''Buried Country'' is the name of a documentary film, book, and soundtrack album released in 2000, and a stage show which toured from 2016 to 2018. A

prosopography Prosopography is an investigation of the common characteristics of a group of people, whose individual biographies may be largely untraceable. Research subjects are analysed by means of a collective study of their lives, in multiple career-line an ...

created by

Clinton Walker Clinton Walker is an Australian writer, best known for his works on popular music. He is known for his books ''Highway to Hell'' (1994; a biography of Bon Scott), ''Buried Country'' (2000; also a film and soundtrack album), ''History is Made a ...

, it tells the story of

Australian country music Australian country music is a part of the music of Australia. There is a broad range of styles, from bluegrass music, bluegrass, to yodeling to Australian folk music, folk to the more popular. The genre has been influenced by Celtic and English ...

in the Aboriginal community by focussing on the genre's most important stars.

Components

The book ''Buried Country: The Story of Aboriginal Country Music'' by Clinton Walker was published by Pluto Press in 2000. The

Film Australia Film Australia was a company established by the Government of Australia to produce films about Australia in 1973. Its predecessors were the Cinema and Photographic Branch (1913–38), the Australian National Film Board (1939–1955, under diffe ...

documentary was directed by Andy Nehl, written by Walker, and narrated by

Kev Carmody Kevin Daniel Carmody (born 1946), better known by his stage name Kev Carmody, is an Aboriginal Australian singer-songwriter and musician, a Murri man from northern Queensland. He is best known for the song "From Little Things Big Things Grow", ...

. The 2-CD set ''Buried Country: Original Film Soundtrack'' (

Larrikin Records Larrikin Records is a record company founded in 1974 by Warren Fahey. Larrikin started as an independent label and was sold in 1995 to Festival Records. Artists who have released albums on Larrikin include Eric Bogle, Sirocco, Mike and Michelle ...

) produced by Walker contains 45 classic and rare tracks featured in the book and film. ''Buried Country'' has also been produced as a touring stage show that had its premiere at the Playhouse in

Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle ( ; Awabakal: ) is a metropolitan area and the second most populated city in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie local government areas, and is the hub of the Greater Newcastle area, w ...

in August 2016, starring surviving elders of the tradition and a younger generation of singers and songwriters. It continued to tour the festival circuit until 2018. It featured a rotating cast of the original artists, with backing band the Backtrackers.

Featured artists

*1940s-50s **

Jimmy Little James Oswald Little, AO (1 March 19372 April 2012) 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 profess ...

** Georgia Lee ** Vic Sabrino **

Herbie Laughton Herbert Patrick Laughton, (7 February 1927 - 2 December 2012) was a country singer from Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia. He is also a member of the Stolen Generations. In 2005 he was inducted into the hall of fame at Music N ...

*1960s-70s ** Dougie Young ** Black Allan Barker **

Lionel Rose Lionel Edmund Rose MBE (21 June 1948 – 8 May 2011) was an Australian former professional boxer who competed from 1964 to 1976. He held the undisputed WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' bantamweight titles from 1968 to 1969, becoming the first Ind ...

Vic Simms William Victor Simms, known as Vic Simms and Vicki Simms, is an Australian singer and songwriter. He is from La Perouse, New South Wales, and is a Bidjigal man.

Bobby McLeod Bobby McLeod (1947 – 30 May 2009) was an Aboriginal activist, poet, healer, musician and Yuin elder. He was from Wreck Bay Village, Jervis Bay Territory. He was involved in the fight for Aboriginal rights in Australia and travelled the world sp ...

** Harry and Wilga Williams ** George and Ken Assang *1970s-80s ** Gus Williams **

Auriel Andrew Auriel Andrew (1947 – 2 January 2017) was an award-winning Arrernte country musician from the Northern Territory of Australia. Biography Andrew was born in Darwin, and grew up in Mparntwe, Northern Territory. She is Arrernte, the Traditi ...

** Bob Randall **

Isaac Yamma Isaac Yamma (or Yama) (1940 – January 1990) was a country singer from Central Australia. He was a Pitjantjatjara man who was born by a waterhole near Docker River ( Kaltukatjara). He started his musical career as a member of Areyonga Desert Ti ...

*1980s-90s **

Roger Knox Roger Knox (born 1948) is an Australian country singer, known as the Black Elvis and the Koori King of Country. Early life Knox is from the Gamilaroi nation, part of the Aboriginal Australian community, and was born in Moree, New South Wales. ...

Kevin Gunn Kevin () is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; mga, Caoimhghín ; sga, Cóemgein ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ). The variant ''Kevan'' is anglicized from , an ...

Warren H. Williams Warren Hedley Williams (born 27 December 1963) is an Aboriginal Australian singer, musician and songwriter from Hermannsburg, Northern Territory, Hermannsburg in Central Australia. As of 2013 he worked as a Radio personality, broadcaster on Cent ...

Troy Cassar-Daley Troy Cassar-Daley (born 18 May 1969) is an Australian country music songwriter and entertainer. Cassar-Daley has released thirteen studio albums, two live albums and five compilation albums over 30 years, including the platinum-selling ''The G ...

Archie Roach Archibald William Roach (8 January 1956 – 30 July 2022) was an Australian singer, songwriter and Aboriginal Australian, Aboriginal activist. Often referred to as "Uncle Archie", Roach was a Gunditjmara and Western Bundjalung people, Bundjalu ...

Ruby Hunter Ruby Charlotte Margaret Hunter (31 October 195517 February 2010), also known as Aunty Ruby, was an Aboriginal Australian singer, songwriter and guitarist, and the life and musical partner of Archie Roach . Early life Ruby Hunter was born on 31 ...

** Tiddas **

Warumpi Band Warumpi Band () were an Australian country and Aboriginal rock group which formed in the outback settlement of Papunya, Northern Territory, in 1980. The original line-up was George Burarrwanga on vocals and didgeridoo, Gordon Butcher Tjapanang ...

References

External links

Official websiteYouTube channelMusic Australia
Collection Listing for ''Buried Country: The Story of Aboriginal Country Music by Clinton Walker''
Screen Australia
Film Listing * {{Films and television series about Indigenous Australia , state=autocollapse 2000 non-fiction books 2000 films Australian country music Indigenous Australian musicians Australian documentary films Books about Australian music Documentary films about country music and musicians 2000 soundtrack albums Documentary films about Aboriginal Australians Documentary film soundtracks