Frank Yamma (born ) is an Aboriginal singer and songwriter from

Central Australia Central Australia, also sometimes referred to as the Red Centre, is an inexactly defined region associated with the geographic centre of Australia. In its narrowest sense it describes a region that is limited to the town of Alice Springs and ...

. He is a

Pitjantjatjara The Pitjantjatjara (; or ) are an Aboriginal people of the Central Australian desert near Uluru. They are closely related to the Yankunytjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra and their languages are, to a large extent, mutually intelligible (all are v ...

man who speaks five languages and sings in both

and English. Yamma is the son of

Isaac Yamma Isaac Yamma (1940 – January 1990), also spelt Yama, was a country singer from Central Australia. He is the father of Frank Yamma. Early life Isaac Yamma was a Pitjantjatjara man who was born by a waterhole near Docker River ( Kaltukatjara) ...

, an early artist who pioneered singing Western style songs in traditional language. Starting out singing with his father and brothers Hector, Paul, and Peter, he later formed the band Piranpa. He has toured Australia and internationally, including being invited to perform at festivals such as

WOMAD WOMAD ( ; World of Music, Arts and Dance) is an international arts festival. The central aim of WOMAD is to celebrate the world's many forms of music, arts and dance. History WOMAD was founded in 1980 by English rock musician Peter Gabriel, w ...

, mainly playing solo.

Early life and background

Frank Yamma was born in . He is the son of

(1940–1990), an early artist who pioneered singing Western style songs in traditional language, and is regarded as one of Australia's most important

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

songwriters. He also founded the first national Indigenous radio network. Frank Yamma grew up in the camps around Alice Springs. He never had any formal training in music, but as a child knew that he wanted to play like his father; he started playing at around seven years of age, and by the age of 10 had his own band. He is an initiated Pitjantjatjara man who speaks five languages and sings in both Pitjantjatjara and English.

Career

Yamma played in bands for many years, including with his father and three brothers, Hector, Paul, and Peter. During this time he also worked as a stockman, building houses, and other odd jobs. He had not played outside

until his career took off after he was invited in January 1997 to play at the

Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet and raising of the Flag of Great Britain, Union Flag of Great Britain by Arthur Phillip at Sydney Cove, a ...

celebrations. He then started touring Australia and internationally, including many big festivals (see below). He became known for experimenting with a wide range of musical styles and sounds, including blues, lullabies,

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

, and rock music. In January 1998 he released the album ''Inma Wiru'', an album of

ambient Ambient or ambiance or ambience may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ambiancé'', an unreleased experimental film * ''Ambient'' (novel), a novel by Jack Womack Music and sound * Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgr ...

dance music, in a collaboration with German producer Zeus B. Held. He formed the band Piranpa, the name derived from a Pitjantjatjara word meaning "skinny white lizards", because all of the other band members were whitefellas.Frank Yamma: NAIDOC Week 2002
''Message Stick'', ABC Radio, 2003. In 1999, Yamma and his band Piranpa released ''Playing with Fire''. His song "Everybody's Talking" from this album was included on the official

2000 Sydney Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

soundtrack. In 2005, he composed and performed the song "Pitjantjara" for the film '' The Alice''. In 2010, Yamma released the critically-acclaimed ''Countryman''. This album gained international attention, which sparked extensive national and international touring. In 2014, he released ''Uncle'', to critical acclaim. In February 2020, Yamma released his debut vinyl album, ''Tjukurpa: The Story''. It received widespread acclaim both in Australia and internationally, including a five-star review in British music magazine

Songlines A songline, also called dreaming track, is one of the paths across the land (or sometimes the sky) within the animist belief systems of the Aboriginal cultures of Australia. They mark the route followed by localised "creator-beings" in the Dr ...

, and earned an ARIA nomination for Best Blues and Roots Album. At the same time, a compilation album called ''The Kulila Project'', featuring longtime collaborators

David Bridie David Ross Hope Bridie is an Australian contemporary musician and songwriter. He was a founding mainstay member of world music band Not Drowning, Waving which released six studio albums to critical acclaim. He also formed a chamber pop group, ...

and Phil Wales, as well as remixes from Corin, James Henry, and EA Wave's Jinku, Hiribae & Ukweli, was digitally released.

Touring and festivals

In 2001, he did solo tour of the US, performing in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, New York, and Santa Fe. For the 2003 Message Sticks Festival, he wrote and performed 11 songs for three performances at the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

Studio Theatre, with the electronica outfit

Wicked Beat Sound System Wicked Beat Sound System is a Sydney based group whose sound is best described as a mixture of electronica, dub and soul. The group formed in 1992, following a series of live "jams" instigated by DJ Dave Carnovale (Crucial D) in collaboration ...

. His three European tours included playing at

and the

2012 Cultural Olympiad The 2012 Cultural Olympiad was a programme of cultural events across the United Kingdom that accompanied the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Paralympics. It included 500 events nationwide throughout the UK, spread over four years and culmina ...

in the UK; the New Hebridean Festival in Scotland; Festival Bled in

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

; and Colours of Ostrava in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. He has also toured Canada at least twice: the first time in 2014, including at the

Vancouver Folk Music Festival The Vancouver Folk Music Festival (VFMF), founded in 1978, is an outdoor multistage music festival, located at Jericho Beach, Jericho Beach Park on the west side of Vancouver, British Columbia. It takes place annually on the third weekend of Jul ...

Calgary Folk Music Festival The Calgary Folk Music Festival (also known as "Calgary Folk Fest", or CFMF) is a Canadian music festival held on the fourth weekend of July each year at Prince's Island Park (Calgary), Prince's Island Park, Calgary, Alberta. The four-day event fe ...

, and

Winnipeg Folk Festival The Winnipeg Folk Festival is a nonprofit charitable organization with an annual summer folk music festival held in Birds Hill Provincial Park, near Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The festival features a variety of artists and music from around t ...

, where he shared the stage with Buffy Saint Marie and

The Mekons The Mekons are a British Post-punk band formed in 1976 as an art collective. They are one of the longest-running and most prolific of the first-wave British punk rock bands. The band's style has evolved over time to incorporate aspects of co ...

, as well as opening for

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (, ; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing mo ...

. In August 2016, he performed at the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival in Lunenberg, Nova Scotia; Manitoba Aboriginal Music Week in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

; at the Wise Hall in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

; and at the Robson Valley Music Festival in Dunster, BC. Other festivals he has played at include:

Livid LiViD, short for Linux Video and DVD, was a collection of projects that aim to create program tools and software libraries related to DVD for Linux operating system. The projects included: * OMS * GATOS * mpeg2dec * ac3dec In 2002, LiViD project ...

;

in the UK and

WOMADelaide WOMADelaide is an annual four-day festival of music, arts and dance in Botanic Park, Adelaide, South Australia. One of many WOMAD festivals held around the world, it is an event that presents a diverse selection of music from artists around th ...

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

(2010 and 2021); Moomba; the Yeperenye Festival (2001);

Sydney Festival Sydney Festival is a major arts festival in Australia's largest city, Sydney, that runs for three weeks every January since it was established in 1977. The festival program features over 100 events from local and international artists and inclu ...

;

Byron Bay Bluesfest The Byron Bay Bluesfest, formerly the East Coast International Blues & Roots Music Festival, is an annual Australian music festival that has been held over the Easter long weekend in the Byron Bay, New South Wales, area since 1990. The festiva ...

; Adelaide Guitar Festival ''On the Road'' (2022); and

Adelaide Fringe Adelaide Fringe, formerly Adelaide Fringe Festival, is Australia’s biggest arts festival and is the world's second-largest annual arts festival (after the Edinburgh Festival Fringe), held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Between ...

(2024).

Recognition and awards

*1999: Album of the Year at the Deadly Awards 1999, for ''Playing with Fire''Billboard, 6 November 1999, "Jimmy Little" by Christie Eliezer *2005: Best Original Song Composed for a Feature Film, Telemovie, TV Series or Mini-Series with

, at the APRA Music Awards of 2005, for "Pitjantjara", from the film '' The Alice'' * 2014: Represented Australia in the official showcase for

WOMEX WOMEX (short for Worldwide Music Expo) is an international world music support and development project based in Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany ...

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as

AIR Awards The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. History The inaugural 2006 awards were held at Blacket Hot ...

) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. , - ,

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, ''Uncle'' , Best Independent Country Album , , -

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the

Australasian Performing Right Association APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwri ...

(APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters". , - ,

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, , "Pitjantjara" from ''The Alice'' (David Bridie & Frank Yamma) , , Best Original Song Composed for a Feature Film, Telemovie, TV Series or Mini-Series , ,

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

is an annual award ceremony event celebrating the

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions o ...

industry. Yamma have been nominated for one award. , - ,

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, ''Tjukurpa: The Story'' , Best Blues & Roots Album ,

Deadly Awards

The

Deadly Awards The Deadly Awards, formally titled National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music, Sport, Arts and Community Awards and commonly known simply as The Deadlys, was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander a ...

, commonly known simply as ''The Deadlys'', was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. , - ,

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, ''Playing with Fire'' , Album Release of the Year: , , -

Personal life

Yamma has lived in Adelaide for many years.

Discography

Studio albums

Remix albums

Compilation albums

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yamma Frank Indigenous Australian musicians Living people Australian male singers Australian male songwriters APRA Award winners Australian guitarists Year of birth missing (living people) Australian male guitarists