Sunday, 19 October 2008
1.30pm

Gurrummul: Son of the Rainbow Serpent is a two-part documentary about Geoffrey 'Gurrumul' Yunupingu, the Indigenous musical phenomenon coming out of Elcho Island's Galiwin'ku in North East Arnhem Land.

Gurrumul has made a big impact on the Australian music scene, leaping to number one in April's iTunes Australia roots music chart, and he has recently been nominated in four categories of the 2008 ARIA Awards including Album of the Year and Best Male Artist of the Year. In episode one, on 19 October, we follow Gurrumul's sell-out concert at the Sydney Opera House as he and his band perform. His lyrics speak of his deep love of country and his spiritual connection to the land, his people and his ancestors. Sydney Morning Herald music critic Bruce Elder has described Gurrumul's voice as being of "absolutely transcendental beauty". Blind since birth, Gurrumul is a self-taught virtuoso of the guitar, piano and drums and played all three instruments as well as singing back-up vocals for the hugely successful Indigenous pop-rock group of the 80s and 90s, Yothu Yindi, led by his cousin Mandaway Yunupingu. Since Yothu Yindi, Gurrumul has formed his own reggae rock group, Saltwater Band, with his brothers from Elcho. More recently he has gone solo with an album that went through the roof of the Australian music charts with its blend of folk/classical/country sounds and deeply haunting vocal melodies sung by Gurrumul in his first language, Yolngu. The 2008 ARIA Awards will be announced at a ceremony in Sydney on Sunday 19 October, and Gurrumul is likely to win awards in at least two of his nominated categories.

Message Stick will be repeated on ABC2 – Monday, October 20 at 5:00pm