May 27, 2022
Celebrating Jimmy Little
Today’s Doodle illustrated by guest artist Dixon Patten—a traditional descendant from the Gunnai, Yorta Yorta, Gunditjmara, and Dhuduroa people—celebrates Indigenous Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, and advocate Dr. James “Jimmy” Oswald Little. Over an illustrious 60-year career, Little championed the music, health, and education of Indigenous Australian communities as a cultural ambassador and musical sensation. On this day in 2003, Little was awarded the Red Ochre Award for his lifelong contribution to the recognition of Indigenous arts in Australia and around the world.
James Oswald Little was born to a Yorta Yorta mother and Yuin Monaro Father in 1937, on the Cummeragunja Mission Station, an Indigenous Australian reserve located in New South Wales. in 1955, Little left home to pursue his dreams of becoming a musician in Sydney. His recording career began the following year, and his breakout hit song “Royal Telephone” became the first song by an Indigenous Australian to hit number one on the pop music charts in 1963.
“Royal Telephone” sold over 75,000 copies—a platinum achievement by today’s standards that earned him the title of Australian Pop Star of the Year in 1964. Little also began acting during this era and became a household name through national tours, radio playtime, and TV appearances into the 1970s. By the 1980s, Little began to use his influence to mentor Indigenous youth and advocate for literacy and health programs throughout the rest of his career.
Little’s reinterpretations of contemporary hits released on over 29 albums earned him the title of one of the founding fathers of Australian country music, an achievement honored by his induction into Tamworth’s Country Music Roll of Renown. For his lifetime of advocacy for Indigenous peoples in Australia, he earned three honorary doctorates and was named a National Living Treasure. Today, his legacy lives on through the work of the Jimmy Little Foundation, an organisation he founded in 2006 with the aim of promoting health, education, and access to opportunity in Indigenous Australian communities.
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