Warumpi Band (/ˈwʌrəmpi/) were an Australian country and Aboriginal rock group which formed in the outback settlement of Papunya, Northern Territory, in 1980.
In early 1995, Christine Anu (former backing singer in Murray's touring group, The Rainmakers), issued a cover version of "My Island Home".
The Warumpi Band were formed in 1980 in Papunya – an outback settlement about 240 kilometres (150 mi) north-west of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory – as a country and Aboriginal rock group.
[2] The track created mainstream media interest, and the group travelled to the interstate capitals of Melbourne and Sydney for gigs and TV appearances.
[9] Warumpi Band built up a loyal following in Sydney's northern beaches pub rock scene, and played as a support act to Midnight Oil.
[10] In 1985 the band signed with Midnight Oil's Powderworks label and released their debut album, Big Name, No Blankets in April 1985.
[2] In October and November Burarrwanga and Murray were joined by Kenny Smith (later part of the Sunrize Band) on bass guitar and backing vocals, and American-born Allen Murphy on drums to record their second album, Go Bush!.
[5][11] The tour inspired Midnight Oil's album, Diesel and Dust (August 1987), which became an international hit and brought the issues of land rights and aboriginal reconciliation into the national spotlight.
[10] For Warumpi Band the strain of balancing family commitments with the group took its toll and they were unable to capitalise on the groundswell created by the tour and their second album.
[12] In 1995 Christine Anu (former backing singer in Murray's touring band, The Rainmakers) covered "My Island Home".
In 2000 Murray resigned from Warumpi Band and concentrated on his solo career which had already provided three further albums, These Hands (1993), Dust (1996) and The Wondering Kind (1999).
[2][5][7] Burarrwanga continued to perform as a solo artist, and released a reggae album, Nerbu Message (2004), which included his version of "My Island Home" as "Ronu Wanga", sung in his native Gumatj dialect.
The show celebrates the journey and impact of the Warumpi Band, told through the perspective of the Butcher Brothers[21] – from 1980 in Papunya through the highs and lows of their career.
In October 2024 a slightly scaled-down version of the show was undertaking a tour of 16 prisons, including some maximum-security lockups, supported by the Balnaves Foundation.