Wed 2 Sep · 7:30pm
Marlene Cummins
The Count's · Clayton
Event Info + Purchase Ticketsmonash.vic.gov.auDates & times
About
A Kindred People exclusive performance from iconic blues elder, proud Guguyelandji and Woppaburra woman Marlene Cummins.
A songwriter, broadcaster, vocalist, storyteller and saxophonist, the legendary Marlene will be joined by impresario Carolyn Packer on piano/Hammond organ. Expect blues anthems and soulful stories of vulnerability, strength and survival.
About
One of Australia’s foremost blues writers and performers, Marlene knows the blues from an Aboriginal woman’s perspective.
Marlene is deeply influenced by the story of her people, and she tells it through her art, her lyrics, her onstage performance as both an actress and singer, and more recently through documentary filmmaking.
Born in the southwest Queensland town of Cunnamulla, Marlene’s traditional people on her father’s side are Guguyelandji, and Woppaburra on her mother’s side.
Growing up under the cloud of the Aboriginal Protection Act of the 1950s and 60s, Marlene had a “grassroots” upbringing in a very politically aware family.
She refined her skills as a blues saxophonist and songwriter at the Berklee College of Music in Boston in the mid-90s.
In 2014, Marlene released her first full-length album Koori Woman Blues to coincide with the premiere of her biographical documentary film Black Panther Woman, co-written with Rachel Perkins.
Marlene presents a biographical journey through her music; a myriad of political, social and personal experiences that influence her lyrics and songs.
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