SA’s Ruby Hunter receives top music accolade in Brisbane, years after her death
Pioneering Aboriginal singer-songwriter Ruby Hunter – who was born in the Riverland in South Australia – is being added to the honour roll at a major Brisbane event.
Ngarrindjeri/Kukatha/Pitjantjatjara woman Ruby Hunter will be posthumously inducted into the AWMA 2025 Honour Roll on the evening of October 9 at the Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane.
Ruby was born on Goat Island, near Renmark in South Australia, and was a member of the Stolen Generation, separated from her culture and community at just eight years old, according to a statement from the Australian Women in Music Awards team.
It said the late Ruby Hunter’s early life was marked by dislocation and hardship, experiences that fuelled her determination to speak for others through song.
In 1994, Ruby released her debut solo album Thoughts Within, becoming the first Aboriginal woman to sign with a major record label.
Her follow-up, Feeling Good (2000) won her Best Female Artist at the Deadly Awards and in 2003, she was recognised for her outstanding contribution to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music.
“Ruby’s stage presence was unforgettable, soulful and honest; her music and spirit remain a beacon of truth and love, making her one of the Nation’s most treasured musical storytellers,” the announcement said.
“Join us in celebrating the legacy of Ruby Hunter not only in her music but through the strength and inspiration she offered to be passed on to generations of First Nations female artists.”
Ruby died in 2010.
She met her lifelong partner and musical soul mate Archie Roach when she was 16. Both were homeless teenagers at the time.
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Roach, a Gunditjmara (Kirrae Whurrong/Djab Wurrung), Bundjalung senior Elder, songwriter and storyteller died in 2022 aged 66.
Anthony Albanese described him as a “brilliant talent, a powerful and prolific national truth teller”.
A statue of music legends Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter was erected in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy in November 2024.
Their award-winning music took them around the world together. They performed alongside musical greats such as Tracy Chapman, Paul Kelly and Bob Dylan.
