Portal:Music of Australia
 Australian music is the name given to music originating in Australia. Whilst most modern trends in Australian music are based on similar trends from the United States or United Kingdom, traditional indigenous music dates back more than 60,000 years to the prehistory of Australia, and continues the ancient songlines through contemporary artists as diverse as Jimmy Little, Warumpi Band, Yothu Yindi, Tiddas, Wild Water, Christine Anu, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, Saltwater Band, Nabarlek, Nokturnl, the Pigram Brothers, Coloured Stone, Blek Bala Mujik, Kev Carmody, Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter. Rock music in Australia first became popular in the 1950s, with artists including Johnny O'Keefe topping charts around the world. This tradition was continued into the 1960s, by groups such as Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, The Easybeats, and The Bee Gees. Throughout this time, Indigenous Australian music and Australian jazz remained consistently popular. Pub rock was immensely popular in the 1980s, and the era was typified by Mental As Anything, Midnight Oil, The Angels, Cold Chisel and Icehouse. INXS and Men at Work also achieved fame worldwide, and the song "Down Under" became an unofficial anthem for Australia. Australian hip hop began in the early 1980s, primarily influenced by overseas works, but by the 1990s a distinctive local style had emerged, with Hilltop Hoods achieving international acclaim for their work. The 90s saw an increase in the popularity of indie rock in Australia. AC/DC and INXS continued to achieve commercial success in the United States, whilst a multitude of local bands, including Regurgitator, You Am I, Powderfinger, Silverchair and Something for Kate, were popular throughout the country. A small electronic music scene emerged around Sydney and Melbourne, with Severed Heads, Ollie Olsen's No, and Foil all peaking in the 90s. Australian music experienced somewhat of a rock renaissance in the 2000s with groups such as The Vines, Jet and Wolfmother charting internationally. Hilltop Hoods were the first Australian hip-hop group to reach the top of the ARIA chart. Channel 10's Australian Idol program was highly popular locally, as were the many "idols" produced. Template:/box-footerSelected article - Paul Maurice Kelly (born 13 January 1955 in Adelaide, South Australia) is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonica player. Kelly has performed solo and led numerous groups including Paul Kelly and the Dots, Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls and Paul Kelly and the Messengers; he has been a member of associated projects Professor Ratbaggy and Stardust Five and performed with other artists and groups. Kelly has been acknowledged as one of Australia's best singer-songwriters, his music style has ranged from bluegrass to studio-oriented dub reggae, but his core output comfortably straddles folk, rock, and country. His lyrics capture Australia's vastness both in culture and landscape, he has chronicled life about him for over thirty years and is described as the poet laureate of Australia. However, he has been quoted as saying "Songwriting is mysterious to me. I don’t feel like I have got it nailed yet." Kelly has had a multitude of albums and singles chart successfully on the ARIA Singles Chart, and on the Billboard charts. His iconic status as an Australian musician was recognised in 1997 when he was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame. In 2001, the Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA) listed the Top 30 Australian songs of all time, including "To Her Door", solely written by Kelly, and "Treaty", written by Kelly and members of Indigenous Australian band Yothu Yindi. Aside from "Treaty", Kelly has written or co-written several songs on indigenous peoples' social issues and historical events, including British nuclear testing, land rights, reconciliation, and tent boxing. Kelly has also provided songs for many other artists, tailoring them to their particular vocal range. After growing up in Adelaide, Kelly travelled around Australia before settling in Melbourne in 1976, he became involved in the pub rock scene and drug culture, he recorded two albums with Paul Kelly and the Dots. Kelly moved to Sydney by 1985 where he formed Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls, which was renamed Paul Kelly and the Messengers, initially for international releases only, to avoid possible racist interpretations. At the end of the 1980s, Kelly returned to Melbourne, and in 1991 he disbanded the Messengers. Kelly has been married and divorced twice, he has three children and resides in St. Kilda a suburb of Melbourne with his girlfriend, Sian Prior. Dan Kelly, his nephew, is a singer and guitarist in his own right, Dan has performed with Kelly on Ways and Means and Stolen Apples, both are members of Stardust Five which released a self-titled album in 2006. (more...) Selected image -Things you can do
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- ↑ End Of Year Top Australian Singles 2009. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved March 30, 2010
