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Jimmy Chi
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Jimmy Chi
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James Ronald Chi (1948 – 26 June 2017) was an Australian composer, musician and playwright. His best known work is the 1990 musical Bran Nue Dae, which was adapted for film in 2009.

Key Information

Early life and education

[edit]

James Ronald Chi[1][2] was born in Broome, Western Australia in 1948 to a father of Chinese and Japanese descent and a mother of Scottish and Aboriginal (Bardi and Nyulnyul) descent.[3][1]

Chi attended a Catholic school in Perth, and went on to university in WA. However, he was involved in a serious car accident, and, after coming out of a three-week coma,[4] developed bipolar affective disorder.[2] He became severely depressed, but was helped by his faith.[4]

After returning to Broome in 1970, he bought a guitar and started writing songs, initially on his own. Stephen Pigram and Michael Manolis joined him in songwriting, and in the early 1980s the three of them, along with Garry Gower and Patrick Bin Amat moved to Adelaide, South Australia, to study music at the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music (CASM) and the University of Adelaide.[4][5]

Career

[edit]

The five friends from Broome formed the band Kuckles[4] in 1981, with Chi as one of the three songwriters, along with Manolis and Pigram.[5]

Chi's most acclaimed work is Bran Nue Dae, written in collaboration with his band Kuckles, Scrap Metal, The Pigram Brothers, and friends. Bran Nue Dae is a partly autobiographical work which took many years to write. It celebrates family, forgiveness, and reconciliation, and was a hit at the Festival of Perth in 1990 where it was performed by the Black Swan Theatre.[6][7] It went on to tour Australia extensively and it was Australia's most successful musical play of the early 1990s.[1] A documentary film about it was made in 1991.[8]

One of the famous verses from a song in the musical sums up Chi's dry humour and sharp political approach:

There's nothing I would rather be

Than to be an Aborigine
and watch you take my precious land away.
For nothing gives me greater joy
than to watch you fill each girl and boy

with superficial existential shit.

The musical won the prestigious Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards in 1990. The following year the published script and score won the Special Award in the Western Australian Premier's Book Awards.[9] It brought acclaim for many Aboriginal artists, including Ernie Dingo, Josie Ningali Lawford, and Leah Purcell, and its success was key in the establishment of the Black Swan Theatre Company.[7]

Chi also wrote the musical Corrugation Road, which was first performed by the Black Swan Theatre at the Fairfax Studio in Melbourne in 1996 before an Australian national tour.[10] Corrugation Road concerns mental health, abuse, sexuality, and religion.[7]

Chi's songs have been covered by such artists as the Irish singer Mary Black and Aboriginal singer Archie Roach.[11]

Broome's Opera Under the Stars festival has featured Chi's "Child of Glory", from Bran Nue Dae, at every festival since 1993. His hymns are regularly sung at Aboriginal funerals in Broome.[11]

Other activities

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Chi was patron of SANE Australia.[1]

Awards and honours

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In 1991, Chi was awarded the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Drama Award for Bran Nue Dae.[12]

Che was awarded the Centenary Medal by the federal government, for his contribution to Australian society, and he was acknowledged by the WA Government as a State Living Treasure.[1][13]

Australia Council for the Arts

[edit]

The Australia Council for the Arts is the arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. Since 1993, it has awarded a Red Ochre Award. It is presented to an outstanding Indigenous Australian (Aboriginal Australian or Torres Strait Islander) artist for lifetime achievement.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1997 himself Red Ochre Award Awarded[1]

Deadly Awards

[edit]

The Deadly Awards were an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. They ran from 1995 to 2013.[14]

Year Nominee / work Award Result (wins only)
1998 Corrugation Road (with Kuckles and The Pigram Brothers) Excellence in Film or Theatrical Score Won

Later life and death

[edit]

Chi spent most of his later life at home in Broome with his family and friends. He died in Broome Hospital on 26 June 2017.[15]

An inquest into his death published its results in 2019. It said that Chi had been an involuntary patient under the Mental Health Act 2014, and had died in the emergency department from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and coronary atherosclerosis, although he had also suffered from a number of other diseases.[2]

Discography

[edit]
Title Details
Bran Nue Dae - Original Cast Recording
(with Kuckles)
  • Released: 1993
  • Label: BND Records Pty Ltd, PolyGram (BNDCD 002)
  • Format: CD, Cassette
Corrugation Road
(with The Pigram Brothers and Kuckles)
  • Released: 1997
  • Label: Angoorrabin (AR-8)
  • Format: CD

Works

[edit]
  • Broome songwriters with Michael Manolis and Ron Harper (Hodja Educational Resources, 1985) ISBN 0-949575-37-2
  • Bran Nue Dae (Currency Press, 1991) ISBN 0-86819-293-7
  • Corrugation Road (sound recording – Angoorrabin Records, p1996)

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Jimmy Chi

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Jimmy Chi was an Australian playwright, composer, and musician known for creating Bran Nue Dae, the groundbreaking musical that became a landmark in Indigenous Australian theatre and a pioneering work conceived, developed, and produced by Aboriginal people. Born in 1948 in Broome, Western Australia, of mixed Nyul Nyul (Aboriginal), Japanese, Chinese, and Scottish descent, Chi grew up in the culturally rich and diverse pearling town of Broome, where he was immersed in a wide array of musical traditions ranging from Aboriginal songs and dances to gospel, country, blues, and more. His semi-autobiographical Bran Nue Dae, first staged in 1990, drew from his own experiences—including boarding school in Perth and struggles with identity and assimilation—to address painful histories of the Stolen Generations, deaths in custody, and cultural pressures through humour, parable, and joyous music rather than direct confrontation. The work revolutionised Australian theatre in the 1990s by introducing mainstream audiences to innovative and entertaining Indigenous storytelling, serving as both entertainment and a gentle educational tool for reconciliation, while inspiring new generations of Aboriginal artists in theatre and film. Chi followed it with the musical Corrugation Road in 1996, which similarly explored themes of identity confusion, healing, and wholeness. Chi's approach emphasised using Broome-style Aboriginal humour and music to dress difficult truths in parable, making his contributions a beacon in Aboriginal and Australian cultural history. He passed away in Broome in 2017 at the age of 69, remembered as a treasured figure in Indigenous arts whose legacy endures through his pioneering works.

Early life

Family background and birth

Jimmy Chi was born in 1948 in Broome, Western Australia. His father was of Chinese and Japanese descent and had been born in Broome. His mother was of Bardi Aboriginal descent with Scottish heritage; she was the daughter of a Bardi woman from the Dampier Peninsula and a Scottish station manager. Chi grew up in Broome as part of the local Indigenous community, immersed in the region's distinctive multicultural and pearling-town environment. (AustLit is a reputable Australian literary database with biographical entries on Chi.)

Education

Jimmy Chi attended a Catholic college in Rossmoyne, Perth, for his early schooling after being sent there from Broome by Irish nuns and German priests. He later enrolled at Aquinas College in Perth, where he completed his secondary education as part of the Class of 1965. Described as a bright student who performed well academically, Chi received second prize in Religious Education during his time at the school. In his final year, he also participated in sports as a member of the 1st XVIII Australian rules football team. After graduating from Aquinas College, Chi briefly attended university the following year but did not complete his degree.

Car accident and early adulthood

In his early twenties, Jimmy Chi was badly injured in a car accident and spent three weeks in hospital. Although he recovered physically from his injuries, those who knew him observed that he was never the same again. The accident occurred during a period when he had begun university studies but did not complete his degree. In 1970, at the age of 22, Chi was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He felt that he had let people down by not finishing his degree and struggled to find the resilience needed to get back up and fight the good fight. This challenge would remain with him throughout his life. Following the accident, Chi experienced the onset of hallucinations and mental illness that required occasional further hospitalizations and heavy medication. Music later provided him with a path back to normal life.

Career

Music beginnings and Kuckles

Jimmy Chi's entry into music began in the early 1980s when he enrolled at the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music (CASM) in Adelaide as a student from Broome. There, he formed the band Kuckles with other Broome musicians also studying at CASM, including Mick Manolis, Stephen Pigram, Patrick Bin Amat, and Garry Gower, with Chi serving as lead vocalist and primary songwriter. The band's name derives from the Broome Kriol word for cockles. Kuckles recorded a cassette album titled Brand New Day (Milliya Rumarra), which functioned as an audition tape. This recording secured the band an opportunity to travel to Germany for performances. After returning to Broome later that year, Kuckles disbanded in 1982. These early musical experiences provided Chi with a creative pathway following personal hardships, including his recovery from a car accident and challenges in early adulthood, laying foundational groundwork for his later collaborative projects.

Bran Nue Dae

Bran Nue Dae is a landmark semi-autobiographical musical written and composed by Jimmy Chi in collaboration with members of the Broome-based Indigenous band Kuckles, including Stephen Pigram, Michael Manolis, Garry Gower, and Patrick Bin Amat. The work originated from songs Chi and the band developed in the mid-1980s, with its title derived from Kuckles' earlier recording "Milliya Rummara" (Yawuru for "brand new day"), which evolved into the musical's distinctive Broome Kriol spelling. Blending comedy, rock opera elements, reggae, and spiritual influences, the musical explores Indigenous experiences through humor and music while addressing serious themes of assimilation, cultural loss, and identity. The musical premiered at the Perth International Arts Festival in February 1990 at the Octagon Theatre, following workshops and development support from organizations including the Aboriginal Writers, Oral Literature and Dramatists Association in 1986. A hometown production followed in Broome in September 1990 at Sun Pictures outdoor venue, after which the show toured extensively across Western Australia's north-west and interstate, gaining popular and critical acclaim. Its success continued with revivals, including a major national tour for the 30th anniversary in 2020. Bran Nue Dae received significant recognition for its contribution to Indigenous storytelling and human rights themes, including the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award in 1990, a Certificate of Commendation in the 1991 Human Rights Awards, and the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Drama Award in 1991. The musical centers on themes of family, forgiveness, reconciliation, and Indigenous identity, portraying a young man's journey home amid the historical context of 1960s assimilation policies, dispossession, and cultural reconnection. It is celebrated as Australia's first Indigenous musical, a pioneering work that challenged perceptions of Aboriginal people, fostered pride and ownership of Indigenous narratives, and promoted messages of unity and multicultural goodwill. Its stage success led to a 2009 film adaptation.

Corrugation Road

Corrugation Road is a musical written by Jimmy Chi that premiered at the Melbourne International Arts Festival in 1996. The production won The Age Critics Award. The work addresses themes of mental health, abuse, sexuality, and religion, presented through humour and optimism to smash taboos surrounding these subjects. It incorporates a range of musical styles including gospel, reggae, and blues. The musical is semi-autobiographical, drawing from Chi's personal experiences. Plans were made for a national tour in 1998.

Film contributions and other works

Jimmy Chi's contributions to film were limited but notable, centering on adaptations and creative roles that extended his stage work into cinematic storytelling. He received a writer credit for the 2009 film adaptation of Bran Nue Dae, directed by Rachel Perkins, which brought his original musical's story and songs to the screen. He also had writer credits on Mad Bastards (2010) and State of Shock (1989). In State of Shock, Chi contributed as a music composer alongside Ernie Dingo. These projects highlighted his role in incorporating Indigenous narratives and music into Australian film.

Personal life

Mental health struggles

Jimmy Chi grappled with bipolar affective disorder for much of his adult life, which developed following a severe car accident in 1969 that left him in a coma for several weeks, leading to ongoing challenges including institutionalization and persistent symptoms. His struggles were compounded by early experiences of trauma and abuse, which profoundly shaped his worldview and creative output. These personal encounters with mental illness, abuse, and madness directly informed his semi-autobiographical works, allowing him to explore themes of healing and survival through art. Chi described the impetus for one of his major works as a desire to address mental health issues stemming from his own survival of such hardships. Corrugation Road, in particular, reflected his lived experiences with mental illness in a regional Australian context. Music and writing served as vital coping mechanisms and sources of strength for Chi, helping him endure the impacts of mental illness and racial inequality while channeling his experiences into creative expression. Through composing and playwriting, he found resilience and a means to confront personal and societal challenges.

Advocacy and community role

Jimmy Chi played a prominent role in mental health advocacy as a patron of SANE Australia, a national charity focused on supporting people affected by mental illness. He used his public profile to promote awareness, reduce stigma, and encourage open conversations about mental health in the community. In Broome, where he lived much of his life, Chi was celebrated as a local legend for his enduring contributions to Indigenous performance and the arts. His work helped elevate Aboriginal voices in theatre and music, fostering greater cultural representation and pride within the Kimberley region and beyond. Through his groundbreaking musicals and compositions, Chi exerted a lasting influence on contemporary Indigenous arts in Australia. His fusion of traditional storytelling with modern forms inspired subsequent generations of Indigenous artists to explore and express their cultural identities on stage and screen.

Awards and recognition

Jimmy Chi received several awards and recognitions for his pioneering work in Indigenous Australian theatre and music. In 1991, he won the Drama category of the Australian Human Rights Commission's Human Rights Awards for Bran Nue Dae. He also received a special award in the Western Australian Premier's Literary Awards in 1991 for the published script and score of Bran Nue Dae. In 1997, Chi was awarded the Red Ochre Award by the Australia Council for the Arts for lifetime achievement as an Indigenous artist. In 2004, he was named a Western Australian State Living Treasure in recognition of his creation of landmark Indigenous theatre and his role as an ambassador for Broome's cultural diversity.

Death

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