Warren H Williams facts for kids

Warren H. Williams in Alice Springs, 2011

Warren Hedley Williams was born on December 27, 1963. He is an Aboriginal Australian singer, musician, and songwriter. He comes from Ntaria in Central Australia.

Warren Williams has also worked in radio. He has been an actor too. He even ran as a candidate for the Australian Greens political party in 2010 and 2013.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Warren Williams was born in Hermannsburg. His father, Gus Williams, was also a country musician. Warren is an Arrernte man.

He started playing guitar when he was six years old. He learned from his father. Later, he went to a Lutheran college in Adelaide. This college was Immanuel College in Novar Gardens.

Warren Williams' Music Journey

Warren Williams' music has been part of important projects. In 1999, his music was on a CD. This CD was made to help bring people together in Australia. It was called Reconciliation: Stories of the Heart, Sounds of the Rock. The album had music, stories from famous people, and parts of important speeches.

In 2007, he created a musical play called Magic Coolamon. This was the first ever Indigenous musical from Central Australia.

Warren Williams has toured many times with famous singer John Williamson. One of their tours was called "Hillbilly Road" in 2008.

In 2015, Warren invited his friend, singer Shane Nicholson, to visit his hometown of Hermannsburg (Ntaria). Warren wanted to help Shane with his songwriting. Warren showed Shane sacred places and shared Aboriginal Dreaming stories. These stories helped inspire Shane's album, which was nominated for an ARIA award. The album included a song called 'Hermannsburg'.

In 2016, Warren Williams worked with a new artist named Dani Young. They recorded an album of traditional country duets in Nashville. The album was called Desert Water. It was produced by Billy Yates and featured Jim Lauderdale. Desert Water came out on July 22, 2016. It quickly reached #2 on the ARIA Country albums charts. Their first song, "Two Ships," was #1 on Tamworth Country Radio for six weeks.

Radio and Television Work

In 1996, Warren Williams became the first remote Indigenous broadcaster (RIBS) for the 8KIN FM radio network. He hosted music shows live from Hermannsburg. He has been a broadcaster for CAAMA Radio for a very long time. As of 2015, he hosted the mid-morning show on weekdays. He also had shows like the 80s Mix and Rockn. His program "Strictly Country" was CAAMA's most popular show. His radio shows are also played across Australia through the National Indigenous Radio Service.

In 2015, Warren Williams also started directing television. He wrote and co-directed for an Aboriginal TV series called Our Place. This show was for ICTV.

Involvement in Politics

Warren Williams has been involved in politics. He was a main candidate for the Australian Greens party. He ran for the two Northern Territory seats in the Australian Senate in the 2010 and 2013 federal elections.

In the 2012 Northern Territory election, he ran for the Australia's First Nations Political Party. He was a candidate for the seat of Namatjira. Before that election, he spoke about some unfriendly comments made by another political party at voting places. He said these comments were shouted in an Aboriginal language to avoid being heard by officials. Warren Williams believed these comments were part of a planned campaign.

Music Albums

Warren Williams has released many albums. Here are some of them:

Awards and Recognition

Warren Williams has received many awards for his music and contributions.

In 2004, a TV show called Nganampa Anwernekenhe featured him.

In 2009, he was added to the Australian Country Music Hall of Fame. His father, Gus, was inducted in 2000.

AIR Awards

The AIR Awards celebrate the success of independent music in Australia.

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards recognize great achievements in Australian music.

Australia Council for the Arts

The Australia Council for the Arts supports and advises on arts in Australia. They give out the Red Ochre Award to outstanding Indigenous Australian artists for their lifetime achievements.

Country Music Awards (CMAA)

The Country Music Awards of Australia, also known as the Golden Guitar Awards, celebrate excellence in Australian country music.

Deadly Awards

The Deadly Awards celebrated achievements by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in music, sport, and entertainment.

National Indigenous Music Awards

These awards recognize great Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander musicians from Australia.