Frank Yamma (born 1969 or 1970) is an Aboriginal singer and songwriter from Central Australia. He is a Pitjantjatjara man who speaks five languages and sings in both Pitjantjatjara and English. Yamma is the son of Isaac Yamma, an early artist who pioneered singing Western style songs in traditional language.
Starting out singing with his father and brothers Hector, Paul, and Peter, he later formed the band Piranpa. He has toured Australia and internationally, including being invited to perform at festivals such as WOMAD, mainly playing solo.
Early life and background
Frank Yamma was born in 1969 or 1970.[1] He is the son of Isaac Yamma (1940–1990), an early artist who pioneered singing Western style songs in traditional language, and is regarded as one of Australia's most important Indigenous songwriters.[2] He also founded the first national Indigenous radio network.[1]
Frank Yamma grew up in the camps around Alice Springs. He never had any formal training in music, but as a child knew that he wanted to play like his father; he started playing at around seven years of age, and by the age of 10 had his own band.[1]
He is an initiated Pitjantjatjara man[3] who speaks five languages and sings in both Pitjantjatjara and English.[4][5]
Career
Yamma played in bands for many years, including with his father and three brothers, Hector, Paul, and Peter. During this time he also worked as a stockman, building houses, and other odd jobs.[1]
He had not played outside Central Australia until his career took off after he was invited in January 1997 to play at the Australia Day celebrations. He then started touring Australia and internationally, including many big festivals[5] (see below). He became known for experimenting with a wide range of musical styles and sounds, including blues, lullabies, reggae, and rock music. In January 1998 he released the album Inma Wiru, an album of ambient dance music, in a collaboration with German producer Zeus B. Held.[5]
He formed the band Piranpa, the name derived from a Pitjantjatjara word meaning "skinny white lizards", because all of the other band members were whitefellas.[5] In 1999, Yamma and his band Piranpa released Playing with Fire.[6] His song "Everybody's Talking" from this album was included on the official 2000 Sydney Olympics soundtrack.[5]
In 2005, he composed and performed the song "Pitjantjara" for the film The Alice.[7]
In 2010, Yamma released the critically-acclaimed Countryman. This album gained international attention, which sparked extensive national and international touring.[8][3]
In 2014, he released Uncle, to critical acclaim.[3][9]
In February 2020, Yamma released his debut vinyl album, Tjukurpa: The Story. It received widespread acclaim both in Australia and internationally, including a five-star review in British music magazine Songlines, and earned an ARIA nomination for Best Blues and Roots Album. At the same time, a compilation album called The Kulila Project, featuring longtime collaborators David Bridie and Phil Wales, as well as remixes from Corin, James Henry, and EA Wave's Jinku, Hiribae & Ukweli, was digitally released.[3]
2014: Represented Australia in the official showcase for WOMEX[9][3]
AIR Awards
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
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.
