Peter Brandy
Long Time Ago
Country roots mix from the west Australian outback
“ It is refreshing to find an artist such as Peter Brandy who looks, sounds and is authentic Australian country. His music reminds Australians of who we really are.”
– Neil Murray
Peter Brandy was born in Halls Creek and grew up on cattle stations in the East Kimberley. His songs tell of his experiences in the region and of its characters, in a style that combines his Aboriginal heritage with country, folk, rock and gospel influences - executed with a classic ‘Kimberley’ feel and punctuated by his melodic guitar breaks.
Peter’s debut album “Kimberley Backroads” established him as one of Australia’s finest Indigenous Performers and the title track reached anthem status across Australia’s top end, as well as gaining him a number of awards. He has since toured extensively around the country and performed at numerous festivals, including the Tamworth Country Music Festival and Woodford Folk Festival. One of the headliners at the 2008 Nannup Music Festival, he has been nominated a second time for “Best Indigenous Act” at the upcoming 2008 WA Music Industry Association’s WAMi awards.
Peter is now based in Kununurra and is a widely respected member of his community, as well as being a positive role model for youth in the region. He sees himself as an interpreter of his culture and an ambassador for “ the battlers out on the land, helping to support their efforts to remain on the farms and stations, and to survive the droughts that have been so challenging …”
In 2005, Peter cemented his standing as one of the State’s finest storytellers, with his song “Long Time Ago” winning both the ‘World/Folk’ and ‘Indigenous Song of the Year’ categories at the WAM “Song of the Year” awards. The song has become the title track of his second album, Long Time Ago, which will be launched at Kulcha on Friday March 7th.
On the album, Peter has used a number of well known West Austrralian musicians, including the album’s producer and long time collaborator David Hyams (guitar, mandolin and harmonica), Waif's bassist Ben Franz, Grammy award winning pedal steel player Lucky Oceans and award winning singer-songwriter Lynn Hazelton.
World: Aboriginal