Warumpi Band | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Papunya,Northern Territory, Australia |
| Genres | Blues-rock,country rock,indigenous rock |
| Years active | 1980 (1980)–1987 (1987) 1995 (1995)–2000 (2000) (occasional reunions) |
| Labels | Hot,Powderworks,RCA,Festival, Parole, CAAMA,Shock |
| Past members | George Burarrwanga Gordon Butcher Sammy Butcher Neil Murray |
Warumpi Band (/ˈwʌrəmpi/) were an Australiancountry andAboriginal rock group which formed in the outback settlement ofPapunya,Northern Territory, in 1980. The original line-up wasGeorge Burarrwanga on vocals anddidgeridoo, Gordon Butcher Tjapanangka on drums, his brotherSammy Butcher Tjapanangka on guitar and bass guitar, andNeil Murray on rhythm guitar and backing vocals. Their songs are in English,Luritja andGumatj.[1] Their key singles are "Blackfella/Whitefella" (1985), "Sit Down Money" (1986), "My Island Home" (1987) and "No Fear" (1987). The group released three albums,Big Name, No Blankets (1985),Go Bush! (1987) andToo Much Humbug (1996). From late 1987 to mid-1995 the group rarely performed as Murray focused on his solo career. In early 1995,Christine Anu (former backing singer in Murray's touring group, The Rainmakers), issued a cover version of "My Island Home". Warumpi Band regrouped before disbanding in 2000.
The Warumpi Band were formed in 1980 inPapunya – an outback settlement about 240 kilometres (150 mi) north-west ofAlice Springs in the Northern Territory – as acountry andAboriginal rock group.[2]Neil Murray was a Victorian-born schoolteacher and labourer who was working in the region. He met local brothers Gordon Butcher Tjapanangka andSammy Butcher Tjapanangka of theLuritja people; and were joined by Sammy's brother-in-lawGeorge Rrurrambu Burarrwanga (aka George Djilangya), visiting fromElcho Island'sYolngu people.[3][4] Murray provided rhythm guitar and backing vocals, Gordon was on drums, Sammy on guitar and bass guitar, and Burarrwanga on vocals anddidgeridoo.[2][5] 'Warumpi' derives from the Luritja word for a "honey-ant dreaming site", Warumpinya, which lies near Papunya.[4][5] The band was first called Warumpinya Band, as "the band from Warumpinya", but this was later shortened to Warumpi Band.[6] Over the years, many different people played in the band at various times.[7] The only consistent elements were Murray and Burarrwanga, with Sammy Butcher generally being available when band commitments did not take him too far from home for long.
The group began by playing cover versions of rock 'n' roll standards and toured the Northern Territory and theKimberley region of northern Western Australia.[2][5] In 1983 at the Aboriginal Country Music Festival they were voted as best band and by that stage they were playing more original material.[2] In October 1983 they released their debut single, "Jailanguru Pakarnu" (Luritja for "Out from Jail") on the Hot label.[2][4] It is the first song released in a rock music format which uses anAboriginal language, Luritja.[2][8] For the single they were joined by another Butcher brother, Brian, on bass guitar.[2] The track created mainstream media interest, and the group travelled to the interstate capitals of Melbourne and Sydney for gigs and TV appearances. Butcher said "It's about a jailbird, coming out of jail, trying to fit in with the family.".[9]
Warumpi Band built up a loyal following in Sydney's northern beachespub rock scene, and played as a support act toMidnight Oil.[10] In 1985 the band signed with Midnight Oil's Powderworks label and released their debut album,Big Name, No Blankets in April 1985. Australian rock music historian,Ian McFarlane, felt although "[g]rounded in early American R&B and boogie as it was, the album was nevertheless an honest, enduring and bare-boned slice of indigenous country music".[2]Big Name, No Blankets featured the single, "Blackfella/Whitefella", which appeared in October.[2] The group undertook a national tour as well as playing inPapua New Guinea,Solomon Islands andVanuatu.[5]
In 1986, Midnight Oil and Warumpi Band embarked on theBlackfella/Whitefella Tour which reached some of the country's remotest locations. In July, while on tour, "Blackfella/Whitefella" was re-released as a track on the B-side of Midnight Oil's 12" shared single, "The Dead Heart", and included tour mateColoured Stone's track "This Land".[2] After the tour the Butcher brothers left and the group signed withFestival Records' imprint Parole Records.[2] In October and November Burarrwanga and Murray were joined by Kenny Smith (later part of theSunrize Band) on bass guitar and backing vocals, and American-born Allen Murphy on drums to record their second album,Go Bush!.[2] It appeared in April 1987 and Murray Cook had joined on keyboards.[2] In February that year they issued their next single, "My Island Home", which had been written by Neil Murray for George Burarrwanga after visiting Burarrwanga's homeland on Elcho Island.[5][11]
The tour inspired Midnight Oil's album,Diesel and Dust (August 1987), which became an international hit and brought the issues of land rights and aboriginal reconciliation into the national spotlight.[10] For Warumpi Band the strain of balancing family commitments with the group took its toll and they were unable to capitalise on the groundswell created by the tour and their second album. By the end of 1988 Murray had embarked upon a solo career, although the band periodically reformed whenever it fitted in with their other activities.[2][12] Murray issued his debut album,Calm & Crystal Clear, in 1989.[12]
In 1995Christine Anu (former backing singer in Murray's touring band, The Rainmakers) covered "My Island Home".[2][11] Soon after Burarrwanga, Sammy Butcher and Murray reconvened Warrumpi Band for a European tour.[2]
In April 1996 they released their third album,Too Much Humbug.[2] The album was produced by Mark Ovenden (Yothu Yindi, Midnight Oil,You Am I).[13] At theARIA Music Awards of 1997 the track, "Stompin' Ground", was nominated for 'Best Indigenous Release'.[14] In the following years, reunion gigs were sporadic, generally for festivals and other one-off appearances. In 2000 Murray resigned from Warumpi Band and concentrated on his solo career which had already provided three further albums,These Hands (1993),Dust (1996) andThe Wondering Kind (1999).[12]
Warumpi Band disbanded in 2000.
Various members were temporary, touring or recording only. From late 1987 to early 1995 there was little group activity as members pursued other interests.[2][5][7]
Burarrwanga continued to perform as a solo artist, and released a reggae album,Nerbu Message (2004), which included his version of "My Island Home" as "Ronu Wanga", sung in his nativeGumatj dialect. In 2007, he returned to his 'Island Home' on Elcho Island where he died fromlung cancer on 10 June of that year.[3]
Sammy Butcher remained involved in music with a recording studio in Alice Springs, providing recording opportunities for outback youth. He recorded his own album of instrumental guitar tracks,Desert Surf Guitar (2002).[15]
Gordon Butcher Tjapanangka was also an artist, woodcarver, and Land Council representative for the Western Area. Died early 2020.[16][17]
In 2015,Festival Records released theWarumpi Band 4 Ever box set, containing the band's three albums plus bonuses across two CDs.[citation needed]
In November 2021, Love Police Records & Tapes releasedWarumpi Rock: Papunya Sessions 1982, a set recorded on two-track cassette in the living room of a local teacher and is the earliest known recordings of the band.[18]
In 2013,Screen Australia released the documentaryBig Name, No Blanket about the band.[19]
A rock 'n' roll theatre show performed byIlbijerri Theatre titledBig Name, No Blanket premiered at theSydney Festival in January 2024. The show is written byAndrea James, assisted by Sammy Tjapanangka Butcher as story and cultural consultant, and co-directed byRachael Maza and Anyupa Butcher (Sammy's daughter, who works at Ilbijerri[20]). The show was also performed at theRISING Festival inMelbourne,Darwin Festival, andBrisbane Festival. The show celebrates the journey and impact of the Warumpi Band, told through the perspective of the Butcher Brothers[21] – from 1980 in Papunya through the highs and lows of their career. In October 2024 a slightly scaled-down version of the show was undertaking a tour of 16 prisons, including some maximum-security lockups, supported by theBalnaves Foundation. Maza said "It's not a deeply political work. It's just a huge celebration of blackness in all its glory, of what Warumpi represents – whitefellas and blackfellas celebrating Australia's black story. It's such a powerful message if we’re trying to think about a way forward".Baykali Ganambarr plays Sammy Butcher.[20] The show also featured in theAdelaide Festival in March 2025.[22]
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Big Name, No Blankets |
|
| Go Bush! |
|
| Too Much Humbug |
|
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Warumpi Band 4 Ever |
|
| Warumpi Rock: Papunya Sessions 1982 |
|
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | "Jailanguru Pakarnu" | |
| 1985 | "Breadline" | Big Name, No Blankets |
| "Blackfella/Whitefella" | ||
| 1986 | "Sit Down Money" | |
| 1987 | "My Island Home" | Go Bush! |
| "No Fear" / "Tjiluru Tijiluru" | ||
| 1996 | "Stompin' Ground" | Too Much Humbug |
TheARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres ofAustralian music. They commenced in 1987.[14]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Go Bush | Best Indigenous Release | Nominated |
| 1996 | Too Much Humbug | Best Indigenous Release | Nominated |
| 1997 | Stompin' Ground | Best Indigenous Release | Nominated |
In January 2024 the Warumpi Band musical'Big Name, No Blankets' premiered and this is written byAndrea James withSammy Butcher and his daughterAnyupa Butcher.This musical is co-directed byRachael Maza and Anyupa Butcher for theIlbijerri Theatre Company.[23][24][25]
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| National | |
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