BIG NAME, NO BLANKET

The life and music of George Rrurrambu and the Warumpi Band.

BIG NAME NO BLANKET tells the extraordinary story of George Rrurrambu, the former lead singer of the pioneering Warumpi Band of the 1980s. George was the charismatic frontman, who combined rock and roll, reggae, pop and traditional culture to spread the message about Indigenous contemporary issues, awakening the Australian consciousness of another world in its own backyard.

With George joining founding members Neil Murray and the Butcher Brothers, the Warumpi Band became the most successful Indigenous rock and roll band that Australia had ever seen. Dubbed the black Mick Jagger for his energetic performances and hailed a legend for being the first Aboriginal frontman to sing rock and roll music in Aboriginal languages, George caught the Australian nation by surprise.

George was also the first Aboriginal man to introduce clap sticks and boomerangs into his rock and roll repertoire that reached wider Australian audiences. Iconic songs Jailanguru Parkurnu (Out From Jail), Sit down money, Blackfella/Whitefella brought to the nation's attention, the hard-core issues faced by Indigenous Australians and My Island Home became the unofficial national anthem to many Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples across the pacific.

By the late 1980s, after national and international touring, George become the rock and roll star that he always aspired to; however, alongside success, George struggled with alcoholism and fame. While pursuing a solo career, he admitted, "I started off singing ... with the alcohol in my hand. I was singing about 'When are you going to stop drinking?' but I was falling all over the place. I realised that I was cheating my own people, saying, 'You stop drinking so I can drink it myself.'

With support from his wife, Suzina McDonald, George drew on the influences of the Christian faith to give up alcohol, which coincided with the break up of the Warumpi Band. At the Stompin Ground Festival 2000 held in Broome, he formally announced 'that it's time for a change'.

His solo career spanning seven years enabled him to return to practicing his Gumatj traditions inherited from his forefathers of Bawaka, his traditional homeland, situated at north-east Arnhem Land. George found the freedom to perform his traditional stories on stage and continue his role as a singer, teacher, hunter, dancer and performer. Maintaining a strong identity with the song My Island Home, written by Neil Murray about George's life, George later translated the English version into the Gumatj language.

Towards the end of his life, George became an Australian ambassador for reconciliation and continued to spread the message about contemporary Indigenous issues through performance.

Born at Elcho Island on 13 June 1956, George Rrurrambu died of lung and bone cancer on 10 June 2007, aged 51 years of age.

VIEW TRAILER HERE: vimeo.com/1034028299

Director - Steven McGregor
Producers - Rachel Clements and Lisa Watts
Writers - Lisa Watts and Steven McGregor
Cinematographers - Murray Lui and Tim Alewood
Sound Recordists - David Tranter and Steven McDonald
Editor - Bill Murphy

(c) 2013, Night Sky Films

0 Shares Tweet0 Pins

Related files

• preview Click here to download a PDF of the ATOM Study Guide for BIG NAME, NO BLANKET: (PDF 2.8 Mb)
• preview Click here to download a PDF of the Information Kit for BIG NAME, NO BLANKET: (PDF 1.3 Mb)

Permalink: https://www.roninfilms.com.au/feature/18881