Frank Yamma is a singer and songwriter from Central Australia. He is a

Pitjantjatjara The Pitjantjatjara (; or ) are an Aboriginal people of the Central Australian desert near Uluru. They are closely related to the Yankunytjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra and their languages are, to a large extent, mutually intelligible (all are va ...

man who speaks five languages and sings in both Pitjantjatjara and English. Yamma is the son of Issac Yamma, an early artist who pioneered singing Western style songs in traditional language. He is Regarded as one of Australia's most important indigenous songwriters.

Career

In 1999, Frank Yamma & Piranpa released ''Playing with Fire''. At the Deadly Awards 1999 it won album of the year. At the APRA Music Awards of 2005 Yamma won ''Best Original Song Composed for a Feature Film, Telemovie, TV Series or Mini-Series'' with

David Bridie David Ross Hope Bridie is an Australian contemporary musician and songwriter. He was a founding mainstay member of World music band Not Drowning, Waving which released six studio albums to critical acclaim. He also formed a chamber pop group, ...

for "Pitjantjara" from '' The Alice''. In 2010, Yamma returned with the critically acclaimed ''Countryman''. This album gained international attention which sparked extensive national and international touring. In 2014, Yamma released ''Uncle''. In 2014, Yamma performed across Canada at Calgary Folk Festival, Vancouver Folk Festival and

Winnipeg Folk Festival The Winnipeg Folk Festival is a nonprofit charitable organization with an annual summer folk music festival held in Birds Hill Provincial Park, near Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The festival features a variety of artists and music from around the ...

, where he shared the stage with

Buffy Saint Marie Buffy Sainte-Marie, (born Beverly Sainte-Marie, February 20, 1941) is an Indigenous Canadian-American (Piapot Cree Nation) singer-songwriter, musician, composer, visual artist, educator, pacifist, and social activist. While working in these are ...

and

The Mekons The Mekons are a British band formed in the late 1970s as an art collective. They are one of the longest-running and most prolific of the first-wave British punk rock bands. The band's style has evolved over time to incorporate aspects of ...

, as well as performing a coveted spot opening for

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

Discography

Studio albums

Remix albums

Compilation albums

Awards and nominations

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as

AIR Awards The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. History The inaugural 2006 awards were held at ...

) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. , - ,

AIR Awards of 2015 The AIR Awards of 2015 (or Carlton Dry Independent Music Awards of 2015) is the tenth annual Australian Independent Record Labels Association Music Awards (generally known as the AIR Awards) and was an award ceremony at The Meat Market, North Me ...

, ''Uncle'' , Best Independent Country Album , , -

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters". , - , 2005 , , "Pitjantjara" from ''The Alice'' (David Bridie & Frank Yamma) , , Best Original Song Composed for a Feature Film, Telemovie, TV Series or Mini-Series , ,

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual award ceremony event celebrating the Australian music industry. Yamma have been nominated for one award. ! Lost to , - ,

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

, ''Tjukurpa: The Story'' , Best Blues & Roots Album , , The Teskey Brothers - Live At The Forum

Deadly Awards

The

Deadly Awards 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 event was held from 1995 to 2013. Description T ...

, commonly known simply as ''The Deadlys'', was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. , - ,

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

, ''Playing with Fire '' , Album Release of the Year: , , -

References

External links

NAIDOC Week 2002

* "Frank Yamma: a fire that burns brighter." Article by Peter Vincent in the Sydney Morning Herald. 15 October 2014

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yamma Frank Indigenous Australian musicians Living people Australian male singers Australian songwriters APRA Award winners Australian guitarists Year of birth missing (living people) Australian male guitarists