Neil Murray (Australian musician)
| Neil Murray | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Neil James Murray |
| Born | 1956 (age 60–61) Ararat, Victoria, Australia |
| Origin | Papunya, Northern Territory, Australia |
| Genres | Aboriginal rock, rock, country |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter, writer |
| Instruments | Guitars (lead, rhythm), vocals |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Labels | Festival/Infinity, Aurora/Mushroom, ABC/EMI, Island Home/Universal |
| Associated acts | Warumpi Band, Neil Murray and The Rainmakers, 2songmen |
| Website | neilmurray |
Neil James Murray (born 1956 in Ararat, Victoria) is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter-guitarist and writer. He was a founding member of the Warumpi Band (1980–88, 1995–2000) which were the first major rock group with mostly indigenous members and were an influential Aboriginal rock band. Murray was recognised as one of Australia's foremost songwriters at the APRA Awards of 1995 by winning Song of the Year for "My Island Home" – as covered by former band mate, Christine Anu. The track was also listed in APRA Top 30 Australian songs of all time in 2001.
Murray has had a solo career since 1989 and had issued eight studio albums by 2014. Murray regularly performed throughout Australia, either with a backing band, The Rainmakers, or solo. He undertook a series of performances with Shane Howard (ex-Goanna), as 2songmen from 2006 to 2007. A similar set of gigs, One of those Tunes, occurred with Jim Moginie (ex-Midnight Oil) from mid-2013 to early 2014.
Neil James Murray, was born in 1956 in Ararat and raised on a farm near Lake Bolac in Western Victoria. His paternal great-great-grandfather was driven out of his home in Scotland by the Highland Clearances and arrived in Australia in 1848. His grandfather showed him "blackfella stones" (remnants of indigenous artefacts including grindstones and axe heads) of the local Tjapwurrung tribe. He later wondered about the fate of the land's traditional owners. His family's farm raised sheep and crops until the mid-1970s. As a tertiary student, Murray studied art in Ballarat and Melbourne. In 1978 he started travelling through Australia, and by 1980 he moved to Papunya (about 240 km north-west of Alice Springs) where he worked as a teacher, truck driver and outstation worker, both there and at Kintore (about 530 km west of Alice Springs). In June 2011 Murray described his earlier journey:
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