Charlie McMahon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charlie McMahon
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Charlie McMahon playing the didjeribone in 2002. The microphone going into his mouth is the "Face Bass," a special microphone that captures the subtle sounds inside his mouth while he is playing.
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Charlie McMahon was born in 1951 in the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia. He is a famous Australian didgeridoo player. He started the band Gondwanaland. Charlie was one of the first musicians who was not Aboriginal to become well-known for playing the didgeridoo professionally.
He also invented the didjeribone. This is a special didgeridoo that slides, like a trombone. It is made from two plastic tubes.
Contents
Early Life and Discovering Music
Charlie McMahon grew up with a strong interest in the Australian bush. When he was four, he saw a movie called Jedda. This film was one of the first Australian movies with Aboriginal actors in lead roles. It showed him the unique culture of Indigenous Australians.
After watching Jedda, young Charlie tried to make didgeridoo sounds. He blew into a garden hose and other hollow things. He also loved exploring the bush. He would often wander off and live off the land for a night.
In 1958, his family moved to Blacktown, a suburb near Sydney. Even there, Charlie found ways to spend time in nature.
A Life-Changing Accident
In 1967, when he was 16, Charlie had an accident. He was experimenting with a homemade rocket. It exploded and he lost his right arm. During his recovery, he started playing the didgeridoo again. This time, it helped him heal. He even wrapped his new metal arm in goanna hide.
He also focused on his schoolwork. He earned a scholarship to university. He studied Arts and Town Planning at The University of Sydney. He even taught there for a year. Charlie wanted to use town planning to fix problems he saw in places like Blacktown. However, he soon felt that politics made it hard to make real changes.
Meeting Peter Carolan
In 1973, Charlie went to the Nimbin Aquarius Festival. This was a big music and arts event. He saw a group called The White Company perform. He was especially interested in Peter Carolan, who played the lap dulcimer. Peter's music had a special flow and feeling.
A year later, Charlie and Peter met again at an arts festival in Sydney. They played music together and realized they shared many ideas. Charlie liked music with a strong "atmosphere." Peter wanted to create music that made you feel a "sense of place." They decided they would make music together someday.
Working in the Outback
Charlie left his university job. He bought land in New South Wales and built a house by hand. This helped him learn more about living in nature. These skills would be very useful later.
In 1978, Charlie joined the band Midnight Oil on stage in Sydney. He played his didgeridoo with them. This was the start of a long friendship between Charlie and the band.
Later, Charlie got a job with the government. He worked in the Northern Territory, helping Aboriginal communities. He supervised projects like building stores and air strips for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. He also helped build water wells in the Great Sandy Desert. He often drove a large water truck by himself. Because he was so dedicated, he was sometimes invited to traditional Aboriginal ceremonies.
After 18 months, he took a break to tour with Midnight Oil. He learned a lot about performing and connecting with an audience from watching their lead singer, Peter Garrett.
The 1980s and Gondwanaland
In 1980, Charlie traveled to the United States. He hoped to find music work in Hollywood. But a musicians' strike delayed things. He then lost his money and missed his flight home. He needed to earn money quickly.
He started performing solo didgeridoo shows in San Francisco punk clubs. He told stories about his desert experiences. He also played with other musicians. He even joined Timothy Leary's lecture tour for some shows. He formed a band called The Yidaki Brothers. After five months, he was earning good money. But he felt he needed to record an album in Australia, where his music was inspired.
Forming Gondwanaland
Back in Sydney in 1981, Charlie got a lot of attention from the media. He realized he wanted to work with a great synthesizer player. He remembered Peter Carolan. He found out Peter was now playing synth. Charlie knew Peter was the right person to help create the sound of his new band, Gondwanaland. Their first song, "Pulse," was inspired by the sound of a heartbeat.
Peter Carolan created beautiful music for Charlie's didgeridoo. He used simple but powerful melodies. These songs brought to life images like an emu running or an eagle flying.
In 1984, Charlie and Peter recorded their first Gondwanaland album, Terra Incognita. It was a big success.
The Pintupi Nine
In 1984, Charlie was involved in a famous event. He was working near Kiwirrkurra Community, Western Australia, a remote area. A group of nine Aboriginal people, known as the Pintupi Nine, were found there. They had been living traditionally in the desert for decades. A journalist called it "finding the lost tribe." But these people were not lost. They had chosen to live off the land. Charlie's diary noted their last night free from the modern world.
In 1985, Charlie went to London. He performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. He played on the soundtrack for the movie Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.
When he returned, Gondwanaland needed a drummer. Eddy Duquemin joined the band. Charlie nicknamed him "Brolga" because he danced like the Australian brolga bird. Peter Carolan was nicknamed "Professor."
In November 1985, Gondwanaland toured with Midnight Oil. This gave them a lot of experience playing live.
In 1986, Gondwanaland released their second album, Let the Dog Out. It had energetic songs and longer, calming pieces. One song, "Ephemeral Lakes," became popular for meditation music.
Charlie also helped Midnight Oil on their "Black Fella/White Fella" tour in 1986. They visited remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory.
In 1987, after many live shows, Gondwanaland released their third album, also called Gondwanaland. It won an ARIA Award for best Indigenous album in 1988. This album featured Charlie's invention, the didjeribone, in a song called "Landmark."
In 1988, Gondwanaland performed at a huge concert on Sydney Harbour. Over 120,000 people watched. It was a record for a live music event in Australia.
1990s to Today
In 1991, Gondwanaland released Wide Skies. This album had complex and rich sounds. It created a powerful feeling of the sky and nature. It earned the band even more respect from music critics.
In 1994, Charlie started a new band called Gondwana. This band focused more on rhythm and strong bass sounds. They also used a new invention by Charlie: a geologist's seismic microphone. He held it to his mouth to make the didgeridoo sounds even deeper and louder. This new sound attracted a new audience: the trance/dance crowd.
In 2005, Charlie had a strange experience. He found himself in Russia with a new manager linked to a "Mad Max" theme park. This was similar to his work on the Mad Max soundtrack 20 years earlier. A TV show called Foreign Correspondent even made a report about it.
In 2006, Peter Carolan released a CD called Overland. It included new songs that sounded like Gondwanaland. This showed that Peter's unique composing style was still active.
For over 20 years, Charlie McMahon's powerful didgeridoo playing has influenced many other players. Today, he performs solo at music festivals around the world. He has two main acts: one uses his "Face Bass" seismic sensor, and the other explores the sounds of the didjeribone. In 2008, he released a DVD with over 800 didgeridoo sounds for other musicians to use.
On April 24, 2012, Charlie released a calm and gentle Gondwana album called "Didge Heart." Sadly, Peter Carolan passed away on July 28, 2012, at age 64.
Discography
Unreleased early Charlie McMahon live tape compilation
- 'Long Way My Country Journey Home; Blue Wren at Waterhole; Swooped By Eagles; Spirit Dawn [McMahon]; Trek; Campsite [McMahon / Yidaki Brothers] Recorded San Francisco US Various Venues December 1980
See also
- Gondwanaland (Australian band)
- Modern didgeridoo designs
Images for kids
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Charlie McMahon playing the didjeribone in 2002. The microphone going into his mouth is the "Face Bass," a seismic microphone that captures the subtleties of sound inside his mouth while he is playing.
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McMahon at Pine Creek, Northern Territory, Australia, July 2007
