You may hear from heaven almost any time

April 1, 2012 10:39 PM

Indigenous Australian music legend Jimmy Little has died, aged 75.

I was introduced to Jimmy Little's beautifully gentle voice with his 2001 album Messenger (jukebox link with song samples). More recently, Jimmy had established the Jimmy Little Foundation, aiming to raise awareness of the sorry state of Aboriginal health in the outback.

posted by tumid dahlia (30 comments total)

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posted by flapjax at midnite at 10:41 PM on April 1, 2012

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posted by batmonkey at 10:42 PM on April 1, 2012

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posted by prettypretty at 10:47 PM on April 1, 2012

Vale Jimmy. You had a beautiful voice. I hope some folk here discover you that previously only knew Australian music for the Minogues.
posted by taff at 11:04 PM on April 1, 2012 [1 favorite]

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posted by Coaticass at 11:10 PM on April 1, 2012

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posted by zaelic at 11:13 PM on April 1, 2012

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posted by awfurby at 11:27 PM on April 1, 2012

The way talked about his marriage in Frankie magazine was very sweet, read here.
posted by Trivia Newton John at 11:28 PM on April 1, 2012 [1 favorite]

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posted by smoke at 11:31 PM on April 1, 2012

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(And I didn't know he lived in Dubbo. Damn. During one of my many visits there over the last few months, I would have knocked on his door and told him I was a fan and thanked him for singing for us, and for trying to make the world a better place.)
posted by malibustacey9999 at 11:32 PM on April 1, 2012

RIP Jimmy
Twistin' the Night Away (with his brother Fred)
Yorta Yorta Man
Telephone to Glory
Cattle and Cane
posted by unliteral at 11:33 PM on April 1, 2012

Some songs - Yorta Yorta Man;
A cover of Cattle & cane.
posted by awfurby at 11:33 PM on April 1, 2012

This one's for you, Taz. (Insert smiley here.)
posted by malibustacey9999 at 11:46 PM on April 1, 2012

Oh, god, I meant Taff, not Taz. Sigh.
posted by malibustacey9999 at 11:47 PM on April 1, 2012

We worked on a doco about the man, and came to know him and his family. He was working on another album with Brendan Gallagher, I believe, not sure how far they'd gotten.
posted by a non e mouse at 11:48 PM on April 1, 2012

A great man with a gentle voice, Messenger is a beautiful rendition of some classic Australian music.
Sadly his wife too, died only recently. RIP Jimmy ...
posted by a non e mouse at 11:55 PM on April 1, 2012

RIP Jimmy.

I'll remember him for his version of Down Below.
posted by fonetik at 12:41 AM on April 2, 2012 [1 favorite]

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posted by robcorr at 1:35 AM on April 2, 2012

:( ..
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 1:42 AM on April 2, 2012

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posted by kjs4 at 2:14 AM on April 2, 2012

Oh shoot. One of my heroes.

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posted by spitbull at 3:38 AM on April 2, 2012

Oh. Him singing Down below is so haunting. I'm going to go listen to it now.
posted by lollusc at 3:54 AM on April 2, 2012

He was a great bloke.

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posted by andraste at 4:43 AM on April 2, 2012

Fucking hell, Jimmy.
posted by gronkpan at 7:04 AM on April 2, 2012

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posted by Jilder at 7:36 AM on April 2, 2012

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posted by unwordy at 7:53 AM on April 2, 2012

Just listening to Jimmy for the first time in a few years. He was amazing.

At least we still have Roger Knox.
posted by spitbull at 8:06 AM on April 2, 2012

We are losing so many geniuses these last few weeks. I wish I believed in an embodied afterlife, because the vision of Jimmy Little and Earl Scruggs meeting and making music together would be lovely.
posted by Sidhedevil at 10:24 AM on April 2, 2012

A voice like dripping honey. I, too, love that version of Down Below.

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posted by Jimbob at 5:49 PM on April 2, 2012

Mark Colvin on ABC radio PM yesterday managed a very tender send off. Both he and Little suffer/ed kidney disease, and knew each other, pretty well by the sound of it.
He reported Little moved to Dubbo from Sydney last year when his wife was on her last legs (her town) last year and he stayed.
Not exactly my cup of tea musically, but a good guy by all accounts.
posted by bystander at 7:47 AM on April 3, 2012