Jimmy Little

For the carpenter, see Jimmy Little (carpenter).

Jimmy Little
AO
A man is shown in an upper body shot, he sings at a microphone while holding an acoustic guitar.
Little performing at Corroboree 2000
Background information
Birth nameJames Oswald Little
Also known as
  • The Balladeer
  • The Honey Voice
  • Uncle Jimmy
  • Gentleman Jim
[1]
Born(1937-03-01)1 March 1937
Cummeragunja Aboriginal Reserve, New South Wales, Australia
Died2 April 2012(2012-04-02) (aged 75)
Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia
GenresAcoustic, folk rock, country
Occupation(s)Musician, actor, teacher
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, harmonica
Years active1951–2012
LabelsRegal Zonophone, Festival, Warner
Formerly ofThe Jimmy Little Trio
Websitejimmylittle.com.au
Jimmy Little Foundation

James Oswald Little, AO (1 March 1937 – 2 April 2012)[2] was an Australian Aboriginal musician, actor and teacher, who was a member of the Yorta Yorta tribe and was raised on the Cummeragunja Reserve, New South Wales.

Little started his professional career in 1951, as a singer-songwriter and guitarist, which spanned six decades. For many years he was the main Aboriginal star on the Australian music scene. His music was influenced by Nat King Cole, Johnny Mathis and American country music artist Jim Reeves.[1] His gospel song "Royal Telephone" (1963) sold over 75,000 copies, and his most popular album, Messenger, peaked at No. 26 in 1999 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

At the ARIA Music Awards of 1999, Little was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame and won an ARIA Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album. On Australia Day (26 January) 2004, he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia with the citation, "For service to the entertainment industry as a singer, recording artist and songwriter and to the community through reconciliation and as an ambassador for Indigenous culture".

As an actor, he appeared in the films Shadow of the Boomerang (1960) and Until the End of the World (1991), in the theatre production Black Cockatoos and in the opera Black River. As a teacher, from 1985, he worked at the Eora Centre in Redfern and from 2000 was a guest lecturer at the University of Sydney's Koori Centre.

Little was a diabetic with a heart condition and, in 2004, had a kidney transplant. After his transplant he established the Jimmy Little Foundation to promote indigenous health and diet. On 2 April 2012, Little died at his home in Dubbo, aged 75 years.[3]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference McFarlane was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cashmere, Paul. "Jimmy Little Passes Away at 75". Noise11. The Noise Network (Paul Cashmere and Ros O'Gorman). Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  3. ^ Levy, Megan (2 April 2012), "Jimmy Little's long battle with illness ends", The Sydney Morning Herald, retrieved 4 January 2014