Warumpi Band

A pioneering First Nations rock act, Warumpi Band sang in English as well as in the Luritja and Gumatj languages. Formed in 1980 in an outback settlement in Australia’s Northern Territory, the band covered well-trodden tunes by The Rolling Stones and the Eagles before releasing their debut single, 1983’s “Jailanguru Pakarnu” (Luritja for “out from jail”). Balancing blues and country influences with traditional First Nations instrumentation, it was the first commercial rock song to foreground an Aboriginal language. Warumpi Band’s profile spiked when they released their 1985 debut album, Big Name, No Blankets, on Midnight Oil’s Powderworks label and toured extensively with that band. Their 1987 single “My Island Home” enjoyed a similar boost after Christine Anu’s hit 1995 cover version. Warumpi Band went on hiatus in 2000, but their distinctive blend of cultures would go on to inspire 21st-century bands like King Stingray and WILDFIRE MANWURRK.