Biography
After a lengthy and prosperous run performing in Australia, Aboriginal country singer Jimmy Little gained fresh recognition for his distinctive interpretations of familiar hits, an uncommon distinction for any performer.
Raised on the Cummeragunja mission along the Murray River in Victoria, Little relocated to Sydney in 1955 to chase a career in country music, where his mellow approach brought the nicknames the Balladeer, Gentleman Jim, and the Honey Voice. His debut single, "Mysteries of Life"/"Heartbreak Waltz," appeared in 1956, though his first chart success arrived only in 1959 with "Danny Boy," which climbed to number nine in Sydney. "El Paso" followed, reaching number 12 in Sydney during February 1960. That same year Little made his screen debut in the Billy Graham evangelical feature Shadow of the Boomerang.
Following seventeen earlier singles, Little achieved his greatest success with "Royal Telephone," which topped the Sydney chart and reached number three in Melbourne in November 1963. The Barry Gibb-penned "One Road" entered at number 19 in Sydney and number 30 in Melbourne in March 1964, earning him the title of Australian Pop Star of the Year from Everybody's Magazine. His last hit of the period, "Baby Blue," peaked at number eight in Melbourne and number 37 in Sydney in September 1974.
Little subsequently devoted himself to acting full time, making his stage debut in Black Cockatoos and later appearing in Wim Wenders' 1991 film Until the End of the World. Additional credits included Tracy Moffatt's The Night Cries and the opera Black River, while his educational and community efforts led to his naming as MAIDOC Aboriginal of the Year in 1989.
In 1992 he performed in the Tamworth on Parade and Kings of Country roadshows, then issued his fourteenth album, Yorta Yorta Man, in 1994. That year he received induction into Tamworth's Country Music Roll of Renown, the highest accolade available to an Australian country artist.
Messenger, a set of contemporary songs filtered through Little's smooth vocals, arrived in June 1999 and reached number 26 on the national chart, eventually moving more than 20,000 copies. The album included reinterpretations of material by Nick Cave, Ed Kuepper, and Paul Kelly. At age 62, Jimmy Little had returned to prominence. A version of Sunnyboys' "Alone with You" appeared the following September on the Timelines: The Intergenerational Music Project album, issued to mark the Year of Older People in 1999.
The 1999 ARIA Music Awards brought multiple honors: Messenger took Best Country Album, shared with Kasey Chambers, and Best Adult Contemporary Album, after which Little entered the ARIA Hall of Fame. At the 1999 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music Awards (the Deadlys) he received Best Male Artist of the Year and Best Single Release of the Year.
Little re-emerged in September 2001 with Resonate, an album of new material written by Paul Kelly, Don Walker, Bernard Fanning of Powderfinger, Brendan Gallagher of Karma County, and Dave Graney.
Raised on the Cummeragunja mission along the Murray River in Victoria, Little relocated to Sydney in 1955 to chase a career in country music, where his mellow approach brought the nicknames the Balladeer, Gentleman Jim, and the Honey Voice. His debut single, "Mysteries of Life"/"Heartbreak Waltz," appeared in 1956, though his first chart success arrived only in 1959 with "Danny Boy," which climbed to number nine in Sydney. "El Paso" followed, reaching number 12 in Sydney during February 1960. That same year Little made his screen debut in the Billy Graham evangelical feature Shadow of the Boomerang.
Following seventeen earlier singles, Little achieved his greatest success with "Royal Telephone," which topped the Sydney chart and reached number three in Melbourne in November 1963. The Barry Gibb-penned "One Road" entered at number 19 in Sydney and number 30 in Melbourne in March 1964, earning him the title of Australian Pop Star of the Year from Everybody's Magazine. His last hit of the period, "Baby Blue," peaked at number eight in Melbourne and number 37 in Sydney in September 1974.
Little subsequently devoted himself to acting full time, making his stage debut in Black Cockatoos and later appearing in Wim Wenders' 1991 film Until the End of the World. Additional credits included Tracy Moffatt's The Night Cries and the opera Black River, while his educational and community efforts led to his naming as MAIDOC Aboriginal of the Year in 1989.
In 1992 he performed in the Tamworth on Parade and Kings of Country roadshows, then issued his fourteenth album, Yorta Yorta Man, in 1994. That year he received induction into Tamworth's Country Music Roll of Renown, the highest accolade available to an Australian country artist.
Messenger, a set of contemporary songs filtered through Little's smooth vocals, arrived in June 1999 and reached number 26 on the national chart, eventually moving more than 20,000 copies. The album included reinterpretations of material by Nick Cave, Ed Kuepper, and Paul Kelly. At age 62, Jimmy Little had returned to prominence. A version of Sunnyboys' "Alone with You" appeared the following September on the Timelines: The Intergenerational Music Project album, issued to mark the Year of Older People in 1999.
The 1999 ARIA Music Awards brought multiple honors: Messenger took Best Country Album, shared with Kasey Chambers, and Best Adult Contemporary Album, after which Little entered the ARIA Hall of Fame. At the 1999 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music Awards (the Deadlys) he received Best Male Artist of the Year and Best Single Release of the Year.
Little re-emerged in September 2001 with Resonate, an album of new material written by Paul Kelly, Don Walker, Bernard Fanning of Powderfinger, Brendan Gallagher of Karma County, and Dave Graney.
Albums
At Last
2013
My It Sure Am
2011
The Definitive Collection
2004
Life'S What You Make It
2004
Resonate
2002
Messenger
2000
Singles
