Jimmy Little

Jimmy Little AO (1937 – 2012) remains one of the most beloved figures in Australian music and Aboriginal cultural life. Born on 1 March 1937 at the Cummeragunja Aboriginal mission in New South Wales, Little was the eldest son of a Yuin-Monaro father and a Yorta Yorta mother. He embarked on his professional music career in the early 1950s and in 1956 released his debut single, launching a six-decade journey as performer, actor, teacher and mentor. In 2004, he was voted a “National Living Treasure”.

At the heart of Little’s artistry was a smooth, golden voice that belied his hard-earned beginnings. His 1963 hit Royal Telephone sold tens of thousands of copies, making him the first Aboriginal pop star to achieve major chart success. Beyond the charts, Little understood the power of culture. He once said, “Our extended family is the human race.” In the 1990s and 2000s, he turned his energy to health and community, founding the Jimmy Little Foundation to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nutrition, kidney health and education.

Little won countless honours: in 1999 he was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, and in 2004 made an Officer of the Order of Australia for his service to entertainment and Aboriginal culture. He was awarded three honorary doctorates from Queensland University of Technology, University of Sydney and the Australian Catholic University. He helped open the door for Aboriginal cultures in mainstream Australia, and he simply asked to be remembered as “a nice person who was fair-minded and had a bit of talent that put it to good use.”