Clip description
Black-and-white footage shows Jimmy Little singing on his television show in 1963. Jimmy takes us back to Yorta Yorta country, the banks of the Murray River and Cummeragunja in NSW where he was born beneath a tree.
Curator’s notes
Jimmy Little returns to Cummeragunja in this clip, and it is Little’s connection with family and country that has grounded his musical talent, allowing him to weather the shifting styles of popular music, maintaining his unique voice and presence within the music industry. Little’s status as icon has persevered where others have failed.
Black-and-white footage shows Jimmy Little singing on his television show in 1963. Jimmy takes us back to Yorta Yorta country, the banks of the Murray River and Cummeragunja in NSW where he was born beneath a tree.
Jimmy Little (sings) You ask how much I need you. Must I explain?
Narrator Jimmy Little in 1963. Aboriginals weren’t on the census back then, weren’t welcome in many hotels, clubs and restaurants, got thrown out of public swimming pools. But Jimmy Little rose above racism.
Jimmy Little (sings) I’ll tell you true. Until the 12th of never, I’ll still love you.
Russell Taylor, AIATSIS principal Given the times and the political environment, the cultural environment, of this country at that time, the barriers must have been almost impassable, and yet Jimmy Little managed to break those barriers.
The scene changes to the present day – Jimmy Little takes is walking down to the banks of the Murray River in Cummeragunja, NSW where he was born.
Jimmy Little I was born on Cummeragunja Mission on 1 March 1937, the eldest of seven children, under a tree on the banks of the Murray. I don’t remember any real dramas of growing up in Cummeragunja.
Little’s narration is interspersed with black and white footage of children laughing and playing in the river, as well as two black and white photographs – one featuring his mother and the other his father.
Jimmy Little There was schooling and there was Sunday School. Looking back on the living conditions and opportunities for growth, we were definitely a way short of what it should have been. My mum sang. She had a beautiful voice. Sang, and she yodelled. I vividly remember her standing with a beautiful gown, performing and being loved for her performance. And, uh, Dad was this compere-comedian who seemed to be running the show. He had this great personality that seemed to steal every performance and conversation and he was the singer, the organiser, musician. It’s no wonder that myself and my brothers have this love for music. So Mum and Dad were – were a great team for the Little family.
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