Cirrus@Austlit

'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)

The product of 15 years work of Aboriginal singer songwriter Ruby Hunter with support from her partner Archie Roach. This stunning children's song book, Butcher Paper, Texta, Black Board and Chalk is beautifully illustrated and accompanied with a music CD and informative DVD.

Many of the songs were written by children in the Cape York, Penisula region, through song writing and music workshops held by Ruby and Archie. Through the perspective of Aboriginal children and songwriters, the songs reflect the beliefs, pride, aspirations and issues of clan groups and Aboriginal communities for the coastal savannahs of Kowanjama to the rainforest of Lockhart River. (Source: ABS Shop website: http://shop.abc.net.au)

'"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.)

'Ruby's Story is a passionate and emotionally moving concert about stolen children and stolen water, sung and recounted by Ngarrindjeri woman Ruby Hunter and her partner in music and life, Archie Roach (Yorta Yorta).

The much loved and respected Ruby and Archie, both members of the Stolen Generation, are accompanied by Paul Grabowsky and the Australian Art Orchestra in this truly unique performance. The concert recounts Ruby's birth by the side of a billabong near the banks of the Murray River in SA. It charts her search for identity, the discovery of hope through love, and Ruby and Archie's return to the river to build a new life and a new home, to mend the wounds of the past.

Through lyrical and poignant songs, Ruby's Story is a tale about the abuse of power and the power of love; about facing up to past wrongs; and our shared responsibility to battle for the survival of our environment and the great river systems upon which all of our lives depend' Source: http://www.aao.com.au/(Sighted 1/6/04).