Kev Carmody facts for kids

Kevin Daniel Carmody (born in 1946), known as Kev Carmody, is an Aboriginal Australian singer and songwriter. He is a Murri man from northern Queensland, Australia.

Kev Carmody is famous for his song "From Little Things Big Things Grow". He wrote this song with Paul Kelly. It became a hit in 1993. Later, in 2008, a group called the Get Up Mob (with Kev and Paul singing too) made a new version that reached number four on the Australian music charts.

Kev Carmody has won many awards for his music. In 2009, he was added to the ARIA Hall of Fame, which is a special honour for Australian musicians. He is also known for speaking up for Aboriginal rights.

Early Life and Learning

Kevin Daniel Carmody was born in 1946 in Cairns, Queensland. His father was of Irish background, and his mother was an Aboriginal woman from the Lama Lama and Bundjalung groups. At that time, his parents were not allowed to marry because his mother was Aboriginal. They moved to Cairns where the rules were not as strict.

Kevin's family lived on a cattle station in southern Queensland. They lived in a simple hut with a dirt floor. His parents worked as drovers, moving cattle. Kevin and his younger brother, Laurie, had to be hidden from authorities. This was because of a sad government policy called the Stolen Generations. Under this policy, Aboriginal children were sometimes taken away from their families.

When Kevin was ten, he and his brother were taken from their parents. They were sent to a Catholic school in Toowoomba. This was part of the "assimilation policy," which aimed to make Aboriginal people live like non-Aboriginal people. Kevin said they did not do much schoolwork. Instead, they spent time doing chores like feeding chickens. He did not learn to read until he was 11 years old.

After school, he worked for 17 years in the countryside. He did jobs like moving cattle, shearing sheep, and welding. His family shared all their money and lived simply off the land. In 1967, he married Helen, and they had three sons.

Going to University

In 1978, when he was 33, Kev Carmody decided to go to university. He enrolled at the Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education (now part of the University of Southern Queensland).

Because he had limited schooling, his reading and writing skills were not very strong. But he was determined! He told his history teacher that he would present his research using music and his guitar. This was a new idea for a university, but it was similar to the old oral history way that Indigenous people shared knowledge. Kev Carmody knew a lot of history from listening to stories. He completed his degree and later studied at the University of Queensland. He even started a higher degree in History.

His time at university, using music to share history, helped him start his career as a musician.

Music Career

Early Albums: Pillars of Society and Eulogy (1987-1992)

Kev Carmody started his music career in the early 1980s. His first album, Pillars of Society, came out in 1988. It had a country and folk sound. Songs like "Black Deaths in Custody" and "Thou Shalt Not Steal" talked about the unfairness and hardship faced by Indigenous Australians.

In "Thou Shalt Not Steal," Kev Carmody pointed out that British settlers brought Christianity to Australia, which included the commandment against stealing. Yet, they took the land that Aboriginal people had lived on for over 60,000 years. He sang, "The land’s our heritage and spirit" and "We say to you yes, whiteman, thou shalt not steal." A music journalist called it one of the best protest albums in Australia. Pillars of Society was nominated for an ARIA Award in 1989.

His second album, Eulogy (For a Black Person), was released in 1990. This album also had strong lyrics about issues like Aboriginal deaths in custody and land rights. It was nominated for a 1992 ARIA Award.

In 1991, Kev Carmody co-wrote "From Little Things Big Things Grow" with Paul Kelly. This song told the story of the Gurindji people's walk-off in the 1960s. This event was very important for the Indigenous land rights movement in Australia. Paul Kelly & the Messengers first recorded it.

Kev Carmody's 1992 EP (a shorter album) called Street Beat was nominated for a 1993 ARIA Award.

Later Albums and Documentaries (1993-1999)

Kev Carmody's third album, Bloodlines, came out in 1993. It included his own version of "From Little Things Big Things Grow" with Paul Kelly singing along. Bloodlines was nominated for a 1994 ARIA Award.

In 1993, a documentary film called Blood Brothers - From Little Things Big Things Grow was made about Kev Carmody's life. It used his music and historical videos.

After his fourth album, Images And Illusions, in 1995, Kev Carmody decided to take a break from the busy music industry. He still performed and spoke to different groups, including at the National Press Club.

New Music and Honours (2000-Present)

In 2000, a collection of his songs called Messages was released. In 2001, Kev Carmody helped write the music for the Australian film One Night the Moon. The music won an award in 2002.

After almost ten years, Kev Carmody released his fifth album, Mirrors, in 2004. He paid for it himself and recorded it at a friend's place. This album talked about current issues like how refugees are treated.

In 2007, Paul Kelly helped create a special double album called Cannot Buy My Soul - The Songs of Kev Carmody. One disc had other artists singing Kev's songs, and the second disc had Kev singing his own songs.

In 2008, after the Australian government said "sorry" to Indigenous Australians, Kev Carmody and Paul Kelly sang "From Little Things Big Things Grow" again. They added parts of speeches from Prime Ministers Paul Keating and Kevin Rudd. This version, released by The Get Up Mob, reached number 4 on the charts. Many other Australian artists also sang on this version.

On August 27, 2009, Kev Carmody was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame. He joked that he must have the lowest record sales to get into the Hall of Fame! Paul Kelly and other musicians joined him on stage to perform "From Little Things Big Things Grow."

In 2015, a four-disc collection of his music called Recollections... Reflections... (A Journey) was released. In 2020, Cannot Buy My Soul: The Songs of Kev Carmody was re-released with new cover versions of his songs by artists like Jimmy Barnes and Courtney Barnett.

Kev Carmody has reduced his musical activities recently because of arthritis.

Awards and Nominations

ARIA Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are annual awards that celebrate great music in Australia. They started in 1987. In 2009, Kev Carmody was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

Country Music Awards of Australia

The Country Music Awards of Australia (also called the Golden Guitar Awards) are held every January. They celebrate the best in Australian country music.

Deadly Awards

The Deadlys Awards were a yearly event celebrating achievements by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in music, sport, and entertainment.

Helpmann Awards

The Helpmann Awards celebrate live entertainment and performing arts in Australia. In 2019, Kev Carmody received the JC Williamson Award, which is the highest honour for a life's work in live performance.

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards celebrated live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Kev Carmody won one of these awards.

National Indigenous Music Awards

The National Indigenous Music Awards celebrate excellent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians from Australia. They started in 2004.

Queensland Music Awards

The Queensland Music Awards celebrate new and famous artists from Queensland, Australia. They started in 2006.

Other Special Honours

• 2001: Won an award for original music in a film.
• 2008: Received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Southern Queensland.
• 2009: Named a "Great Queenslander" in the Queensland Greats Awards.
• 2010: His song "From Little Things" was added to the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia list.
• 2013: Won an award from the University of Queensland for his impact on the Indigenous community.
• 2022: A new student building at the University of Queensland was named Kev Carmody House.

Discography

Studio Albums

Soundtrack Albums

Compilation Albums

Extended Plays

Singles

• "Jack Deelin" (1988)
• "Thou Shalt Not Steal" (February 1990)
• "Eulogy" (November 1990)
• "Cannot Buy My Soul" (December 1991)
• "Blood Red Rose" (April 1992)
• "Living South of the Freeway" (October 1992)
• "Freedom" (July 1993)
• "From Little Things Big Things Grow" (1993)
• "On the Wire" (May 1994)
• "The Young Dancer Is Dead" (1995)