I've been listening to the music of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, a blind indigenous Australian singer with a beautiful tenor voice.

He lives in an Aboriginal community on a remote island off the north coast of Australia; and has released his first solo album - "Gurrumul". The album is a mixture of traditional songs and new compositions, and all but two of the songs are sung in Yolngu. His voice is hauntingly beautiful, he plays guitar and is backed by double bass, played by his friend and producer Michael Hohnen. In a recent interview in Sydney, Yunupingu remained largely silent. He is acutely shy, and English is not his first language. Gurrumul Yunupingu is from the Gumatj clan of the Yolngu on Elcho Island, off the north coast of Australia some 560 kilometers, or 350 miles, from Darwin, the nearest big city on the mainland.

The Yolngu people have given Australia some of its most successful bands. Yothu Yindi was founded by one of Yunupingu's relatives, Mandawuy Yunupingu. George Burarrwanga, the lead singer of the other great breakthrough group, the Warumpi Band, also came from Elcho Island. Gurrumul spent seven years playing and touring with Yothu Yindi, Thirteen years ago, he left Yothu Yindi and returned to live full-time on Elcho Island. He founded Saltwater Band, which has released two albums that were well-received by critics but did not break into the broader music market. The band has another album coming out this year. This new solo CD has become very popular and he is being hailed as the best Indigenous singer to be heard in recent years. I am listening to the CD at my daughter's place in Austria and loving it, I highly recommend it as inspirational, moving, evocative and unique music.

it's so long since I've done it, I've forgotten how to do blue clickies but have added a couple of links and hope someone can fix this for me. his music is not to be missed!

freda

http://www.skinnyfishmusic.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=126

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/04/22/asia/musician.php