Kutcha Edwards (born 1965) is an Aboriginal Australian singer and songwriter. He is known as a former member of the band Blackfire during the 1990s. More recently, he has fronted the Kutcha Edwards Band, and is part of The Black Arm Band. He has been nominated for several Music Victoria Awards, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in the 2023 Music Victoria Awards. He won the Melbourne Prize for Music in 2016.

Early life and education

Kutcha Edwards was born in Balranald, New South Wales in 1965. A survivor of the Stolen Generations, he was removed from his parents at the age of 18 months.[1][2] He is a Mutti Mutti man.[3]

Career

Edwards' music career began in 1991 as a member of the band Watbalimba. He later joined the band Blackfire who he was with during the 1990s.[4]

He contributed lyrics to a revised version of "Advance Australia Fair"-collaborating with Judith Durham, and singing the anthem not only with her, but also in a solo version.[5]

He released his third album, Blak & Blu, in October 2012. It was produced by Craig Pilkington and features Jeff Lang as well as guest appearances by Dan Sultan, Rebecca Barnard, and others.[citation needed]

Edwards now[when?] fronts the Kutcha Edwards Band and is part of The Black Arm Band.[citation needed]

On television

Edwards has appeared as a guest on the SBS TV series RocKwiz.[6]

Kutcha's Koorioke, a docu-series about Edwards made for NITV, was directed and co-produced by John Harvey and Anna Grieve. It ran for two series, in 2019 and 2022. Each series consists of 10 episodes of 6 or 7 minutes, and several other actors and musicians feature in the series, including Jack Charles, Shiralee Hood, Elaine Crombie, Dan Sultan, Archie Roach, Emily Wurramara, Alice Skye, Bunna Lawrie, and Bart Willoughby.[7][8][9]

Awards and nominations

Edwards was named Indigenous Person of the Year at the 2001 NAIDOC Awards[3][10] and won a Deadly for Male Artist of the Year in the same year.[11]

In 2016, Edwards was awarded the Melbourne Prize for Music and Distinguished Musicians Fellowship[12][13][14]

Environmental Music Prize

The Environmental Music Prize is a quest to find a theme song to inspire action on climate and conservation. It commenced in 2022.[15]

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2023 "Singing Up Country" Environmental Music Prize Nominated [16][17]

Music Victoria Awards

The Music Victoria Awards are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2006.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2013 Kutcha Edwards Best Indigenous Act Nominated [18][19]
2014 Kutcha Edwards Best Indigenous Act Nominated
2016 Kutcha Edwards Best Indigenous Act Nominated
2022 Kutcha Edwards Soul, Funk, RNB & Gospel Work Nominated [20]
2023 Kutcha Edwards Hall of Fame awarded [21]

Discography

Albums

List of albums, with selected details
Title Details
Cooinda
  • Released: 2001
  • Format: CD
  • Label: Kutcha Edwards (KE1)
Hope
  • Released: 2007
  • Format: CD
  • Label: Sound Vault Records (SV0578)
Blak & Blu
  • Released: 2012
  • Format: CD, Digital
  • Label: MGM
Beneath the Surface
  • Released: 2015
  • Format: CD, Digital
  • Label: MGM
Circling Time
  • Released: 2021
  • Format: CD
  • Label: Wantok Musik (W0030)

References

  1. ^ George Negus Tonight Broadcast 6.30pm on 7 July 2004
  2. ^ The 7:30 Report Australians witness and celebrate apology
  3. ^ a b CBOnline 2001National NAIDOC Awards
  4. ^ "Kutcha Edwards". Archived from the original on 5 August 2008. Retrieved 28 November 2008.
  5. ^ "Anthem". Dulwich Centre. 13 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  6. ^ "RocKwiz Series 1: Episode 19: Kutcha Edwards & Sally Dastey". RocKwiz. Archived from the original on 24 September 2008. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  7. ^ Kutcha's Koorioke at IMDb
  8. ^ "Watch Kutcha's Koorioke". Stream free on SBS On Demand. 2 June 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  9. ^ "Host a Screening of Kutcha's Koorioke Season 2". NITV. 2 May 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  10. ^ The Big Issue Australia. Issue 132, September 2001
  11. ^ Arts Today: The Deadlys on Radio National.
  12. ^ "Melbourne Prize for Music". Australian Music Centre. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  13. ^ "Melbourne Prize Trust » Music". Melbourne Prize Trust. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  14. ^ "Kutcha Edwards Wins 2016 Melbourne Prize for Music". Australian Musician Magazine. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  15. ^ "Environmental Music Prize Searches for Green Theme Song". The Music Network. May 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  16. ^ "Environmental Music Prize 2023 Finalists". Music Feeds. 26 April 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  17. ^ "Xavier Rudd Wins 2023's Environmental Music Prize". Music Feeds. 13 June 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  18. ^ "Previous Nominess". Music Victoria. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  19. ^ "Previous Winners". Music Victoria. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  20. ^ "Music Victoria Awards 2022 Nominees for Industry-Voted Categories Announced". Music Victoria. 27 October 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  21. ^ "Nominees, Hall of Fame Inductees Announced for 2023 Music Victoria Awards". Music Feeds. 14 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kutcha_Edwards
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