Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
Gurrumul in November 2012
Background information
Born(1971-01-22)22 January 1971
Elcho Island, Northern Territory, Australia
Died25 July 2017(2017-07-25) (aged 46)
Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
Instruments
Years active1986–2017
LabelsSkinnyfish Music
Formerly of
Websitewww.gurrumul.com

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (22 January 1971 – 25 July 2017), commonly known as Gurrumul and also referred to since his death as Dr G. Yunupingu, was a Yolŋu Aboriginal Australian musician. A multi-instrumentalist, he played drums, keyboards, guitar (a right-hand-strung guitar played left-handed) and didgeridoo, but is best known for the clarity of his singing voice. He sang stories of his land both in Yolŋu languages, such as Gaalpu, Gumatj, or Djambarrpuynu (related to Gumatj), and in English. He began his career as a member of Yothu Yindi and later Saltwater Band, and his solo career brought him wider acclaim; he was the most commercially successful Aboriginal Australian musician at the time of his death. As of 2020, it is estimated that Yunupingu has sold half a million records globally.