George Rrurrambu Burarrwanga

Burarrwanga's musical career began as a child through the education of ancestral songlines which his father, Charlie Matjuwuy Burarrwanga, mastered in depth of historical knowledge, pitch, tone and feeling. Matjuwuy was to become the most respected and sought-after Yolngu ceremonial singer across Indigenous Australian communities until his death in 2018 in his 80s. At the NT Indigenous Music Awards 2004, Rrurrambu was inducted into the NT Hall of Fame.

George Rrurrambu Burarrwanga (1957 – 10 June 2007), known in life as George Rrurrambu and George Djilangya, was known as the frontman of Warumpi Band, an Aboriginal rock band.

After his death at the age of 50 on 10 June 2007, he became known as George Burarrwanga for cultural reasons. Recently, his original Yolngu name has returned to use - the liner notes to the Warumpi Band 4 Ever box set refer to him as George Rrurrambu Burarrwanga.

After the break-up of the Warumpi Band, Burarrwanga launched a lower-key solo career, performing to sellout crowds at the Festival of Darwin and appearing live on national television for the Yeperenye Federation Festival in Alice Springs during 2000. He then launched a solo reggae album, touring throughout the Northern Territory and then to Europe in 2002.

Three albums, Big Name No Blanket (1985), Go Bush (1988) and Too Much Humbug (1996), followed, including the anthemic songs "Blackfella/Whitefella" and "My Island Home", the latter of which was made famous when it was covered by Christine Anu in 1995.

In 1983, they released the single "Jailanguru Pakarnu" (Out of Jail), the first rock song ever released in an Australian Aboriginal language.

During the late 1970s, he moved to the desert community of Yuendumu, where he married Felicity Robertson and became fluent in the Walpiri language and law. They had their first child, Glenda, who is a revered healer and strong advocate for the rights of community members struggling with mainstream culture.