James Oswald Little, AO (1 March 19372 April 2012) was an

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

musician, actor and teacher, who was a member of the Yorta Yorta tribe and was raised on the Cummeragunja Reserve, New South Wales. Little started his professional career in 1951, as a singer-songwriter and guitarist, which spanned six decades. For many years he was the main Aboriginal star on the Australian music scene. His music was influenced by

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer. Starting his 69-year career with singles of standard (music), standard music, Mathis is one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century and became highly popular as ...

and American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

artist

Jim Reeves James Travis Reeves (August 20, 1923July 31, 1964) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. One of the earliest pioneers and practitioners of the Nashville sound, he played a central role in the sonic development of country music in th ...

. His gospel song "Royal Telephone" (1963) sold over 75,000 copies, and his most popular album, ''

Messenger Messenger, Messengers, The Messenger or The Messengers may refer to: People * Courier, a person or company that delivers messages, packages, or mail * Messenger (surname) * Bicycle messenger, a bicyclist who transports packages through cities * M ...

'', peaked at No. 26 in 1999 on the

ARIA Albums Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

. At the

ARIA Music Awards of 1999 The 13th Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as the ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) was held on 12 October 1999 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. Hosted by Paul McDermott and Bob Downe, and prese ...

, Little was inducted into the

ARIA Hall of Fame Since 1988 the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) has inducted artists into its annual ARIA Hall of Fame. While most have been recognised at the annual ARIA Music Awards, in 2005 ARIA sought to create a separate standalone ceremo ...

and won an ARIA Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album. On

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 ...

(26 January) 2004, he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia with the citation, "For service to the entertainment industry as a singer, recording artist and songwriter and to the community through reconciliation and as an ambassador for Indigenous culture". As an actor, he appeared in the films '' Shadow of the Boomerang'' (1960) and '' Until the End of the World'' (1991), in the theatre production ''Black Cockatoos'' and in the opera '' Black River''. As a teacher, from 1985, he worked at the Eora Centre in Redfern and from 2000 was a guest lecturer at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

's Koori Centre. Little was a diabetic with a heart condition and, in 2004, had a kidney transplant. After his transplant he established the Jimmy Little Foundation to promote indigenous health and diet. On 2 April 2012, Little died at his home in Dubbo, aged 75 years.

Career

James Oswald Little was born on 1 March 1937, a member of the Yorta Yorta people with his mother, Frances, a Yorta Yorta woman and his father, James Little Sr, from the Yuin people. Little's totem is the long-necked turtle. Jimmy Little Sr. was a tap dancer, comedian, musician and singer who led his own vaudeville troupe along the Murray River during the 1930s and 1940s. His mother was a singer and yodeller who had joined Jimmy Sr.'s troupe. Little grew up, the eldest of seven children, on the Cummeragunja Aboriginal Reserve on the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray; Ngarrindjeri language, Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta language, Yorta Yorta: ''Dhungala'' or ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is List of rivers of Australia, Aust ...

in New South Wales, about from

Echuca Echuca ( ) is a town on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe River in Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. The border town of Moama is adjacent on the northern side of the Murray River in New South Wales. Echuca is the administrative cen ...

in Victoria. Little later recalled his upbringing, " y parentstaught me well about the value of life, freedom, love, respect, all those basic things that we need. As Vaudevillians, I loved them. It was part of my dream to follow in the footsteps of Mum and Dad. And I'm so proud that I was able to do that". He became a devout non-denominational Christian. He is an uncle of writer, soprano, and composer Deborah Cheetham and older brother of the late Aboriginal author and singer-songwriter Betty Little. In February 1939, about 200 to 300 members of the mission participated in the Cummeragunja walk-off – in protest at the low standard of living conditions. The Little family moved to his father's tribal land (near Wallaga Lake) and lived for some years on the New South Wales south coast at Nowra and

Moruya Moruya ( ) is a town located on the South Coast (New South Wales), far south coast of New South Wales, Australia, situated on the Moruya River. The Princes Highway runs through the town that is about south of Sydney and from Canberra. At the , ...

. Not long after moving, Frances died from a tetanus infection after cutting her finger on an oyster shell. At the age of 13, Little was given a guitar and within a year he was playing at local concerts. When 16 years old he travelled to Sydney to perform on a radio programme, '' Australia's Amateur Hour''. In 1955 Little left home to live in Sydney and pursue a career in country music, his mellow style earned him the nicknames of "the Balladeer", "Gentleman Jim" and "the Honey Voice".

Early years: 1956–1979

Little signed with

Regal Zonophone Records Regal Zonophone Records was a British record label formed in 1932, through a merger of the Regal and Zonophone labels. This followed the merger of those labels' respective parent companies – the Columbia Graphophone Company and the Gramopho ...

in 1956 and released his first single, "Mysteries of Life"/"Heartbreak Waltz". In 1958, Little married fellow singer, Marjorie Rose Peters. By late 1959, Little was living in Granville with his wife and their daughter Frances Claire – he released the single, "Frances Claire", when she was 18 months-old. It was issued on

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

's Columbia label and was soon followed by "Give the Coloured Boy a Chance", which had been written by his father – the first song released in Australia referring to indigenous issues and first both written and recorded by indigenous musicians. He worked at a towelling factory and supplemented his income with performances at concerts and dances, and TV appearances on ''

Bandstand A bandstand (sometimes music kiosk) is a circular, semicircular or polygonal structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts. A simple construction, it both creates an ornamen ...

''. Little signed with

Festival Records Festival Records, later known as Festival Mushroom Records, was an Australian recording and publishing company founded in Sydney, Australia, in 1952 and operated until 2005. Festival was a subsidiary of News Limited from 1961 to 2005. The com ...

and in September 1959, he had his first charting single, "Danny Boy", from the extended play, ''Jimmy Little Sings Ballads with a Beat'', which peaked at No. 9 in Sydney. In February 1960, his next single was "El Paso", which reached No. 12 in Sydney. Little made his acting debut in the

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (; November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American Evangelism, evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister, and Civil rights movement, civil rights advocate, whose broadcasts and world tours featuring liv ...

evangelical feature film '' Shadow of the Boomerang'' the same year. Little had the role of Johnny, a devout stockman on a cattle station where his American employer's son Bob refers to him as "that nigger". After Johnny dies, while saving Bob's life, from being gored by a wild boar, Bob has a religious conversion to Graham's cause. Little issued the title song as a single backed by "Little by Little". In September 1961, he appeared on the radio program, '' Col Joye Show'', with fellow ''Bandstand'' regulars, Patsy Ann Noble and Judy Stone. By 1962, Little joined a touring stage production, ''All Coloured Show'' produced by Ted Quigg, and gained wider public exposure. In July 1963, he toured north west New South Wales with Rob E.G., Noleen Batley and

Lonnie Lee Lonnie Lee (born David Lawrence Rix; 18 September 1940) is an Australian singer, who has fronted Lonnie Lee and the Leeman and Lonnie Lee and the Leedons. He is a pioneer of Australian rockabilly music and has worked in the industry for 60 year ...

and was personally booked out till November. In October 1963, after 17 singles, Little issued his biggest hit with the gospel song, "Royal Telephone", based upon the

Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American Folk music, folk singer and actor with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his o ...

' version. In November it peaked at No. 1 in Sydney and No. 3 in Melbourne. The following month '' Australian Women's Weekly''s music writer, Bob Rogers described it as "a sincere ballad with a religious feeling" and that " only three weeks the record was rising to the top all over Australia, one of the fastest-selling records of the year". It was awarded 3×

Gold certification Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

by Festival Records and "Best Male Vocal Disk" (1963) in "The Tunetable Awards", Australia's first disk awards from a major radio source for home-produced disks. In March 1964 the

Barry Gibb Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb (born 1 September 1946) is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Along with his younger fraternal twin brothers, Robin Gibb, Robin and Maurice Gibb, Maurice, he rose to global fame as a member ...

-penned "One Road" reached No. 19 in Sydney and No. 30 in Melbourne. Gibb was 17 years old when he wrote "One Road" and Little became one of the first artists to record a Gibb song. The magazine '' Everybody's'' named him Australian Pop Star of the Year. Little was backed by the Jimmy Little Trio which had an all-indigenous line-up of Cyril Green, Doug Peters and Neville Thorn. Little's final hit of the era came in September 1974 with "Baby Blue" which peaked at No. 8 in Melbourne and No. 37 in Sydney. Further non-charting singles were released until 1978's "Beautiful Woman". From the end of the 1970s, Little turned from his musical career to focus on his family and becoming qualified as a teacher.

Middle years: 1980–1999

Little had turned to full-time acting by the 1980s, making his theatre debut in ''Black Cockatoos'' before appearing in director

Wim Wenders Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker and photographer, who is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among the honors he has received are prizes from the Cannes Film Festival, Cannes, Venice International Film ...

' 1991 film '' Until the end of the World''. As well as appearing in Tracey Moffatt's ''Night Cries'' and Andrew Schultz's opera ''Black River'', his teaching and community work earned him the title of NAIDOC Aboriginal of the Year in 1989. After winning that award Little returned to working in the music industry. In 1992, Little performed at the Tamworth on Parade and Kings of Country roadshows before releasing his 14th album, ''Yorta Yorta Man'', in 1994. The same year, he was inducted into Australian Roll of Renown, the highest honour an Australian country music artist can achieve. ''

'', a collection of contemporary songs reinterpreted through Little's smooth vocals, was released in June 1999 and peaked at No. 26 nationally, selling over 20,000 copies. It had been organised by Brendan Gallagher (from Karma County) and featured covers of well-known songs by Australian artists: "(Are You) The One I've Been Waiting For?" by

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...

, "The Way I Made You Feel" by

Ed Kuepper Edmund Kuepper (born 20 December 1955) is a German-born Australian guitarist, Singing, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded the punk band The Saints (Australian band), The Saints in 1973, the experimental post-punk group Laughing Clowns (acti ...

and "Randwick Bells" by Paul Kelly. At the

''Messenger'' won the ARIA Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album and Little was inducted into the

. At The Deadly Awards of 1999 – the annual Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music Awards – he won Best Male Artist of the Year and Best Single Release of the Year. By 2001 ''Messenger'' was certified by ARIA with a gold record for shipments of 35,000 units.

Later years: 2000–2012

Little returned in September 2001 with ''Resonate'', an album featuring songs written by Paul Kelly, Don Walker,

Bernard Fanning Bernard Joseph Fanning (born 15 August 1969) is an Australian musician and singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist of Queensland alternative rock band Powderfinger from its formation in 1989. Born and raised in Toowong, Brisbane, Fanning ...

(from

Powderfinger Powderfinger were an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their break-up in 2010, the line-up consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bass guitarist John Collins ...

), Brendan Gallagher and

Dave Graney Dave Graney is an Australian rock musician, singer-songwriter and author. Since 1978, Graney has collaborated with drummer-multi instrumentalist Clare Moore. The pair have fronted or been involved with numerous bands including The Moodists (19 ...

. In 2002 Little won the Golden Gospel Award at the Australian Gospel Music Awards for his lifetime support of Australian gospel music. He also sang "Happy Day" with

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British and Australian singer and actress. With over 100 million records sold, Newton-John was one of the List of best-selling music artists#100 million to 119 million record ...

that year. In 2000 he was a guest of

The Wiggles The Wiggles are an Australian children's music group formed in Sydney in 1991. As of 2022, the group members are Anthony Field, Lachlan Gillespie, Simon Pryce, Tsehay Hawkins, Evie Ferris, John Pearce (entertainer), John Pearce, Caterina Mete ...

on their children's DVD ''It’s A Wiggly Wiggly World''. Little released the album ''Down the Road'' for ABC Country in 2003. In 2004 he released his 34th album, ''Life's What You Make It'', a collection of distinctive and poignant versions of songs by contemporary artists as diverse as the

Red Hot Chili Peppers The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, consisting of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (musician), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of a ...

, U2,

PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer-songwriter. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined local band Automat ...

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop compositio ...

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...

and

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

. In 2010 Little retired from performing. On 2 April 2012 Little died of natural causes in

Dubbo Dubbo (; ) is a city in the Orana (New South Wales), Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the ...

, aged 75 years. He is buried in Walgett, NSW. The town has a tall water tank with a picture of him painted on it.

Legacy

At The Deadly Awards, from 2005, the Lifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music, was named the Jimmy Little Lifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music. Actor and musician Michael Tuahine proposed a play based on the life of Jimmy Little. The play was written by

Reg Cribb Reginald Cribb is an Australian playwright and actor. Early life and education Cribb is from Perth, Western Australia. Cribb graduated from National Institute of Dramatic Art at the University of New South Wales in 1990. Writing career Crib ...

and called ''Country Song''; it won the 2013 Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Award for New Work. It was performed by the Queensland Theatre Company in the Cremorne Theatre at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in August 2015. On 27 May 2022, he was honoured with a

Google Doodle Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running annual Bu ...

. A biography, ''Jimmy Little: A Yorta Yorta Man'', written by his daughter Frances Peters-Little, was published in March 2023 by Hardie Grant.

Personal life

Little married fellow singer, Marjorie Rose Peters in 1958 and they had one child, Frances Claire Peters-Little (born ca. March 1958), who is a documentary film-maker, writer and historian. In 1990, Little was diagnosed with kidney disease, "Unfortunately, I didn't get check-ups often enough or soon enough to realise the possibility that my kidneys could fail". From 1985, Little taught and mentored indigenous music students at the Eora Centre in Redfern, and from 2002 he was an ambassador for literacy and numeracy for the Department of Education. Since 2000, Little was a guest lecturer at the

's Koori Centre. In 2002, he was diagnosed with kidney failure and was placed on dialysis and, in 2004, had a kidney transplant. As a result of immunosuppressants Little developed type 2 diabetes. He also developed a heart condition. In 2006, Little launched the Jimmy Little Foundation to help the many other indigenous Australians who are succumbing to kidney disease. The foundation works with patients in regional and remote Australia and partnered with The Fred Hollows Foundation in 2009 to develop a nutrition and education program for indigenous children to reduce the cycle of bad nutrition leading to

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

which can lead to kidney failure and

diabetic retinopathy Diabetic retinopathy (also known as diabetic eye disease) is a medical condition in which damage occurs to the retina due to diabetes. It is a leading cause of blindness in developed countries and one of the lead causes of sight loss in the wor ...

. His wife Marjorie Rose Little died on 25 July 2011, aged 74, in Dubbo – she had been under medical care since early that year for an unspecified illness. On 2 April 2012, Little died at his home in Dubbo, aged 75. He is survived by his daughter, Frances, and his grandson, James Henry Little. In 2005, Little told Peter Thompson, on the ABC TV program ''

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1975.Talking Heads

'', how he would like to be remembered, "I just want people to remember me as a nice person who was fair-minded and had a bit of talent that put it to good use."

Awards and nominations

On Australia Day (26 January) 2004, Little was made an

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

with the citation, "For service to the entertainment industry as a singer, recording artist and songwriter and to the community through reconciliation and as an ambassador for Indigenous culture". Also that year he was named a Living National Treasure. In June 2005, on the last day of National Reconciliation Week, Little and composer

Peter Sculthorpe Peter Joshua Sculthorpe (29 April 1929 – 8 August 2014) was an Australian composer. Much of his music resulted from an interest in the music of countries neighbouring Australia as well as from the impulse to bring together aspects of Aborigi ...

were awarded honorary doctorates in music by the University of Sydney in recognition of "their joint contribution to reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians". Other honorary doctorates have been awarded to Little by

Queensland University of Technology The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public university, public research university located in the city of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. It has two major campuses, a modern city campus in Gardens Point, Brisbane, Gardens Point ...

and

Australian Catholic University Australian Catholic University (ACU) is a public university in Australia. It has seven Australian campuses and also maintains a campus in Rome. History Australian Catholic University was opened on 1 January 1991 following the amalgamation ...

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand 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 ...

to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually. , - ,

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 ...

, Jimmy Little , Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music , , -

Australia Council for the Arts

The

Australia Council for the Arts Creative Australia, formerly known as the Australia Council for the Arts and the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announ ...

is the arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. Since 1993, it has awarded a Red Ochre Award. It is presented to an outstanding Indigenous Australian (Aboriginal Australian or Torres Strait Islander) artist for lifetime achievement. , - ,

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, himself , Red Ochre Award , , -

Australian Roll of Renown

The Australian Roll of Renown honours Australian and New Zealander musicians who have shaped the music industry by making a significant and lasting contribution to Country Music. It was inaugurated in 1976 and the inductee is announced at the Country Music Awards of Australia in Tamworth in January. , - , 1994 , Jimmy Little , Australian Roll of Renown ,

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 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 ...

. They commenced in 1987. , - , rowspan="2",

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 ...

, Jimmy Little ,

, , - , ''Messenger'' , Best Adult Contemporary Album , , - ,

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, ''Resonate'' , Best Adult Contemporary Album , , - ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, ''Life's What You Make It'' , Best Adult Contemporary Album ,

Country Music Awards (CMAA)

The Country Music Awards of Australia (CMAA) (also known as the Golden Guitar Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the

Tamworth Country Music Festival The Tamworth Country Music Festival is an annual Australian music festival held for 10 days from Friday to Sunday in mid to late January each year, sometimes including Australia Day, in Tamworth, New South Wales, Tamworth, New South Wales. The f ...

, celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. They have been held annually since 1973. (wins only) , - , 1994 , Jimmy Little , Australian Roll of Renown , , -

Deadly Awards

The Deadly Awards, (commonly known simply as The Deadlys), was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. They ran from 1996 to 2013. (wins only) , - ,

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, "himself" , Outstanding Contribution to Aboriginal Music , , - , rowspan="2",

, "himself" , Male Artist of the Year , , - , "The Way You Make Me Feel" , Single Release of the Year , , - ,

, "himself" , Country Artist of the Year , , - ,

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, "himself" , Jimmy Little Lifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music , , -

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'' (LPA) since 2001. In 2012, Little received the JC Williamson Award, the LPA's highest honour, for their life's work in live performance. , - ,

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 ...

, Himself , JC Williamson Award , , -

Mo Awards

The ''Australian Entertainment Mo Awards'' (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were an annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognised achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Little won two awards in that time. (wins only) , - , 1996 , Jimmy Little , John Campbell Fellowship Award , , - , 2003 , Jimmy Little , Classic Rock Performer of the Year , , -

Discography

Albums

* ''You'll Never Walk Alone'' (

, 1960) * ''A Tree in The Meadow'' (Festival, February 1962) * ''By Request'' (Festival, 1963) * ''Sing to Glory'' (Festival, 1963) * ''Royal Telephone'' (Festival, 1964) * ''Encores'' (Festival, 1964) * ''Onward Christian Soldiers'' (Festival, 1964) * ''Jimmy Little Sings Country & Western Greats'' (Festival, 1965) * ''10th Anniversary'' (Festival, 1966) * ''Ballads and Strings'' (Festival, 1967) * ''New Songs from Jimmy Little'' (Festival, 1967) * ''The Best of Jimmy Little'' (Festival, 1968) * ''I Can't Stop Loving You'' (Festival, 1969) * ''Song to Glory'' (1969) * ''The Country Sound of Jimmy Little'' (1969) * ''Goodbye Old Rolf'' (1970) * ''Winterwood'' (Festival, 1972) * ''Waltzing Matilda'' (Festival, 1972) * ''Jimmy by Request'' (1973) * ''Country Boy, Country Hits'' (Festival, 1974) * ''All For Love'' (Festival, 1975) * ''Country Sounds'' (February 1975) * ''I Can't Stop Loving You'' (February 1975) * ''Jimmy Little Sings Country'' (1975) * ''Travellin' Minstrel Man'' (Festival, 1976) * ''The Best of Jimmy Little'' (Festival, 1977) * ''An Evening with Jimmy Little'' (1978) (2× live album recorded 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 ...

) * ''20 Golden Country Greats'' (Festival, 1979) * ''The Best of Jimmy Little'' (June 1994) * ''Yorta Yorta Man'' (Monitor, 1995) * ''

'' (June 1999) - Australia #26 and was certified gold. * ''Resonate'' (October 2001) * ''Passage 1959–2001: Jimmy Little Anthology'' (October 2002) / ''Jimmy Little: The Definitive Collection'' (2004) (2×CD) * ''Down the Road'' (September 2003) * ''Life's What You Make It'' (May 2004) * ''Songman'' (December 2012) (3×CD)

EPs

* ''The Grandest Show of All'' (1957) * ''Jimmy Little Sings Ballads with a Beat'' (FX-5126

, 1959) * ''A Fool Such As I'' (1960) * ''Whispering Hope'' (1960) * ''Too Many Parties & Too Many Pals'' (1961) * ''A Man Called Peter'' (1962) * ''The Way of the Cross'' (1962) * ''Jimmy Little's Big Four'' (1962) * ''The Grandest Show of All'' (1963) * ''Royal Telephone'' (1963) * ''Old Time Religion'' (1964) * ''One Road'' (1964) * ''A Christmas Selection'' (1965) * ''Eternally'' (1965) * ''Lifeline'' (1965) * ''Ring, Bells Ring'' (1965) * ''A Christmas Selection'' (1966) * ''Goodbye Old Rolf'' (1970)

Singles

Other resources

* ''Jimmy Little: Performing Artist'' (1997), a 26-minute videocassette produced and directed by Robin Hughes and Linda Kruger for SBS-TV and

Film Australia Film Australia was a company established by the Government of Australia to produce films about Australia in 1973. Its predecessors were the Cinema and Photographic Branch (1913–38), the Australian National Film Board (1939–1955, under differ ...

. * ''Jimmy Little's Gentle Journey'' (2003), a 55-minute video written and directed by Sydney-based film-maker Sean Kennedy and released by Indigo Films and Warner Vision Australia. * ''Jimmy Little'' (2005) a 26-minute DVD of a ''

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1975.Talking Heads

'' interview by Peter Thompson first broadcast on 29 April 2005. * Frances Peters-Little. 2023. ''Jimmy Little: A Yorta Yorta Man''. Hardie Grant Books. ISBN 9781743799062. Biography by his daughter.

References

External links

Jimmy Little Foundation website
* entry in the

Australian Rock Database The Australian Rock Database was a website with a searchable online database that listed details of Australian rock music artists, albums, bands, producers and record labels. It was established in 2000 by Swedish national Magnus Holmgren, who had ...

Jimmy Little at the National Film and Sound Archive

''Jimmy Little's Gentle Journey''
at

Australian Screen Online The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting, and providing access to a national c ...

– provides three video clips from the 2006 documentary, an
curator's notes
by Romaine Moreton.

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Little, Jimmy 1937 births 2012 deaths 20th-century Australian musicians APRA Award winners ARIA Award winners ARIA Hall of Fame inductees Australian Christians Australian male film actors Helpmann Award winners Indigenous Australian male actors Indigenous Australian musicians Kidney transplant recipients Officers of the Order of Australia Yorta Yorta people