NLA image of person
Ruby Hunter Ruby Hunter i(A4967 works by)
Born: Established: 1955 South Australia, ; Died: Ceased: 17 Feb 2010 Victoria,
Gender: Female
Heritage: Aboriginal Ngarrindjeri ; Aboriginal Pitjantjatjara ; Aboriginal ; Aboriginal Kukatha
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BiographyHistory

Indigenous singer, performer and songwriter Ruby Hunter was born by a billabong in the Riverland region of South Australia. She has also published children's fiction and poetry, as well as a musical based on her life.

At the age of eight she was forcibly removed at night from her extended family and told that she was being taken to the circus. For years afterward Hunter was placed in various foster homes and institutions and suffered the many traumas associated with being separated from her Aboriginal family.

In her late teens she met Archie Roach at the Salvation Army drop-in centre in Adelaide. Hunter was inspired by his music, learnt to play the guitar and began to write her own songs. In 1994 she released her debut album, Thoughts Within. The album launched her career as a performer and songwriter in her own right.

Hunter continued to tour with Roach both nationally and internationally in the next decades and released her second album, Feeling Good, in May, 2000. Hunter's songs and music reflect her personal history, women's issues, social issues and indigenous issues. In 2000 she appeared with Roach in Land of the Little Kings, a feature length documentary about the experiences of indigenous Australians who were removed from their families as part of the "stolen generations". In 2001, Hunter made her acting debut as the tracker's wife in the Australian film One Night the Moon.

Discography:

  • 1994 - Thoughts Within
  • 2000 - Feeling Good
  • 2005 - Ruby (with Archie Roach, Australian Art Orchestra & Paul Grabowsky)

Sources include http://nla.gov.au/ (Sighted 07/12/09)

Australian Writing and Rock Music affiliation: songwriter, vocals, guitar, lyricist.

Most Referenced Works

Personal Awards

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon Songs from the Kitchen Table Cammeray : Simon and Schuster Australia , 2023 26656163 2023 selected work lyric/song prose essay

'The ultimate illustrated commemoration of iconic Australian musicians, Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter – including lyrics, stories, photographs and tributes.  

'A year after he entered the Dreamtime, Archie Roach’s spirit continues to soar, much like the wedge-tailed eagle – his totem animal from his mother's ancestral lands. Archie's songs stand as anthems for the experience of dispossession, and have touched the lives of many with their empathetic message of shared humanity.

'Songs from the Kitchen Table is a tribute to the power of Archie’s voice, and to the career he built with his life partner and musical collaborator, Ruby Hunter. This beautiful, illustrated volume contains the lyrics to over 100 of their songs, carefully curated by Archie's manager and friend, Jill Shelton: from Archie’s breathtaking early works ‘Took the Children Away’ and ‘Charcoal Lane’, to the timeless classics ‘Tell Me Why’ and Ruby’s ‘Down City Streets’, to his final masterpiece ‘One Song’. The songs are accompanied by stories about their composition; rare photographs; handwritten lyrics; album covers and artwork; and heartfelt tributes to Archie and Ruby from fans and fellow musicians.

'With forewords by their long-time friends Paul Kelly and Emma Donovan, Songs from the Kitchen Table is a celebration of one of Australia’s great creative partnerships, and a tribute to the ongoing power of plain-spoken truths.' (Publication summary)
2024 longlisted Indie Awards — Illustrated Non-fiction
y separately published work icon Took the Children Away Camberwell East : One Day Hill , 2010 Z1740015 2010 single work picture book lyric/song children's

'"Took the Children Away", is a moving indictment of the treatment of indigenous children from the 'Stolen Generation' and a song which 'struck a chord' not only among the wider Aboriginal community, but also nationally. The song was awarded two ARIA Awards, as well as an international Human Rights Achievement Award, the first time this had been awarded to a songwriter because of a song. The album it came from featured in Rolling Stone magazine's Top 100 Albums for 1992.

'From the lyrics of this iconic song a very special book for children of all ages has been created. Featuring he heart wrenching lyrics of Archie Roach and the classic artwork of his late wife and soul-mate Ruby Hunter, this book is destined to become a masterpiece.

'Renowned Queensland artist, Peter Hudson has adorned the book with his stunning landscapes of South West Victoria - Archie's traditional lands.' (From the publisher's website.)
2021 shortlisted Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) — Australian Book of the Year for Younger Children
VIEW ALL AWARDS
Last amended 30 May 2023 15:00:45
BlackWords
See Also
Archie Roach
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