The 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 musical backgrounds. The bands name comes from a speech by former Australian Prime Minister John Howard

John Howard

John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....

 who referred to a "black armband view of history". Their first show, murundak (meaning "alive" in Woiwurrung), debuted at the 2006 Melbourne International Arts Festival

Melbourne International Arts Festival

Melbourne Festival is a celebration of dance, theatre, music, visual arts, multimedia, outdoor and free events held for 17 days each October in a number of venues across Melbourne, Australia.-History:...

 and has since played around Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 and internationally in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. Their second show Hidden Republic debuted at the 2008 Melbourne International Arts Festival.

Members

David Arden

David Arden

David 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...

Mark Atkins

Lou Bennett

Lou 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...

Deline Briscoe

George Burarrwanga

John Butler

John Butler (musician)

John Charles Wiltshire-Butler or John Charles Butler is an Australian musician, songwriter, record label owner and producer...

Liz Cavanagh

Sally Dastey

Tiddas

Tiddas 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...

Emma Donovan

Kutcha Edwards

Kutcha Edwards

Kutcha 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...

Dewayne Everettsmith

Leah Flanagan

Leah Flanagan

Leah 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...

Joe Geia

Joe Geia

Joe 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...

Shane Howard

Shane Howard

Shane Michael Howard is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist, he was the mainstay of folk rock group Goanna which had hits with "Solid Rock" and "Let the Franklin Flow". After their disbandment in 1985 he pursued a solo career....

Ruby Hunter

Ruby Hunter

Ruby 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...

Paul Kelly

Paul Kelly (musician)

Paul Maurice Kelly is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player. He has performed solo, and has led numerous groups, including the Dots, the Coloured Girls, and the Messengers. He has worked with other artists and groups, including associated projects Professor...

Bunna Lawrie

Coloured Stone

Coloured 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...

Jimmy Little

Jimmy Little

Jimmy 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...

Rachael Maza Long

Rachael Maza Long

Rachael Maza Long is an Australian actress, narrator and director. She is a Torres Strait Islander.Maza Long has acted in film Radiance, on stage in The Sapphires and worked as a TV presenter on ABC's Message Stick and SBS's ICAM...

Djolpa McKenzie

Lee Morgan

Shellie Morris

Shellie Morris

Shellie 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...

Stephen Pigram

The Pigram Brothers

The 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...

Archie Roach

Archie Roach

Archie 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,...

Peter Rotumah

Amy Saunders

Tiddas

Tiddas 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...

Dan Sultan

Dan Sultan

Dan 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...

Bart Willoughby

Bart Willoughby

Bart 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....

Ursula Yovich

Ursula Yovich

Ursula 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...

Gurrumul Yunupingu

Gabanbulu Yunupingu

Yothu Yindi

Yothu 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...

Concerts

• murundak 2006 - present
• Hidden Republic 2008 - present
• dirtsong 2009 - present

Awards

• Helpmann Award
  Helpmann Award
  The Helpmann Awards recognize distinguished artistic achievement and excellence in Australia's live performing arts sectors. The recognized disciplines include musical and physical theatre, contemporary and classical music, opera, and dance, with a comedy category introduced in 2006...
  
   (2007) - Best Contempary Music Concert for murundak
• Deadly Award
  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...
  
   (2008
  The Deadlys Award winners 2008
  The Deadlys recognise achievement by Indigenous Australians in music, sport, the arts and in community service. First held in 1995, in 2008 the ceremony was hosted by Luke Carroll at the Sydney Opera House on 9 October 2008 and was broadcast on the Special Broadcasting Service and National...
  
  ) - Band of the Year

External links

• Official site