Bart Willoughby will play in Canberra as part of the Enlighten Festival in March. Photo: Glenn Campbell
A hard-working man who has contributed immensely to indigenous music, Bart Willoughby wrote We Have Survived - an anthem of Black Australia - when he was only 18.
Known in some circles as the "Godfather of Australian reggae", Willoughby has for more than 30 years captured the essence of indigenous Australia and brought to light - through his intelligent and thought-provoking lyrics - the struggles and repression felt by his people.
On Australian gems We Have Survived and Sunrise, Willoughby executes a raw, sophisticated style of music where lyrics hit you with direct impact. Images are as colourful as the shades of desert one imagines is the backdrop in the haunting simplicity of Sunrise, where Willoughby sings "Feel so lonely/Feel so sad" as he awaits the arrival of the longing of his dreams.
Since singing and playing instruments in his band, No Fixed Address, in the early 1980s, Willoughby has not only developed a catalogue of wonderful Australian music but has been a pioneering contributor to the development of indigenous music. His fusion of reggae and rock with indigenous musical influences is both hypnotic and unique - and somewhere in between Willoughby has found time outside his intense musical excursions to star in a Wim Wenders movie and tour Eastern Europe before the collapse of communism.
Ask Willoughby about his interesting musical journey and Indigenous ARIA Australian Music Lifetime Achievement Award, you hear from a modest, grounded man.
"Well, I haven't finished yet," he says before discussing his years making music. "It's a bit like wine, you know, and it takes a long time to make wine and sometimes you don't know what the reason is [for the music] but you find out as you develop it."
Willoughby also acknowledges that his music has been very "Aboriginal specific as it's a long history and so you've got a lot to talk about … it's got more culture than other music due to its innocence."
The expression of indigenous culture through the words of his songs has contributed to his legacy and while Bob Marley has been a strong influence on Willoughby's work, he's had a diverse musical upbringing, with an ability to play a range of instruments.
"I grew up on blues and country and rock and all that sort of stuff,'' he says. ''I'm now playing piano at an excellent standard and I'm getting better and better … and the bass, I've been playing the bass for years so maybe on the next album I might try to do everything."
A founding member of No Fixed Address and Mixed Relations, Willoughby will play on the opening night of Canberra's Enlighten festival with his current outfit, the Bart Willoughby Band.
Expect some politically powerful music in the heart of the Parliamentary Triangle or, as Willoughby himself puts it: "It's 30 years of playing so it's like history - you know I've been 34 years in the business and started as a kid when most people start when they are a bit older."
Bart Willoughby
WHERE: Parliamentary Triangle, East Zone
WHEN: Friday, March 1, at 8.30pm
TICKETS: $15 ($20 on the night)
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