Randall was born c. 1934 at Middleton Pond on Tempe Downs Station in the Central Desert region of the Northern Territory.
Randall was taken to The Bungalow, an institution for half-caste children in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, then later was moved to an Aboriginal reserve on Croker Island in Arnhem Land, thousands of kilometres away from his home and family.
[4] Randall moved to Darwin and later to Adelaide, South Australia, working, studying, establishing a career as an Aboriginal cultural educator, and looking for his family and country of belonging.
[7] In 2008, he served as one of three national patrons of the World Harmony Run, along with former athlete and then mayor of the Gold Coast, Ron Clarke, and former Governor-General Sir William Deane.
As part of his role, he invited a small team of athletes to spend time with the Mutitjulu community, where he was living by then.
In the early 1970s, Randall earned widespread recognition for his song, "My Brown Skin Baby, They Take 'Im Away," which garnered national and international attention on the issues of the Stolen Generation and opened the door for Indigenous story songwriters throughout Australia.
[11] Randall appeared in the documentary films Mixed Up Man and Secret Country by John Pilger, had roles in the movies Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Last Wave.
[citation needed] Randall was the 1999 NAIDOC Person of the Year, recognised for his lifelong efforts to retain Aboriginal culture and restore equal rights for all living people.
[15] In 2004, he was inducted into the NT Indigenous Music Hall of Fame, recognising the historical significance of his classic story songs.
He returned to his mother's country (his Ngura), Mutitjulu, after many years of living in other places, and is a recognised traditional owner of Uluru.