Alan Dargin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alan Dargin
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Alan Dargin in 2003
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Alan William Dargin |
| Born | 13 July 1967 Wee Waa, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 24 February 2008 (aged 40) Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia |
| Genres | Indigenous Australian |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, actor |
| Instruments | Didgeridoo |
Alan Dargin (born July 13, 1967 – died February 24, 2008) was an Aboriginal Australian musician. He was famous for playing the didgeridoo, a traditional instrument.
He grew up in Wee Waa, Australia. He started learning the didgeridoo at age five from his grandfather and other Wiradjuri elders. His special didgeridoo was very old, more than a hundred years! It was made from a type of eucalyptus tree called bloodwood. He went to high school at St Pius X in Newcastle.
Contents
A Talented Musician
Alan Dargin started his career as a busker, playing music on the streets of Sydney. He became very well-known for his unique didgeridoo playing.
Playing Around the World
Alan Dargin performed with many famous groups. He played with symphony orchestras, which are large groups of musicians. These included the Vienna Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra. He even played at the Royal Albert Hall in London, a very famous concert venue. He also performed in the United States, Japan, and different parts of Europe.
Acting and Collaborations
Besides music, Alan Dargin also acted. In 1983, he was in a TV show called Chase Through the Night with Nicole Kidman. He also appeared in the movie The Fringe Dwellers (1986) and had a small role in The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert (1994).
He played for the French President, François Mitterrand, on Bastille Day in 1994. This is a big national holiday in France.
Alan Dargin also worked with many other musicians. He played on albums by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant (from the band Led Zeppelin), Jimmy Barnes, Tommy Emmanuel, and Yothu Yindi. He even filmed a documentary about Cape York with the famous ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau.
His Last Album
Alan Dargin's last album was called MRD. It came out in April 2008. On this album, he played the didgeridoo with other instruments like guitar, steel drums, keyboard, and trumpet. He played duets, which means two instruments playing together.
Remembering Alan Dargin
Alan Dargin passed away on February 24, 2008, from a brain haemorrhage. He was admitted to Saint Vincent's Hospital in Darlinghurst shortly before his death.
A special memorial service was held for him at Circular Quay in Sydney. It started with a traditional Aboriginal smoking ceremony. Many people came to honor him and share their memories. Friends and family remembered him as the inventor of "Rock and Roll didjeridu."
Discography
- Bloodwood: The Art of the Didjeridu (by Alan Dargin and Michael Atherton) (1993)
- Two Stories in One (by Alan Dargin and Reconciliation) (July 1994)
- Cross + Hatch (by Dargin and Atherton) (March 1998)
- DidgeriDuo (by Alan Dargin and Gary 'The DidgeMan' Thomas) (2001) Aquarius International Music
- MRD (April 2008)
