Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (22 January 1971 – 25 July 2017), commonly known as Gurrumul and also referred to since his death as Dr G. Yunupingu, was a

Yolŋu The Yolngu or Yolŋu ( or ) are an aggregation of Aboriginal Australian people inhabiting north-eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. ''Yolngu'' means "person" in the Yolŋu languages. The terms Murngin, Wulamba, Yalnumat ...

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. Humans first migrated to Australia 50,000 to 65,000 year ...

musician. A multi-instrumentalist, he played drums, keyboards, guitar (a right-hand-strung guitar played left-handed) and

didgeridoo The didgeridoo (;()), also spelt didjeridu, among other variants, is a wind instrument, played with vibrating lips to produce a continuous Drone (music), drone while using a special breathing technique called circular breathing. The didgerido ...

, but is best known for the clarity of his singing voice. He sang stories of his land both in

Yolŋu languages Yolŋu Matha (), meaning the 'Yolŋu tongue', is a linguistic family that includes the languages of the Yolngu (also known as the Yolŋu and Yuulngu languages), the Indigenous Australians, indigenous people of northeast Arnhem Land in northern ...

, such as Gaalpu,

Gumatj The Yolngu or Yolŋu ( or ) are an aggregation of Aboriginal Australian people inhabiting north-eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. ''Yolngu'' means "person" in the Yolŋu languages. The terms Murngin, Wulamba, Yalnum ...

, or Djambarrpuynu (related to Gumatj), and in English. He began his career as a member of

Yothu Yindi Yothu Yindi (Yolŋu Matha, Yolngu for "child and mother", pronounced , natively ) are an Australian musical group with Australian Aboriginal, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal members, formed in 1986 as a merger of two bands formed in 1985 – a wh ...

and later Saltwater Band, and his solo career brought him wider acclaim; he was the most commercially successful Aboriginal Australian musician at the time of his death. As of 2020, it is estimated that Yunupingu has sold half a million records globally.

Life and career

1971–1989: Early life

The first of four sons born to Ganyinurra (Daisy), of the Gumal clan, and Nyambi "Terry" Yunupingu, a

clansman, Yunupingu was born blind in Galiwin'ku, Elcho Island, in 1971, situated off the coast of

Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territorial capital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compa ...

in northern Australia, about east of Darwin. When he was four years old, he taught himself how to play a toy piano and an

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

. A year later he began to play a guitar; despite being a left-hander, he played a right-handed guitar, holding it upside down, which he would continue to do throughout his career. His friend, spokesperson, and collaborator Michael Hohnen described his early musical experiences as follows: "Gurrumul was educated by immersion, cultural immersion—from his aunties, parents and grandmothers, with love and lullabies; from his uncles, fathers and grandfathers through ceremony songs and storytelling, much of it through music. Throughout his childhood, he was built, given or bought tin cans, sticks, toy keyboards, piano accordions, nylon string guitars, and, later, clap sticks (''bilma'') and didgeridoos (''yidaki''). He learned foot stomping calling and whooping, vocalisations of traditional songs and their different sounds, and so much more." He later sang hymns in the mission choir and also enjoyed Western pop music, particularly

Dire Straits Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals, lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums, percussion). Th ...

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is a British singer and actor. He has total sales of over 21.5 million singles in the United Kingdom and, as of 2012, was the third-top-selling artist in UK Singles Chart histo ...

, and

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

. An adventurous child, he was taught how to play basketball and ride a push-bike around his community. He left school at the age of 12, having attended his local school, Shepherdson College, along with a brief stint at an institute in the Victorian city of

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...

for instruction in Braille, which did not interest him.

1989–2017: Career

In 1989, at the age of 18, Yunupingu joined

as a multi-instrumentalist and backing vocalist, notably contributing to their 1991 album, '' Tribal Voice''. He left the group in 1995 to live full-time on Elcho Island and later co-founded and co-led the Saltwater Band, which was active from 1999 to 2009. His first solo album, '' Gurrumul'', was released in 2008, debuting at No. 69 on the

ARIA In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...

Charts and No. 1 on the independent chart. ''Gurrumul'' peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA Charts. The album was certified triple platinum. Yunupingu's friend Michael Hohnen produced the album and was his translator, collaborator and confidant. Critics heaped praise on the singer, describing his voice as having "transcendental beauty".

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

, Sting and

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...

were among his fans. The money he made was largely shared with his family, following the Aboriginal tradition of sharing wealth. He did not generally give interviews, instead relying on Hohnen to speak for him, following a Yolŋu custom that dictated that Yunupingu's role was only to sing, while his elders spoke publicly. In a 2009 interview with him and Hohnen, Yunupingu said that he was generally shy but more comfortable playing music, and went on to say: "I don't have much to say to people when I talk. That is for other Yolŋu. But I can play and sing and tell people things through my songs. We have an encyclopedia of stories ready to tell people, if they want to listen." In 2008 Yunupingu was nominated for four

ARIA 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 ...

, winning the awards for Best World Music Album and Best Independent Release. He also won three Deadlys, winning for Artist of the Year, Album of the Year for '' Gurrumul'' and Single of the Year for "Gurrumul History (I Was Born Blind)". In November 2009, Yunupingu was named Best New Independent Artist and his album, ''Gurrumul'', Best Independent Release and Best Independent Blues/Roots Release at the Australian Independent Record (AIR) Awards held at Melbourne's Corner Hotel. In 2009 a portrait of Yunupingu by Guy Maestri won Australia's major art prize, the

Archibald Prize The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, J. F. Archib ...

. He was again awarded the Australian Independent Record (AIR) Award for Best Independent Blues and Roots Album in 2011 for his album ''Rrakala''. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2011, he won Best World Music Album and performed "Warwu" featuring

Missy Higgins Melissa Morrison "Missy" Higgins (born 19 August 1983) is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. Her most popular singles include "Scar", " Steer", and " Where I Stood". Her Australian number-one albums are '' The Sound of White'' (2004 ...

on piano. In 2019, Double J's Dan Condon described it as one of "7 great performances from the history of the ARIA Awards." In 2012, Yunupingu was one of the contributing vocalists on

Gary Barlow Gary Barlow (born 20 January 1971) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the pop group Take That. Barlow is one of the United Kingdom's most successful songwriters, having writ ...

's commemorative single "

Sing Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

" for

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

's diamond jubilee celebrations, which features artists from across the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

. He performed "Sing" live at the Diamond Jubilee Concert on 4 June 2012 together with many of the song's contributing artists. In 2012, Yunupingu was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate of Music by the University of Sydney. In 2013, Yunupingu joined

Delta Goodrem Delta Lea Goodrem Order of Australia, AM (born 9 November 1984) is an Australian singer, songwriter, television personality and actress based in Sydney. Goodrem signed a recording contract with Sony Music at the age of 15. Her debut studio album ...

for a special performance of " Bayini" on '' The Voice Australia''. In December 2013, Yunupingu released a

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...

, titled '' His Life and Music'', which was recorded in 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 ...

and released through ABC Music. It was nominated for Australian Independent Record Labels Association and

ARIA 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 ...

. " Bayini" became the first track by an indigenous musician to reach the top five of the Australian charts. In 2015, Yunupingu toured the US. He released his third studio album, '' The Gospel Album'', on 31 July 2015. It debuted at number 3 on the ARIA Charts. In October 2015, the album won Gurrumul's third

ARIA Award for Best World Music Album The ARIA Music Award for Best World Music Album, is an award presented within the Fine Arts Awards at the annual ARIA Music Awards. It was inaugurated in 1995 as Best Folk/World/Traditional Release. The ARIA Awards recognise "the many achieve ...

. In July 2016, Yunupingu featured on the A.B. Original track "Take Me Home".

2017–present: Death and posthumous releases and recognition

Yunupingu died at the

Royal Darwin Hospital The Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) is a 360-bed Australian teaching hospital located in Tiwi, Northern Territory, Tiwi, a northern suburb of Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin, Northern Territory. It is part of the Top End Health Service, which co ...

, Northern Territory, at about 5:00 pm on 25 July 2017, aged 46. He had lived with liver and kidney damage for many years due to

hepatitis B Hepatitis B is an infectious disease caused by the '' hepatitis B virus'' (HBV) that affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. It can cause both acute and chronic infection. Many people have no symptoms during an initial infection. ...

which he had contracted in childhood. On his death he was described as an important figure in fostering racial harmony and as a voice of Indigenous Australians. He received tributes from the Australian prime minister,

Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as Liberal Party of Australia, leader of the Liberal Party an ...

, fellow musician

Peter Garrett Peter Robert Garrett (born 16 April 1953) is an Australian musician, environmentalist, activist and former politician. In 1973, Garrett became the lead singer of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil. As a performer he is known for his sign ...

, and Anna Reid, the dean of the

Sydney Conservatorium of Music The Sydney Conservatorium of Music (SCM) — formerly the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music, and known by the moniker "The Con" — is the music school of the University of Sydney. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious music ...

. In April 2018, Yunupingu's fourth studio album, '' Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow)'', was released. It was an album four years in the making and was completed by producer and arranger Michael Hohnen. A documentary film titled '' Gurrumul'' was also released, which Luke Buckmaster reviewed, stating that "For Gurrumul fans, the film is obviously a must-see. For those unfamiliar, or vaguely familiar with his work, it's an even greater treat: they will be entertained, enthralled, perhaps in some small way changed." The album won four

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 ...

at the 2018 ceremony; his daughter Jasmin accepted the award for Best Male Artist on his behalf. In November 2020,

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

announced they had signed to the rights to Yunupingu's catalogue and future recordings, announcing forthcoming releases, including limited-edition vinyls, a box set and collaborations among a slate of projects. In December 2020, Yunupingu was listed at number 33 in ''Rolling Stone Australia''s "50 Greatest Australian Artists of All Time" issue. In September 2021, Yunupingu's first anthology was released, entitled '' The Gurrumul Story''. In the same year, a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

from the Wessel Islands, Northern Territory, was named '' Uperoleia gurrumuli'' (Gurrumul's toadlet) in honour of Yunupingu. On 8 November 2024, an album with the Prague Metropolitan Orchestra, conducted by Jan Chalupecky, titled ''Banbirrngu - The Orchestral Sessions'' will be released. It will feature reworkings of some of his songs and features new arrangements by Australian composer Errkki Veltheim.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

Awards and nominations

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. , - , rowspan="3" ,

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, himself , Best New Independent Album , , - , rowspan="2" , ''Gurrumul'' , Best Independent Album , , - , Best Independent Blues and Roots Album , , - ,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, ''Rrakala'' , Best Independent Blues and Roots Album , , - ,

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, ''His Life and Music'' , Best Independent Classical Album , , - ,

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 ...

, ''The Gospel Album'' , Best Independent Blues and Roots Album , , - , rowspan="3" ,

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, rowspan="2" , ''Djarimirri'' , Best Independent Album/EP , , - , Best Independent Classical Album , , - , himself , Best Independent Artist , , -

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". , - ,

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

, , "

Treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

" by

(co-written by Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu) , , Song of the Year , , , - ,

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, , Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu , , Breakthrough Song Writer , , , - ,

, , "Bayini" by Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (Rrawun D Maymuru) , , Song of the Year , , , -

ARIA Music Awards

The

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

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 ...

. Gurrumul has won 9 awards from 21 nominations. , - , rowspan="5",

, rowspan="4", '' Gurrumul'' , Best Independent Release , , - , Best World Music Album , , - , Best Male Artist , , - , Album of the Year , , - , Michael Hohnen and Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu for ''Gurrumul'' ,

Producer of the Year The Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical is an honor presented to record producers for quality non-classical music at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in ...

, , - , rowspan="6",

, rowspan="5", ''

Rrakala ''Rrakala'' is the second album from Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu. It is performed in Yolngu. Gurrumul plays piano, drums, nylon-string acoustic guitar, electric and acoustic guitars. It reached number three on the ARIA charts. At the 2011 AR ...

'' , Best Independent Release , , - , Best World Music Album , , - , Best Male Artist , , - , Album of the Year , , - , Best Cover Art , , - , "Gopuru" (directed by Carlo Santone) , Best Video , , - , rowspan="2",

, rowspan="2", '' His Life and Music'' (with

Sydney Symphony Orchestra The Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra based in Sydney. With roots going back to 1908, the orchestra was made a permanent professional orchestra on the formation of the Australian Broadcasting Commission in 1932. ...

) , Best Male Artist , , - , Best Original Soundtrack/Cast/Show Album , , - , rowspan="1",

, rowspan="1", '' The Gospel Album'' , Best World Music Album , , - , rowspan="7",

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, rowspan="5", '' Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow)'' , Album of the Year , , - , Best Male Artist , , - , Best Independent Release , , - , Best World Music Album , , - , Best Cover Art , , - , Michael Hohnen for ''Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow)'' ,

, , - , Ted Howard, Robin Mai & Matthew Cunliffe for ''Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow)'' , Engineer of the Year , , -

Australian Music Prize

The

Australian Music Prize The Australian Music Prize (often shortened to the AMP) is an annual award of $50,000 ($30,000 from 2005 to 2023) given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. The award was ...

(AMP) is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. The award commenced in 2005. , - , 2011 , ''Rrakala'' , Australian Music Prize , , - , 2018 , ''Djarimirri'' , Australian Music Prize , , -

J Award

The

J Awards The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards, established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J, and which also extend to sister stations, Triple J Unearthed and Double J. The awar ...

are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

's youth-focused radio station

Triple J Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...

. They commenced in 2005. , - ,

, himself , Double J Artist of the Year ,

Helpmann Awards

The

Helpmann Awards The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001. The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical theatre ...

is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group ''Live Performance Australia'' since 2001. Note: 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. ! , - ,

, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu , Helpmann Award for Best Australian Contemporary Concert , , , -

National Indigenous Music Awards

The

National Indigenous Music Awards The National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMA), also known as the NT Indigenous Music Awards from 2004 to 2008, are music awards presented to recognise excellence, innovation and leadership among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians in ...

recognise excellence, innovation and leadership among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians from throughout Australia. It commenced in 2004. , - ,

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 ...

, himself , Male Artist of the Year , , - , rowspan="4",

, rowspan="2", '' Gurrumul'' , Album of the Year , , - , Cover Art of the Year , , - , "Wiyathul" , Song of the Year , , - , himself , Artist of the Year , , - , rowspan="3",

, rowspan="1", '' Gurrumul'' , Cover Art of the Year , , - , Gurrumul Geoffrey Yunupingu – "Bapa" , DVD/ Film Clip of the Year , , - , himself , Artist of the Year , , - , rowspan="2",

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, rowspan="1", "History" , Film Clip of the Year , , - , himself , Artist of the Year , , - , rowspan="6",

, rowspan="2", ''Rrakala'' , Album of the Year , , - , Cover Art of the Year , , - , "Mala Rrakala" , rowspan="2", Song of the year , , - , rowspan="2", "Gathu Mawula" (featuring Blue King Brown) , , - , Film Clip of the year , , - , himself , Artist of the year , , - , rowspan="3",

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, rowspan="2", " Bayini" (featuring

Sarah Blasko Sarah Elizabeth Blaskow (born 23 September 1976), known professionally as Sarah Blasko, is an Australian singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. From April 2002, Blasko developed her solo career after fronting Sydney-based band Acquie ...

) , Cover Art of the Year , , - , Song of the Year , , - , himself , Artist of the year , , - , rowspan="4",

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, himself , Special Recognition Award , , - , himself , Artist of the Year , , - , "Bayini" (live) - with

, rowspan="2", Song of the Year , , - , "A Baru in New York" - with

Yolanda Be Cool Yolanda Be Cool are an Australian music duo made up of Andrew Stanley and Matthew Handley. History In 2010, they collaborated with Australian producer DCUP (real name Duncan MacLennan) to release an international single " We No Speak Americano" ...

, , - , rowspan="3",

, himself , Artist of the Year , , - , Album of the Year , '' His Life and Music'' (with

) , , - , Song of the Year , "Marilitja" , , - , rowspan="5",

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, rowspan="2", " The Children Came Back" Briggs and

Dewayne Everettsmith Dewayne Everettsmith is an Australian singer based in Hobart. He released his debut album ''Surrender'' in 2014. The album includes the song "Melaythina" which is the first commercially available song sung in Palawa kani. His song "It's Like Lov ...

(featuring Gurrumul) , Song of the Year , , - , Film Clip of the Year , , - , himself , Artist of the year , , - , rowspan="2", ''The Gospel Album'' , Album of the Year , , - , Best Cover Art of the Year , , - , rowspan="3", 2018 , '' Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow)'' , Album of the Year , , - , "Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow)" , Song of the Year , , - , himself , Artist of the year , , - ,

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, Gurrumul , Hall of Fame , , -

Notes

References

External links

Record company bioVideo of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu performing
at YouTube
National Indigenous Times – Issue 151
Yunupingu's voice creates waves throughout the world
Gurrumul obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yunupingu, Geoffrey Gurrumul 1971 births 2017 deaths APRA Award winners ARIA Award winners Australian male singers Musicians from the Northern Territory Blind musicians Australian blind people Musicians with disabilities Deaths from hepatitis Didgeridoo players Indigenous Australian musicians Yolngu people Yunupingu family