What do you think?
Rate this book
Gurrumul
This unique Indigenous man is one of the most inspiring music stories of our generation. From concert halls to recording studios and into Aboriginal heartlands, this is the story of Australia's Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu. This unique Indigenous man is one of the most inspiring music stories of our generation. Part road trip, part biography, Robert Hillman's account of Gurrumul's life and music offers rare insights into the sources of his inspiration. The book includes interviews with family and friends, song lyrics and exclusive photographs. His story is one of a great talent revealed and of an astonishing musical gift that has left audiences all over the world spellbound.
Part road trip, part biography, Robert Hillman's account of Gurrumul's life and artistry takes you behind the scenes and offers rare insights into the sources of his inspiration. In interviews with family and friends, Gurrumul emerges as a man of his people, shaped by the beliefs, rites and ceremonies of a richly engaging culture.
Part road trip, part biography, Robert Hillman's account of Gurrumul's life and artistry takes you behind the scenes and offers rare insights into the sources of his inspiration. In interviews with family and friends, Gurrumul emerges as a man of his people, shaped by the beliefs, rites and ceremonies of a richly engaging culture.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 23, 2013
7 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Robert Hillman
35 books145 followersRobert Hillman is a Melbourne-based writer of fiction and biography. His autobiography THE BOY IN THE GREEN SUIT won the Australian National Biography Award for 2005. His critically acclaimed MY LIFE AS A TRAITOR (written with Zarha Ghahramani) was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction in 2008 and was published widely overseas.
After many years of teaching in high schools and university, Robert Hillman now works as a full-time writer. He has three children and lives in Warburton, in Victoria's Yarra Valley.
After many years of teaching in high schools and university, Robert Hillman now works as a full-time writer. He has three children and lives in Warburton, in Victoria's Yarra Valley.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 5, 2016
The only way for you to experience a moment of the magic of the music I am listening to right now, is for you to listen to a YouTube video of the artist, Gurrumul, making his exquisite music. But that will not be quite the same, for I am listening to the CD that comes with this gorgeous book by Robert Hillman, and every track seems more haunting than the last… It is, the blurb tells me, an exclusive CD of remixed songs from his bestselling albums ′Gurrumul′ and ′Rrakala′ featuring rare remixes of the songs ′Bäpa′ and ′Gurrumul History (I was Born Blind)′ and ′Warwu′. (The music was recorded by Skinnyfish Music, a Darwin-based company which records and promotes the work of Indigenous musicians.)
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupinguin Galiwin’ku is a Yolnu man. He comes from Galiwin’ku (Elcho Island), off the coast of Arnhem Land, not far from Darwin. Born blind in 1969, he plays drums, keyboards, guitar and didgeridoo, but it’s his singing that has made the world sit up and take notice. He has a glorious voice, and he sings in the languages of his Yolnu clan: Galpu, Gumatj,and Djambarrpuynu, and in English. He used to perform with Yothu Yindi, but then with Saltwater Band. These days he performs solo.
A big, ‘coffee table’ book, this biography by Robert Hillman is a music lover’s delight. It includes song lyrics composed by Gurrumul in English and several Yolnu languages – and it’s the inclusion of these indigenous-authored songs and poetry that qualifies this book for #ILW2016, though for copyright reasons I can’t quote them. Gurrumul also includes interviews and photographs (full colour and B&W). It’s a delight to read, for rarely have I come across prose which manages so well to capture the sound of a human voice...
To read the rest of my review please visit The only way for you to experience a moment of the magic of the music I am listening to right now, is for you to listen to a YouTube video of the artist, Gurrumul, making his exquisite music. But that will not be quite the same, for I am listening to the CD that comes with this gorgeous book by Robert Hillman, and every track seems more haunting than the last… It is, the blurb tells me, an exclusive CD of remixed songs from his bestselling albums ′Gurrumul′ and ′Rrakala′ featuring rare remixes of the songs ′Bäpa′ and ′Gurrumul History (I was Born Blind)′ and ′Warwu′. (The music was recorded by Skinnyfish Music, a Darwin-based company which records and promotes the work of Indigenous musicians.)
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupinguin Galiwin’ku is a Yolnu man. He comes from Galiwin’ku (Elcho Island), off the coast of Arnhem Land, not far from Darwin. Born blind in 1969, he plays drums, keyboards, guitar and didgeridoo, but it’s his singing that has made the world sit up and take notice. He has a glorious voice, and he sings in the languages of his Yolnu clan: Galpu, Gumatj,and Djambarrpuynu, and in English. He used to perform with Yothu Yindi, but then with Saltwater Band. These days he performs solo.
A big, ‘coffee table’ book, this biography by Robert Hillman is a music lover’s delight. It includes song lyrics composed by Gurrumul in English and several Yolnu languages – and it’s the inclusion of these indigenous-authored songs and poetry that qualifies this book for #ILW2016, though for copyright reasons I can’t quote them. Gurrumul also includes interviews and photographs (full colour and B&W). It’s a delight to read, for rarely have I come across prose which manages so well to capture the sound of a human voice:
To read the rest of my review please visit The only way for you to experience a moment of the magic of the music I am listening to right now, is for you to listen to a YouTube video of the artist, Gurrumul, making his exquisite music. But that will not be quite the same, for I am listening to the CD that comes with this gorgeous book by Robert Hillman, and every track seems more haunting than the last… It is, the blurb tells me, an exclusive CD of remixed songs from his bestselling albums ′Gurrumul′ and ′Rrakala′ featuring rare remixes of the songs ′Bäpa′ and ′Gurrumul History (I was Born Blind)′ and ′Warwu′. (The music was recorded by Skinnyfish Music, a Darwin-based company which records and promotes the work of Indigenous musicians.)
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupinguin Galiwin’ku is a Yolnu man. He comes from Galiwin’ku (Elcho Island), off the coast of Arnhem Land, not far from Darwin. Born blind in 1969, he plays drums, keyboards, guitar and didgeridoo, but it’s his singing that has made the world sit up and take notice. He has a glorious voice, and he sings in the languages of his Yolnu clan: Galpu, Gumatj,and Djambarrpuynu, and in English. He used to perform with Yothu Yindi, but then with Saltwater Band. These days he performs solo.
A big, ‘coffee table’ book, this biography by Robert Hillman is a music lover’s delight. It includes song lyrics composed by Gurrumul in English and several Yolnu languages – and it’s the inclusion of these indigenous-authored songs and poetry that qualifies this book for #ILW2016, though for copyright reasons I can’t quote them. Gurrumul also includes interviews and photographs (full colour and B&W). It’s a delight to read, for rarely have I come across prose which manages so well to capture the sound of a human voice....
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2016/07/05/g...
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupinguin Galiwin’ku is a Yolnu man. He comes from Galiwin’ku (Elcho Island), off the coast of Arnhem Land, not far from Darwin. Born blind in 1969, he plays drums, keyboards, guitar and didgeridoo, but it’s his singing that has made the world sit up and take notice. He has a glorious voice, and he sings in the languages of his Yolnu clan: Galpu, Gumatj,and Djambarrpuynu, and in English. He used to perform with Yothu Yindi, but then with Saltwater Band. These days he performs solo.
A big, ‘coffee table’ book, this biography by Robert Hillman is a music lover’s delight. It includes song lyrics composed by Gurrumul in English and several Yolnu languages – and it’s the inclusion of these indigenous-authored songs and poetry that qualifies this book for #ILW2016, though for copyright reasons I can’t quote them. Gurrumul also includes interviews and photographs (full colour and B&W). It’s a delight to read, for rarely have I come across prose which manages so well to capture the sound of a human voice...
To read the rest of my review please visit The only way for you to experience a moment of the magic of the music I am listening to right now, is for you to listen to a YouTube video of the artist, Gurrumul, making his exquisite music. But that will not be quite the same, for I am listening to the CD that comes with this gorgeous book by Robert Hillman, and every track seems more haunting than the last… It is, the blurb tells me, an exclusive CD of remixed songs from his bestselling albums ′Gurrumul′ and ′Rrakala′ featuring rare remixes of the songs ′Bäpa′ and ′Gurrumul History (I was Born Blind)′ and ′Warwu′. (The music was recorded by Skinnyfish Music, a Darwin-based company which records and promotes the work of Indigenous musicians.)
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupinguin Galiwin’ku is a Yolnu man. He comes from Galiwin’ku (Elcho Island), off the coast of Arnhem Land, not far from Darwin. Born blind in 1969, he plays drums, keyboards, guitar and didgeridoo, but it’s his singing that has made the world sit up and take notice. He has a glorious voice, and he sings in the languages of his Yolnu clan: Galpu, Gumatj,and Djambarrpuynu, and in English. He used to perform with Yothu Yindi, but then with Saltwater Band. These days he performs solo.
A big, ‘coffee table’ book, this biography by Robert Hillman is a music lover’s delight. It includes song lyrics composed by Gurrumul in English and several Yolnu languages – and it’s the inclusion of these indigenous-authored songs and poetry that qualifies this book for #ILW2016, though for copyright reasons I can’t quote them. Gurrumul also includes interviews and photographs (full colour and B&W). It’s a delight to read, for rarely have I come across prose which manages so well to capture the sound of a human voice:
To read the rest of my review please visit The only way for you to experience a moment of the magic of the music I am listening to right now, is for you to listen to a YouTube video of the artist, Gurrumul, making his exquisite music. But that will not be quite the same, for I am listening to the CD that comes with this gorgeous book by Robert Hillman, and every track seems more haunting than the last… It is, the blurb tells me, an exclusive CD of remixed songs from his bestselling albums ′Gurrumul′ and ′Rrakala′ featuring rare remixes of the songs ′Bäpa′ and ′Gurrumul History (I was Born Blind)′ and ′Warwu′. (The music was recorded by Skinnyfish Music, a Darwin-based company which records and promotes the work of Indigenous musicians.)
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupinguin Galiwin’ku is a Yolnu man. He comes from Galiwin’ku (Elcho Island), off the coast of Arnhem Land, not far from Darwin. Born blind in 1969, he plays drums, keyboards, guitar and didgeridoo, but it’s his singing that has made the world sit up and take notice. He has a glorious voice, and he sings in the languages of his Yolnu clan: Galpu, Gumatj,and Djambarrpuynu, and in English. He used to perform with Yothu Yindi, but then with Saltwater Band. These days he performs solo.
A big, ‘coffee table’ book, this biography by Robert Hillman is a music lover’s delight. It includes song lyrics composed by Gurrumul in English and several Yolnu languages – and it’s the inclusion of these indigenous-authored songs and poetry that qualifies this book for #ILW2016, though for copyright reasons I can’t quote them. Gurrumul also includes interviews and photographs (full colour and B&W). It’s a delight to read, for rarely have I come across prose which manages so well to capture the sound of a human voice....
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2016/07/05/g...
March 14, 2021
At times I found this hard to read as it did not proceed in chronological order and often events were repeated. But I found it fascinating to get a glimpse in the challenges of working between different cultures, personalities and the amazing opportunities that can arise. I ended up reading it with Dr Gs music playing in the background (thanks to Youtube) which was very decadent. The book was also a bit of a treasure hunt for names of people and places I know. Thank you to all involved for the music.
December 22, 2017
Enjoyable read, nicely paced and showing - Gurrumul, his life and music. A sound appreciation of Yolnu people, their music and the journey of those who thought to share Gurrumul's voice and songs with us. Thank you.
January 8, 2023
Enjoyed the read. A good insight into Country
August 6, 2016
An interesting read. A bit too much about the background people...not enough about the man.
January 8, 2015
Well written and innovatively constructed.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews