Ruby Hunter | |
|---|---|
 Ruby Hunter (left) with partnerArchie Roach at the 2009Tamworth Country Music Festival | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Aunty Ruby |
| Born | (1955-10-31)31 October 1955 Renmark, South Australia |
| Died | 17 February 2010(2010-02-17) (aged 54) |
| Genres | Folk, blues, roots |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
Ruby Charlotte Margaret Hunter (31 October 1955 – 17 February 2010), also known asAunty Ruby, was anAboriginal Australian singer, songwriter and guitarist, and the life and musical partner ofArchie Roach.
Ruby Hunter was born on 31 October 1955[1] near Renmark inSouth Australia. She was aNgarrindjeri,Kokatha andPitjantjatjara woman.[2] Close to the time of her birth, her parents were living on the banks of a billabong near Renmark, having come to theRiverland to find work after theSwan Reach mission had closed in 1946.[3][4]
As a child Hunter lived with her brothers, Wally, Jeffrey and Robert, and sister Iris, with their grandmother and grandfather at theAboriginal reserve atPoint McLeay (later called Raukkan) onLake Alexandrina in theCoorong region of South Australia.[5] One day, when Ruby was eight years old,[6] Wally was taken off the street by government officials, and then the men took the rest of the children from their home, under the pretext that they were being taken to the circus. Thereafter Ruby lived in institutions and foster care, as one of theStolen Generations.[5] Hunter was placed inSeaforth Children's Home[2] in the Adelaide seaside suburb ofSomerton Park,[7] and later with afoster family.[2] After having an argument with her foster brother, she was placed atVaughan House, which was a 'home for wayward girls' in the northernAdelaide suburb ofEnfield.[8]
Hunter met her partner for life,Archie Roach, at the age of 16, while both were homeless teenagers,[8] at theSalvation Army People's Palace, onPirie Street, Adelaide.[9] It was Roach who inspired Hunter to learn to play theguitar and write her own music.[1]
Hunter first performed in public in 1988 during a festival atBondi Pavilion inSydney, where she performed "Proud, Proud Woman," the first song she had written.[10] In 1990, she wrote the autobiographical "Down City Streets", which was performed by Roach on his debut solo albumCharcoal Lane.[10] In 1994, Hunter became the firstIndigenous Australian woman to record a solo rock album, and the first Aboriginal woman signed to a majorrecord label, when she released her debut albumThoughts Within.[11][12] The album launched her career as a performer and songwriter.[1]
Thereafter, she toured with Roach, both within Australian and overseas, releasing her second albumFeeling Good in May 2000. Also in that year, Hunter appeared in afeature-lengthdocumentary film,Land of the Little Kings, which told the stories of Indigenous children affected bybeing forcibly removed from their families.[1] The name of the film derives from a song byPaul Kelly, which is sung by Roach in the film. In the film, Hunter returns to her childhood home for the first time, and relates the story of her childhood. The film won aHuman Rights Award in the television category in 2000.[13]
In 2001 Hunter made her acting debut in the award-winning feature fiction filmOne Night the Moon, directed byRachel Perkins and starring Paul Kelly.[2][14]
With Roach,Paul Grabowsky and hisAustralian Art Orchestra (AAO), she wrote and performed the concertRuby's Story, which tells her life story through song and spoken word.[15] The production debuted at theMessage Sticks Festival at theSydney Opera House in June 2004,[16] to good reviews.[15] In 2004, the soundtrack won theDeadly Award for Excellence in Film & Theatrical Score, and the show went on to tour nationally and internationally until 2009.[17] The soundtrack was released as an album onCD and as adigital download in 2005.[18]
In October 2004 a new concert, once again a collaboration with Roach, Grabowsky and the AAO, entitledKura Tungar – Songs from the River, premiered at theMelbourne International Arts Festival,[19] which was directed byRobyn Archer that year.[20] The concert, which was directed by Patrick Nolan, told stories from the two performers' lives, and featured songs about the Murray River and Ngarrindjeri Country, Ruby's home. The music used Roach and Hunter's lyrics and chords combined with Grabowsky and the AAO'scontemporary jazz orchestration. It played to full houses which gavestanding ovations and was later performed at theSydney Opera House andAdelaide Festival Centre. In 2005Kura Tungar won theHelpmann Award for the Best Contemporary Australian Concert at the5th Helpmann Awards.[19]
In 2005, Hunter was invited byDeborah Conway to take part in the Broad Festival project, with three other Australian female artists, where they performed their own and each other's songs.[21][2] With Hunter and Conway wereSara Storer,Katie Noonan andClare Bowditch.[22][2]
Hunter and Roach had a close and lifelong bond from the moment of their meeting, sharing a deep love that nourished both of them. They had two sons and officially fostered three children.[5] They also mentored teenagers in the family home; unofficially, Roach estimated around 15 to 20 further children over the years.[23]
Hunter said that her proudest achievement was keeping her family together as a stable unit.[2]
Hunter died of aheart attack on 17 February 2010, aged 54.[24] Her partnerArchie Roach established Ruby's Foundation to help continue her legacy. The foundation is dedicated to creating opportunities for Aboriginal people through the promotion, celebration and support ofAboriginal arts and culture.[25][26]
At the 2020National Indigenous Music Awards, Hunter was inducted into its Hall of Fame.[27]
Wash My Soul in the River's Flow (2021), written and directed by Philippa Bateman and produced by Bateman, Kate Hodges and Archie Roach, is a feature-length documentary based on the 2004 concertKura Tungar-Songs from the River, featuring Roach, Hunter, Paul Grabowsky and the Australian Art Orchestra,[19] in which Hunter and Roach sing about the Murray River and Ngarrindjeri lands.[28][29] The film also tells of the love story between Hunter and Roach, and is interspersed with vision ofThe Coorong. Hunter is featured wearingpelican feathers, with Roach explaining that she was a pelican in theDreamtime and that her spirit has returned to being a pelican.[23] The film had itsworld premiere at theBrisbane International Film Festival in October 2021[30] and was an official selection for theSydney Film Festival and theMelbourne International Film Festival in December 2021.[31][32]
In 2022, two side-by-side pillar-shaped monuments were erected on the shores ofLake Bonney atBarmera, in homage to Hunter and Roach. Glassmosaic artwork on the front side of each monument, designed by Hunter's sister-in-law, Rosslyn Richards, depict Hunter's Ngarrindjeri totem, the pelican (nori) and Roach's totem, theeagle.[33] In 2024, a statue of Hunter and Roach was erected atAtherton Gardens inFitzroy.[34]
In 2023, the Roach and Hunter authored bookSongs from the Kitchen Table was released, including lyrics, stories, photographs.[35]
Hunter continues to be known affectionately as Aunty Ruby.[4][26]
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Thoughts Within |
|
| Feeling Good |
|
| Ruby (with Archie Roach, Australian Art Orchestra &Paul Grabowsky) |
|
| Songs from the Kitchen Table (with Archie Roach) |
|
TheARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres ofAustralian music.[39]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Thoughts Within | Best Indigenous Release | Nominated |
| 2000 | Feeling Good | Best Blues & Roots Album | Nominated |
The Deadly Awards, commonly known simply as The Deadlys, was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. The ran from 1995 to 2013.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Hunter | Female Artist of the Year[2] | Won |
| 2003 | Hunter and Roach | Outstanding Contribution to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music[2] | awarded |
| 2004 | Ruby's Story(with Roach andPaul Grabowsky ) | Excellence in Film & Theatrical Score[2] | Won |
TheHelpmann Awards is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry groupLive Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001.[40]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005[41] | Kura Tungar: Songs from the River (with Archie Roach) | Best Australian Contemporary Concert | Won |
TheNational Indigenous Music Awards recognise excellence, innovation and leadership among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians from throughout Australia. They commenced in 2004.[42][43][27]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | herself | Hall of Fame | inductee |
TheSidney Myer Performing Arts Awards commenced in 1984 and recognise outstanding achievements in dance, drama, comedy, music, opera, circus and puppetry.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009[2][44] | Ruby Hunter (with Archie Roach) | Individual Award | awarded |
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