Troy’s musical career began at 16 when he taught himself to play guitar from a songbook of “The Shadows” provided by his father. Two years later, his singing talent was noticed by his mother when she heard him and some friends having a sing-along to a boombox in the garage. This resulted in his involvement […]
For more than a decade now Marlene Cummins has been playing, singing and writing the blues. Most of you are probably familiar with her legendary song “Pension Day Blues” ” as featured on the compilation Yabun: Song with a Beat ” not to mention her numerous performances at Survival over the past few years. Born […]
Troy Brady and Trevelyn Lakay are two young Brisbane-based musicians with love in their hearts and Motown on their lips. Together they make up the soul/funk duo Java. Rising out of the ashes of boy band AIM 4 MORE and girl group Kamballa, Java have been honing their style for three years and are now […]
She sings, she strums, she motivates! The hottest musical talent to come out of Darwin in quite some time, Shellie Morris is also committed to helping young Aboriginal people realise their full potential. Deadly Vibe meets “the Janis Joplin of Jingili”. Although singer/songwriter Shellie Morris is a relative newcomer to the music industry, she’s already […]
Deadly Vibe Issue 95 January 2005 Restless soul After dropping his debut album Out of the Darkness back in 2001, Glenn Skuthorpe has spent most of the past two years on the road. Out of the Darkness introduced Glenn’s distinct musical style and received a strong response, with extensive airplay of his single Cradle to […]
It’s the stuff dreams are made of. Leading Australian filmmaker Phillip Noyce was searching for that one special lead to carry a movie he was passionate about making. He searched high. He searched low. He engaged just about every casting agent in the country, visited remote Aboriginal communities and advertised in countless newsletters. Eventually somebody […]
Deadly Vibe Issue 101 July 2005 Ready for Anything Are you ready for Shakaya? ‘Cause these sistas are back with a brand new album. When you meet the girls from Shakaya, it’s really quite impossible not to get swept up in their effervescence. When they enter the room, it’s as though they’ve brought a whole […]
The Centenary of Federation is a good time to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and their contributions to Australia during the past 100 years. One man whose contribution to Aboriginal country music has been enormous is singer Col Hardy. Once dubbed “the gentle giant of country-soul”, Col Hardy […]
A tall and talented musician with country in her veins, Wilga Williams helped to establish the Aboriginal country music scene in New South Wales and Victoria. With their band the Country Outcasts, Harry and Wilga Williams released two albums, played countless gigs and organised a number of festivals throughout the ’70s and ’80s. Vibe talks […]
Deadly Vibe Issue 94 December 2004 Central Origins The man with the infectious grin talks about his home in the heart of Australia. If you’re a fan of country music, then you’ll undoubtedly be familiar with the name of Warren H. Williams, one of Indigenous Australia’s most recognisable and popular country performers. Now 53 years […]
Outstanding Contribution to Aboriginal Music 2001 – Gus Williams Arrernte man Gus Williams has arguably done more for Aboriginal music, and country music in particular, than any other blackfulla in the Territory. Born in Alice Springs in the late 1930s, Gus moved to Hermannsburg as a teenager to live with his grandfather after his parents […]
Fresh from her breathtaking performance at this year’s Deadlys, Emma Donovan is proving that she’s got a very bright future ahead of her in country music. She’s got the voice, she’s got the smile and being a Donovan, she’s certainly got the pedigree! Emma is probably best known for her involvement with exciting acoustic group […]
Deadly Sounds Band of the Year 2001: Letterstick Band Hailing from the remote coastal community of Maningrida in the Northern Territory, Letterstick Band are part of the small An-Barra clan. The band get their name from one of the most remarkable tools in Aboriginal culture – the ‘message stick’ or ‘letterstick.’ This is a piece […]
He might have the voice, rhythm and energy of a young fulla. But for veteran entertainer and Aboriginal statesman Vic Simms, it’s been a long 45 years to the top. Deadly Vibe meets the all-singing King of La Perouse. This year’s 7th Deadly Sounds Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Music Awards (aka ‘the Deadlys’) saw […]
The desert/surf rock sounds of the Ltyentye Apurte Band (pronounced ‘Ginga Porta’) come live and direct from Arrernte country in central Australia. (also known as’Santa Teresa Band’) Ltyentye Apurte is the East Arrernte name for Santa Teresa, an Aboriginal community 80 km southeast of Alice Springs that is home to around 500 people. Band members […]
Deadly Vibe Issue 56 October 2001 Every Mcleod Has A Silver Lining After rescuing himself, Bobby McLeod set about rescuing culture – in song, rhyme and dance. Deadly Vibe meets a man for whom the sun is finally shining. Do you think that this planet is prone to abuse? And that ignorance about is an […]
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