Marlene Cummins is a jazz blues singer, saxophonist, songwriter, artist,
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 ...
activist, broadcaster, dancer, and actor.
Many activists consider her to be Australia's
Angela Davis
Angela Yvonne Davis (born January 26, 1944) is an American Marxist and feminist political activist, philosopher, academic, and author. She is Distinguished Professor Emerita of Feminist Studies and History of Consciousness at the University of ...
.
Music
Cummins is considered Australia's foremost
Indigenous blues performer, and is influenced by
Big Mama Thornton
Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton (December 11, 1926 – July 25, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter of blues and R&B.
The ''Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock and Soul'' described Thornton by saying: "Her booming voice, sometimes 200-pound fra ...
,
Etta James
Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer and songwriter. Starting her career in 1954, James frequently performed in Nashville's R&B clubs, collectively known as the Ch ...
, and
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...
.
She honed her skills at the
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...
.
Her band includes
Murray Cook
Murray James Cook, AM (born 30 June 1960) is an Australian musician, actor, and DJ. Cook was one of the founding members of the children's band the Wiggles from 1991 to 2012. Cook provided guitar, vocals, and songwriting in the group, and rem ...
and
Rex Goh.
She showcases her vast knowledge of blues and roots music on
Koori Radio, where she hosts ''Marloo's Blues'', providing music and discussions from an indigenous perspective.
This show won her the Broadcaster of the Year award at the
2009 Deadly Awards.
Marlene co-wrote her first release "Whichway Up" with writer & performer Isaiah B Brunt, the EP was recorded and produced by Tony Buchen and released in 2008. "Whichway Up" made the top 10 Australian Blues Radio Charts and was picked up by Qantas where it aired on high rotation.
Cummins wrote a song about
Pemulwuy
Pemulwuy ( /pɛməlwɔɪ/ ''PEM-əl-woy''; 1750 – 2 June 1802) was a Bidjigal warrior of the Dharug, an Aboriginal Australian people from New South Wales. One of the most famous Aboriginal resistance fighters in the colonial era, he is n ...
as a way of giving back to the
Redfern community who see him as a hero. After dancing for
Prince William
William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales.
William was born during the reign of his p ...
, she gave him a copy of the song and explained the significance of the story to him, along with a petition to bring Pemulwuy's head back to his people.
In 2012, Marlene performed three of her original works, including ''Insufficient Funds'', ''Pension Day Blues'', and ''
Pemulwuy
Pemulwuy ( /pɛməlwɔɪ/ ''PEM-əl-woy''; 1750 – 2 June 1802) was a Bidjigal warrior of the Dharug, an Aboriginal Australian people from New South Wales. One of the most famous Aboriginal resistance fighters in the colonial era, he is n ...
''. ''
Pemulwuy
Pemulwuy ( /pɛməlwɔɪ/ ''PEM-əl-woy''; 1750 – 2 June 1802) was a Bidjigal warrior of the Dharug, an Aboriginal Australian people from New South Wales. One of the most famous Aboriginal resistance fighters in the colonial era, he is n ...
'', she explains, is a spiritual sacred song. She has a sense of black humour and sorrow in her lyrics. The three songs were performed by Marlene at
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 ...
on 30 June 2012 at "Our Music, Performing Place, Listening to Sydney" playing day with other aboriginal artists.
Pemulwuy
Pemulwuy ( /pɛməlwɔɪ/ ''PEM-əl-woy''; 1750 – 2 June 1802) was a Bidjigal warrior of the Dharug, an Aboriginal Australian people from New South Wales. One of the most famous Aboriginal resistance fighters in the colonial era, he is n ...
was an infamous and heroic aboriginal warrior in the first days of the Sydney colony near Parramatta.
She provided music for a
Griffin Theatre Company
Griffin Theatre Company is an Australian theatre specialising in new works, based in Sydney. Founded in 1979, it is the resident theatre company at the Stables Theatre in Kings Cross. the artistic director is Declan Greene.
Artistic directors ...
production ''Shark Island Stories'' based on the work of
Sally Morgan.
Her first full-length album, ''Koori Woman Blues'', is a mixture of original and traditional blues songs and includes guests
Gil Askey
Gilbert Askey (March 9, 1925 – April 9, 2014) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, producer and musical director who was born in Austin, Texas, and emigrated to Australia in 1988.
Early and personal life
Askey was born in Austin, Texas, ...
,
Fiona Boyes,
Mark Atkins and
Shannon Barnett.
She is working on a musical stage show using her songs called ''Boomerang Alley''.
In 2022, she was interviewed by
Andrew Ford on
ABC Radio National
ABC Radio National, more commonly known as Radio National or simply RN, is an Australian nationwide public service radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. ...
's ''
Music Show'' about her Marloo's Blues band playing in Sydney International Women's Jazz Festival, at which she was the headline act.
Activism
Cummins joined the
Aboriginal Tent Embassy at age 16 and was at the centre of the Aboriginal rights movement in the 1970s.
She was a founding member of the Australian Black Panther Party, which was inspired by the American
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party (originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) was a Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist and Black Power movement, black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newto ...
.
She campaigned for medical, educational, and legal services, land rights and monitored police conduct on the "pig patrol".
She was arrested for using obscene language to an abusive police officer, and absconded bail and fled to
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
.
In 2012 she attended an international gathering of Black Panthers in New York hosted by
Kathleen Neal Cleaver.
In 2014 she spoke out against black-on-black violence and sexual assault.
Painting
Cummins is also an accomplished painter and was shortlisted for the New South Wales Parliament Art Prize.
She has recently been working on portraits and her saxophone in
Rabbitohs colours.
Acting
Cummins has appeared in the TV series ''
Redfern Now
''Redfern Now'' is an Australian drama television series featuring the lives of Aboriginal Australian families living in Redfern, New South Wales, Redfern, Sydney, that first aired on ABC1 in 2012. A second season followed in 2013, and the ser ...
'' and ''
Supernova
A supernova (: supernovae or supernovas) is a powerful and luminous explosion of a star. A supernova occurs during the last stellar evolution, evolutionary stages of a massive star, or when a white dwarf is triggered into runaway nuclear fusion ...
'', the feature film ''
The Matrix Reloaded
''The Matrix Reloaded'' is a 2003 American science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the sequel to ''The Matrix'' (1999) and the second installment in the ''Matrix'' film series. The film stars Keanu Reeves, L ...
'', and the short film ''Hush'' (2007),
with
Lisa Flanagan and
Auriel Andrew.
Personal life
Marlene Cummins was born in
Cunnamulla
Cunnamulla () is a town and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Shire of Paroo, Queensland, Australia. It is south of Charleville, Queensland, Charleville, and approximately west of the state capital, Brisbane. In the 2021 Au ...
, grew up in outback Queensland and
Acacia Ridge, and has lived in Redfern for decades.
However her country is
Kuku Yalanji in the
Cape York Peninsula
The Cape York Peninsula is a peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth's last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación Sierra Madre, ...
.
Her mother was a
Woppaburra woman from
Great Keppel Island
Great Keppel Island (Woppaburra language, Woppaburra: ''Wop-Pa'') lies off the coast from Yeppoon, in the Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality of The Keppels in the Shire of Livingstone, Queensland, Australia. It is part of the Capri ...
.
Her father, Darcy Cummins, was a Guguyelandji musician. He travelled internationally and established links with
Native Americans.
As a teenager she was in a relationship with the Australian Black Panther Party leader
Denis Walker.
Cummins performed a traditional
Murri dance at
Thomas Hickey's memorial service.
She is the focus of
Rachel Perkins
Rachel Perkins (born 1970) is an Indigenous Australian film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. She founded and was co-director of the independent film production company Blackfella Films from 1992 until 2022. Perkins and the ...
' documentary, ''Black Panther Woman'', which premiered at the 2014
Sydney Film Festival
The Sydney Film Festival is an annual competitive film festival held in Sydney, Australia, usually over 12 days in June. A number of awards are given, the top one being the Sydney Film Prize.
, the festival's director is Nashen Moodley.
Histo ...
.
Discography
* Whichway Up (2008)
* Koori Woman Blues (2015)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cummins, Marlene
Australian blues musicians
Australian blues singers
Australian indigenous rights activists
Australian women songwriters
Australian saxophonists
Australian women singers
Indigenous Australian musicians
Living people
Australian women human rights activists
Australian women saxophonists
Australian dancers
Australian female dancers
Year of birth missing (living people)
21st-century Australian saxophonists
21st-century women musicians