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Yothu Yindi - Gapu

By Robin Denselow  Tue 25 Jul 2017 20.02 BST Last modified on Mon 27 Nov 2017 19.32 GMT [The Guardian]

In 1989, at the age of 18, he was invited to join Yothu Yindi, which had been co-founded by his uncle, Mandawuy Yunupingu. The band included both Aboriginal and white musicians, was influenced more by rock and country than Indigenous styles, and became successful by mixing music and politics. Their song Treaty, which appeared on their bestselling 1991 album Tribal Voice, was influenced by a visit made to the Northern Territory by the then prime minister, Bob Hawke, in which he talked of a treaty between black and white Australia.

Yunupingu played guitar, keyboards and drums with Yothu Yindi, sang backing vocals, and joined the band for tours across Australia and beyond, including concerts in the US and Canada. But after three years, older relatives decided that he should quit: the lifestyle was bad for him. So he returned to his family on Elcho Island, where he remained for four years.