Warren H Williams

This article is about the musician. For the 19th-century architect, see Warren Heywood Williams.
Warren H Williams
Background information
Birth name Warren Hedley Williams
Born (1963-12-27) 27 December 1963
Origin Ntaria Hermannsburg, Northern Territory, Australia
Genres Country music
Occupation(s) Singer, Songwriter, Radio Broadcaster
Instruments Guitar
Labels ABC Music
Associated acts Dani Young, John Williamson, Pixie Jenkins, Amos Morris, Gus Williams
Notable instruments
Guitar

Warren Hedley Williams (born 27 December 1963) is an Aboriginal singer, musician and songwriter from Hermannsburg in Central Australia. Williams is an Arrernte man who plays country music and works as a broadcaster on CAAMA Radio in Alice Springs[1] He started playing guitar at six with his father Gus Williams.

In 2007, he wrote the musical Magic Coolamon, which debuted as the first ever Central Australian Indigenous musical[2] and in 2015, Williams made his directorial debut, writing and directing two episodes of the Aboriginal television series Our Place for ICTV.

In 2016, Williams teamed up with emerging artist Dani Young, writing and recording an album of traditional country duets in Nashville. The album, Desert Water was produced by Grammy and ACM award-nominated songwriter Billy Yates, and features Grammy winner Jim Lauderdale.

Awards

Warren H Williams and John Williamson's duet "Raining on the Rock" was nominated for an ARIA Award in 1998 for Best Indigenous Release, and Collaboration of the Year at the 1999 Australian Country Music Awards.[3]

Williams won a Deadly in 1998 for Single Release of the Year for the duet "Raining on the Rock" and another in 2001 for his album Where My Heart Is.[4] In 2006 Warren was the 'NAIDOC Artist of the Year' and won "Song of the Year" at Music NT’s 2006 Indigenous Music Awards.

Warren H Williams was in 2004 presented with a Country Music Centenary Medal from CMAA for service to Australian society through music and in 2008 was an inductee into the Country Music Hands Of Fame in Tamworth.[5] With John Williamson and Amos Morris he won another Australian Country Music Award (also known as a Golden Guitar) for Bush Ballad of the Year in 2009.[6]

Williams was announced the 2012 Red Ochre Award winner at the National Indigenous Arts Awards.[7]

Music career

Williams is one of Australia's most prominent Aboriginal singers and is considered a living legend. He has released 10 albums to date, with his latest album Desert Water with duet partner Dani Young released on July 22, 2016.[8] The album debuted at #2 on the ARIA Country albums charts, and the first single "Two Ships" spent 6 weeks at #1 on Tamworth Country Radio.[9]

Williams toured with John Williamson and Pixie Jenkins between 1998 and 2010, including 'Mates on the Road', 'Stone and Wire', 'Chandelier of Stars' and 'Wildlife Warrior on Tour'.[10] In 2004 he was the subject of an episode of the television series Nganampa Anwernekenhe.[11]

In 2015, Williams invited long-time friend and award-winning Australian singer Shane Nicholson to visit his hometown of Hermannsburg (Ntaria) to help break his writer's block. Williams took him to sacred sites and shared Aboriginal Dreaming stories which inspired Nicholson's ARIA-nominated album Hell Breaks Loose, which features the track 'Hermannsburg'.[12]

Radio career

In 1996, Williams was the first remote Indigenous broadcaster (RIBS) on the 8KIN FM network, presenting music shows live from Hermannsburg (Ntaria) in the Northern Territory, Australia. He is the longest serving broadcaster on CAAMA Radio, currently presenting the mid-morning show from 9am - 11am on weekdays, as well as the 80s Mix on Monday evenings, Rockn on Wednesday evenings, and CAAMA's highest rating program Strictly Country on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.[13] His programs are also played through the National Indigenous Radio Service.[1]

Politics

Williams stood as lead Australian Greens candidate for the two Northern Territory seats in the Australian Senate in the 2010 federal election,[14] and again in the 2013 federal election.[15][16] At the 2012 Northern Territory election, he stood for the Australia's First Nations Political Party in the seat of Namatjira.

Discography

Solo albums

Warren H. Williams & The Warumunga Songmen

Collaborations and others

Williams plays guitar on his father's album.

An instrumental album featuring Warren and friends (family).

References

  1. 1 2 "Biographical details". Warren H. Williams. Warren H Williams. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  2. ↑ Magic Coolamon - First Central Australian Indigenous Musical
  3. ↑ Aria Awards
  4. ↑ The 2001 Deadlys
  5. ↑ Australian Country Music Hands of Fame
  6. ↑ Sydney Morning Herald 25 January 2009 Kasey rattles the gongs by Matt Buchanan
  7. ↑ "Warren H. Williams 2012 Red Ochre Award winner". indigenous.gov.au. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  8. ↑ "LEGENDARY COUNTRY MUSIC ARTIST WARREN H. WILLIAMS AND RISING STAR DANI YOUNG LAUNCH SPECIAL DUETS ALBUM THIS JULY IN SYDNEY". www.hotoffthepress.com.au. Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  9. ↑ Sheridan, Haley (2016-08-22). "Perfect harmony for duo". Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  10. ↑ Muster.com.au Warren H Williams
  11. ↑ Warren H Williams, the stories, the songs (2004)
  12. ↑ McCabe, Kathy (August 8, 2015). "Shane Nicholson found outback inspiration to write songs about life and dating as a single dad". News.com.au. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  13. ↑ "Radio Program Guide". CAAMA. Retrieved 2015-10-10.
  14. ↑ Nancarrow, Kirsty: Greens choose entertainer as Senate candidate, ABC News, 14 July 2010.
  15. ↑ "Australian Greens NT Candidates". Australian Greens. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  16. ↑ Aston, Heath (26 June 2013). "Country singer challenges Peris in Senate race". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/23/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.