Warren H Williams

Williams was born on 27 December 1963 in Hermannsburg, the son of country musician Gus Williams.[1] He is an Arrernte man.[2]

He started playing guitar at the age of six with his father,[1] and later went to school at a Lutheran college in Adelaide:[3] Immanuel College in Novar Gardens.[4]

In 2007, he wrote the musical Magic Coolamon, which debuted as the first ever Central Australian Indigenous musical.[5]

Williams toured with John Williamson many times, including "Hillbilly Road" in 2008.[6]

In 2015, Williams invited long-time friend and award-winning Australian singer Shane Nicholson to visit his hometown of Hermannsburg (Ntaria) to help break his writer's block. Williams took him to sacred sites and shared Aboriginal Dreaming stories which inspired Nicholson's ARIA-nominated album Hell Breaks Loose, which features the track 'Hermannsburg'.[7]

In 2016, Williams teamed up with emerging artist Dani Young, writing and recording an album of traditional country duets in Nashville. The album, Desert Water was produced by Billy Yates, and features Jim Lauderdale. The album was released on 22 July 2016.[8] The album debuted at #2 on the ARIA Country albums charts, and the first single "Two Ships" spent 6 weeks at #1 on Tamworth Country Radio.[9]

In 1996, Williams was the first remote Indigenous broadcaster (RIBS) on the 8KIN FM network, presenting music shows live from Hermannsburg. He is the longest-serving broadcaster on CAAMA Radio, as of 2015 presenting the mid-morning show from 9am - 11am on weekdays, as well as the 80s Mix on Monday evenings, Rockn on Wednesday evenings, and CAAMA's highest rating program Strictly Country on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.[10] His programs are also played through the National Indigenous Radio Service.[2]

In 2015, Williams made his directorial debut, writing and directing two episodes of the Aboriginal television series Our Place for ICTV.

Williams stood as lead Australian Greens candidate for the two Northern Territory seats in the Australian Senate in the 2010 federal election,[11] and again in the 2013 federal election.[12][13] At the 2012 Northern Territory election, he stood for the Australia's First Nations Political Party in the seat of Namatjira.

In 2004, Williams was the subject of an episode of the television series Nganampa Anwernekenhe.[14]

In 2009 he was inducted into the Australian Country Music Hall of Fame.[15][1] (His father, Gus, had become an inductee in 2000.[16])

• Warren H Williams homepage
• Warren H Williams : Places In Between review
• Warren H Williams radio interview Part 2 on Ben Sorensen's REAL Country
• Warren H Williams interview on NITV news about Nashville album
• Warren H Williams and Dani Young facebook page