Gurrumul

... you will surrender to the greatest voice this continent has ever recorded - BRUCE ELDER, SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

On a November afternoon in 2010, Gurrumul sat in a studio in Sydney to be photographed for the cover of Rolling Stone. The studio was 3000 kilometres from where he was born on Elcho Island off the coast of East Arnhem Land. A bare three years had passed since the release of Gurrumul, his critically acclaimed debut solo album. Those years of critical acclaim, all the years before them, and the illness that threatened to end it all, combine in one of the most inspiring music stories of our generation.

From concert halls to recording studios and into the Yolngu heartland, this is the story of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu. It's the story 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 illustrated 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.

Featuring images from family, friends and some of the world's best rock photographers, Gurrumul: His Life and Music provides in words, pictures and song, unforgettable insight into the story of one of Australia's most original performers. Accompanying the book is a Bonus CD of exclusive remixed versions of 15 songs from the Triple Platinum and Platinum albums Gurrumul and Rrakala including the songs Bäpa and Gurrumul History (I was Born Blind) and Warwu

About the Author

Robert 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 Zarah Ghahramani) was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction in 2008 and was published widely overseas. Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner And A Thousand Splendid Suns, called it "[a] celebration of human courage under duress and a savage indictment of the oppressive regime of Iran. It shocks, angers, saddens, and inspires.” His most recent collaborations with Najaf Mazari, The Rugmaker Of Mazar-E-Sharif And The Honey Thief, grew out of Robert’s abiding interest in the hardships and triumphs of refugees and the rich storytelling traditions of Afghanistan.