Accreditations 2011 Albums", "ARIA Charts Accreditations 2012 Albums", Australian Recording Industry Association, Australian Independent Record Labels Association, "AIR Awards:2019 AIR Awards Winners Announced! The Most Beautiful Song Ever Written (Australian Aboriginal) This song is called Wiyathul and its by a blind aboriginal man called Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu. Blind from birth, he played the guitar upside down with his left hand. Three days later, on July 25, 2017, Gurrumul died in Royal Darwin Hospital. [41][42], The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. We have sent a confirmation email to {USEREMAIL}. It ends with Gurrumul performing a new song at the Sydney Opera House. ominis gaunt why is he blind. Which is the best brand for acoustic guitar? Gurrumul's collaborator and companion Michael Hohnen says Kylie Minogue introduced the blind singer to the Queen. His condition had worsened in recent years, to the extent that Skinnyfish had retired the singer from touring in late 2015. His first album as an acoustic artist, Gurrumul, was released in Australia in 2008 and went double platinum. He was born on Elcho Island, off the coast of Arnhem Land, Northern Australia about 350 miles from Darwin. To Briggs's mind, Gurrumul's popularity was testament to his hard work, his musicality and his talent. "[That] was a real challenge, but also a great pleasure to come up with these arrangements," he recalls. The award commenced in 2005. Following the Aboriginal tradition of sharing wealth, he said any money he makes goes to his mother and aunts still living on Elcho Island, some 350 miles from Darwin. ", Explains Hohnen, "In most situations when an Aboriginal person up here passes away, the name gets changed, and the music and imagery gets stopped," explains Hohnen. [7] He had lived with liver and kidney damage for many years due to hepatitis B which he had contracted in childhood. However, a very rare exception has been made byGumatj and Glpu clan leaders for this film. Gurrumul was a founding member of the band Yothu Yindi. **Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that this content contains images of people who have died. Gurrumul sang about Gumatj stories in Yolngu, but his song 'Gurrumul History' was in English, to spread his story. Critics have heaped praise on the singer and described his voice as having transcendental beauty. The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. were a close unit, [39], In September 2021, Yunupingu's first anthology was released, entitled The Gurrumul Story. "And the most nerve-racking thing for me was whether Gurrumul himself and his family and the other people on Elcho would actually relate to these arrangements. With a voice that captured the heart of millions across the world, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu was an enigmatic talent. In todays world where the media and the music industries are centred around hype and fashion, Gurrumul is a unique celebrity who has stood the test of time, one who could change the way you breathe (Brisbane Courier Mail, 2008) and forever altered the way people from around the world interact with Yolngu culture. [35], Yunupingu died at the Royal Darwin Hospital, Northern Territory, at about 5:00pm on 25 July 2017, aged 46. When Labor was elected, Garrett and Shorten became government ministers, and were actively involved in extending these measures, ensuring that unemployment, poverty and lack of basic health and education services remain endemic among ordinary Aborigines. The Australian Music Prize (AMP) is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (22 January 1971 25 July 2017), often known simply as Gurrumul, was an indigenous Australian musician. His angelic voice connected with fans the world over, including such notable names as Elton John, will.I.am, Sting, Gary Barlow, Quincy Jones and Stevie Wonder. Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, 38, from Elcho Island in Arnhem Land, northern Australia, has been hailed as one of the brightest talents ever to emerge from the countrys indigenous population, with his debut solo album reaching number one in the countrys independent music charts and his recent concerts selling out. They talk of their. Filmed over the course of ten years, the documentary feature by Paul Williams gives us a window into the rich and complex Yolngu culture and ceremonial life, a world that informed the singer's music and voice. Critics . He played a number of instruments and contributed backing vocals to four of the band's six albums, most notably its breakthrough 1991 release, Tribal Voice. Yunupingu, who was born blind, has an ongoing liver condition due to contracting Hepatitis B from a young age, Skinny Fish Music managing director Mark Grose told the ABC.

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