Jimmy Little

About

Born: March 1, 1937 (at the Cummeragunja Mission on the Murray River in NSW, Australia)

Died: April 2, 2012 (at his home in Dubbo, NSW, Australia).

His "Royal Telephone" was the first song by an Australian Indigenous performer to top the pop music charts in 1963 (at a time when Aboriginal Australians were not recognised as Australian citizens). He also had a top 10 single "Baby Blue". He was managed in his later years by Graham Bidstrup (aka Graham "Buzz" Bidstrup). In 1999 he won Best Contemporary Album in the ARIAs (for "Messenger", also being inducted into the ARIA Hall Of Fame same year. Little won Aboriginal of the Year in 1989, was named NSW Senior Australian of the year in 2002, received the Australia Council's Red Ochre Award in 2004, was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours of 2004 (for his work with Indigenous health and education programs), received an honorary doctorate from Sydney University for his contribution to Aboriginal culture, and was also named a National Living Treasure (another significant, honorary Australian title). He started the The Jimmy Little Foundation in 2006 (which aims to increase the life expectancy of Indigenous Australians in regional and remote areas) after receiving a kidney transplant.

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