Thesaunderschild
06-21-2025, 10:49 AM
Big Name, No Blankets chronicled the history of the Warumpi Band, the first rock band to be nationally broadcast singing in an Aboriginal language.
When I saw their clip for Jailanguru Pakarnu on ABC TV in 1987, it felt like an electrified message expressing an experience of modern life very different to that of white city dwellers like me.
The Warumpi band was founded at the Papunya settlement (“Warumpi”), 240km north of Alice Springs, by Butcher brothers Sammy (on guitar) and Gordon Tjapanangka (drums), singer George Rrurrambu Burarrwanga, and white guitarist Neil Murray.
The band soon attracted a following in regional Black and mixed race communities, later touring Australia’s major cities and the world.
When I saw their clip for Jailanguru Pakarnu on ABC TV in 1987, it felt like an electrified message expressing an experience of modern life very different to that of white city dwellers like me.
The Warumpi band was founded at the Papunya settlement (“Warumpi”), 240km north of Alice Springs, by Butcher brothers Sammy (on guitar) and Gordon Tjapanangka (drums), singer George Rrurrambu Burarrwanga, and white guitarist Neil Murray.
The band soon attracted a following in regional Black and mixed race communities, later touring Australia’s major cities and the world.