Aboriginal singer-song writer Ruby Hunter passed away on February 17. Her music dealt with her personal history, Indigenous struggles, and social and women's issues.
Along with her partner Archie Roach, Hunter was a member of the musical collective, the Black Arm Band. The biography below is reprinted from
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Ruby Hunter, a proud Ngarrindjeri woman, was born at a billabong near the banks of the Murray River in South Australia.
When only eight years old, Ruby was forcibly removed from her family and grew up in foster homes and institutions, eventually living on the streets in Adelaide where she met Archie Roach. Like Archie, Ruby was part of Australia's stolen generations.
In 1990 Archie made his first recording Charcoal Lane and one of the album highlights was the song, Down City Streets, written by Ruby.
In 1994, Ruby released her debut album, Thoughts Within and was the first Indigenous woman to be signed to a major record label. A second album, Feeling Good followed in 2000.
In 2004, Ruby and Archie collaborated with Paul Grabowsky and the Australian Art Orchestra to produce Ruby's Story, an intensely rich musical experience charting Ruby's search for identity and hope through love.
Ruby's Story won the 2004 Deadly Award for Excellence in Film and Theatrical Score.