Roger Knox
| Roger Knox | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Moree, New South Wales Australia |
| Origin | Toomelah Aboriginal Mission |
| Genres | Country music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Labels |
Bloodshot Records (2013–present) Enrec Records |
| Associated acts | Roger Knox and the Euraba Band |
Roger Knox (born in 1948) is an Australian country singer, known as the Black Elvis and the Koori King of Country.
Knox is from the Gamilaroi nation, part of the indigenous Australian Aboriginal community, and was born in Moree, New South Wales. Knox grew up in the Toomelah Aboriginal Mission near Boggabilla, which is near the border between New South Wales and Queensland.
Knox comes from a family with 11 children. His mother was a stolen child who was taken from her parents as a baby and raised in a children's home in Bomaderry. Knox was not allowed to attend the high school in Goondiwindi, but instead was sent by the mission to work without pay at one of their properties. Knox has said that the first music he heard growing up was gospel music, which his grandmother, who taught Sunday school, played.
Knox left the mission at 17 and moved to Tamworth, where he became a singer. He started out in the 1980s as a gospel singer. He acquired the nickname "The Black Elvis" (for his hairstyle and manner of dress) at a Star Maker talent contest when he was 31.
In 1993, Knox was named NAIDOC Artist of The Year and was inducted into the Australian Country Music Foundation’s Country Music Hands of Fame.
In 2007, Knox went public with claims that he couldn't get booked at Tamworth's annual festival, Tamworth Country Music Festival, "because he attracted the wrong crowd."
In 2006, Knox was given the Jimmy Little Award for Lifetime Achievement in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Music at the 2006 Deadlys.
On February 12, 2013, Knox along with the Pine Valley Cosmonauts, released his first album in nine years, Stranger In My Land on Bloodshot Records. The album was produced by Jon Langford and included guest contributions from Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Charlie Louvin, Dave Alvin (X, The Blasters), Kelly Hogan, Jon Langford, Andre Williams, the Sadies, Sally Timms (Mekons), and Tawny Newsome. The title of the record comes from a Vic Simms song. Jon Langford illustrated the booklet that accompanies the CD.
...
Wikipedia