Kev Carmody

by Craig HarrisThe Aboriginals of Australia are given a musical voice by Kev Carmody. With his protest-minded lyrics set to the hard-strummed sounds of his acoustic guitar and didgeridoo, Carmody blends the musical traditions of Australia with an insightful view of the struggles of the Aboriginals in modern society. Carmody has a right to be angry. At the age of ten, he was taken from his parents, under the auspices of the Aborigine Protection Board, and raised in a white family. Although intended to strengthen his chances at being assimilated into the Australian mainstream, Carmody became increasingly incensed at the discrimination against the Aboriginals and the hypocrisy of the Catholic church. Many of his original songs were inspired while researching the mistreatment of the Aborigines by the White Australian society for his doctoral thesis. Music provided an outlet as he began expressing his frustration through original songs. Carmody's most successful album, Bloodlines, included the historical ballad "From Little Things Big Things Grow," about the land rights struggle of the Gurindji people of Australia's Northern Territory. Co-written with Paul Kelly, the song was featured in an episode of an SBS television ary, Bloodbrothers which examined Carmody and his music. The album also included, "Freedom," which was also released as a fund-raising single for Community Aid Abroad.