Jimmy Chi facts for kids

James Ronald Chi (1948 – 26 June 2017) was an Australian composer, musician, and playwright. He was often known as Jimmy Chi. His most famous work is the 1990 musical Bran Nue Dae. This musical was later made into a film in 2009.

Early Life and Background

Jimmy Chi was born in Broome, Western Australia in 1948. His father had Chinese and Japanese family roots. His mother was of Scottish, Bardi, and Nyulnyul descent.

Creative Career

From 1981 to 1982, Jimmy Chi was the lead singer for a band called Kuckles. The band later broke up.

Bran Nue Dae Musical

Chi's most celebrated work is the musical Bran Nue Dae. He wrote it with his band Kuckles, another band called Scrap Metal, the Pigram brothers, and other friends. The story of Bran Nue Dae is partly based on Jimmy Chi's own life. It took him many years to create.

The musical celebrates important ideas like family, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Reconciliation means bringing people together after disagreements. Bran Nue Dae was a big success at the Festival of Perth in 1990. The Black Swan Theatre performed it there. After that, it toured all over Australia. It became Australia's most successful musical play in the early 1990s.

The musical won the important Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards in 1990. The next year, the published script and music won a Special Award. This was at the Western Australian Premier's Book Awards. The musical helped many Aboriginal artists become famous. These artists included Ernie Dingo, Josie Ningali Lawford, and Leah Purcell. The success of Bran Nue Dae also helped start the Black Swan Theatre Company.

Other Works and Influence

Jimmy Chi also wrote another musical called Corrugation Road. The Black Swan Theatre first performed it in Melbourne in 1996. After that, it went on a tour across Australia. Both of Chi's musicals were very important for developing Indigenous performances.

Other artists have sung Jimmy Chi's songs. These include the Irish singer Mary Black and Aboriginal singer Archie Roach. Chi's music has become a symbol of the unique culture of Broome. The "Opera Under the Stars" festival in Broome has featured his song "Child of Glory" since 1993. This song is from Bran Nue Dae. His hymns are also often sung at Aboriginal funerals in Broome.

Music Albums

Soundtrack Albums

Awards and Recognition

In 1991, Jimmy Chi received the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Drama Award. He won it for Bran Nue Dae. The award recognized the musical as a story about a young Aboriginal person's journey to understanding.

Australia Council for the Arts Awards

The Australia Council for the Arts helps fund and advise on arts in Australia. Since 1993, they have given out the Red Ochre Award. This award honors an outstanding Indigenous Australian artist for their lifetime achievements.

Deadly Awards

The Deadly Awards were annual celebrations of achievements by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. They recognized success in music, sport, entertainment, and community work. These awards took place from 1995 to 2013.

In 2004, the WA Government recognized Jimmy Chi as a State Living Treasure. This title honors people who have made a great contribution to the state.

Later Life and Passing

Jimmy Chi spent most of his later years at home in Broome. He was surrounded by his family and friends. He passed away in Broome Hospital on June 26, 2017.

Published Works

• Broome songwriters with Michael Manolis and Ron Harper (Hodja Educational Resources, 1985) ISBN: 0-949575-37-2
• Bran Nue Dae (Currency Press, 1991) ISBN: 0-86819-293-7
• Corrugation Road (sound recording – Angoorrabin Records, p1996)

See also

In Spanish: James Chi para niños