Coloured Stone

File:Bunna Lawrie.jpg

The original Coloured Stone band members were three brothers, Bunna Lawrie (drums, lead vocals, songwriter), and Neil Coaby (rhythm guitar and backing vocals) and Mackie Coaby (bass guitar and backing vocals), and their nephew, Bruce (aka Bunny) Mundy (lead guitar and backing vocals). All are from the community of Koonibba, South Australia.

Lawrie is a member and respected elder of the Mirning people coastal Nullarbor region in South Australia. He is known as a whale-dreamer, songman, medicine man and storyteller. He is Coloured Stone's founding member and chief songwriter.

The band's single, "Black Boy" was a success when first released in 1984. It became the number one song in Fiji, and sold 120,000 copies. The lyrics included the line "Black boy, black boy, the colour of your skin is your pride and joy", which was a somewhat revolutionary sentiment for Aboriginal people in the 1980s. Four decades after its release, the single still inspires hope and inspiration for generations of Aboriginal people.{{Cite web |date=2021-07-07 |title=Coloured Stone's 'Black Boy' continues to offer hope, almost four decades on |url=https://www.abc.net.au/doublej/music-reads/features/coloured-stone-black-boy-bunna-lawrie-single-story/13427044 |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=Double J |language=en-AU}} The song was used in Warwick Thornton's 2021/2 vampire TV series, Firebite.{{cite web | title=New TV Series To Showcase Aussie Artists To Millions Worldwide | website=The Music | date=16 December 2021 | url=https://themusic.com.au/news/firebite-australian-vampire-tv-series-soundtrack/3HvEzvHw8_I/16-12-21 | access-date=6 September 2024}}

Lawrie's son, Jason Scott, played guitar, bass, drums and didgeridoo for Coloured Stone from the age of 13 years. His first major gig was "Rock Against Racism" in Adelaide. Scott has also performed at the Sydney Opera House and he toured the US in 1994 with the Wirrangu Band as part of a cultural exchange program. With his band Desert Sea, Scott released an album in 2002 titled From the Desert to the Sea.

The current{{when|date=April 2021}} members of Coloured Stone are: Lawrie (vocals, rhythm guitar, didgeridoo, gong stone), Selwyn Burns (lead guitar, vocals), Peter Hood (drums), Cee Cee Honeybee (backing vocals) and guest musicians (bass guitarist, didgeridoo player, keyboard player.

On the first day of an April 1998 outdoor gig, Wild Water opened for Coloured Stone and Regurgitator at Brown's Mart Community Arts Centre. On the third day the band went to Jabiru, Northern Territory, to play at the Sports and Social Club. At dawn on day four, Coloured Stone travelled to Jabiluka to play on a makeshift stage in support of the Mirrar people's protest blockade of the road to a uranium mine on Mirrar land.

From March to August 2001, Lawrie and fellow Aboriginal musician Barry Cedric took part in a songwriting workshop for Aboriginal youth at Yarrabah. The young people learned to play musical instruments, compose a song and set it to music. At the end, six youths went to Cairns to record their song, "One Fire", in a recording studio.

Four of Coloured Stone's songs have been recognised as important resources for Australian teachers and educators to employ when discussing topics such as reconciliation, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, contributions and histories. These pieces include, Island of Greed, No more boomerang{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=shared&v=codU1Ei2Etg |title=No More Boomerang - COLOURED STONE |date=2009-05-16 |last=ORIGNALAUSTRALIAN |access-date=2024-09-05 |via=YouTube}} (based on Oodgeroo Noonuccal's poem of the same name), Black Boy and Human Love.{{Cite web |title=Narragurrawali - Resource Guide, The Arts - Music |url=https://www.narragunnawali.org.au |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=Narragurrawali |language=en}}

"A Rare Gem: Coloured Stone" is an episode of 2013 TV series Desperate Measures, which features the band.{{cite web | title=A Rare Gem: Coloured Stone (2013) - The Screen Guide | website=Screen Australia | date=16 March 2018 | url=https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/the-screen-guide/t/a-rare-gem--coloured-stone-2013/33367/ | access-date=8 February 2023}}

• 1978: Perth's 3rd National Aboriginal Country Music Festival Talent (Western Australia) – First Prize for Best Band
• 1978: Perth's 3rd National Aboriginal Country Music Festival Talent – Best Original Song for "Dancing in the Moonlight"
• 1995: Brian Syron Scholarship Award (Australia) – Contribution to Aboriginal music
• 2012: National NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement Award (Australia) to Bunna Lawrie

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. Coloured Stone has one ARIA Award and been nominated for three, as follows:{{cn|date=April 2021}}

{{awards table}}

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| 1987

| Human Love

| Best Indigenous Release

| {{won}}

|-

| 1989

| Wild Desert Rose

| Best Cover Art

| {{nom}}

|-

| 1990

| Crazy Mind

| Best Indigenous Release

| {{nom}}

|-

| 1993

| Inma Juju

| Best Indigenous Release

| {{nom}}

|-

{{end}}

The Deadly Awards, (commonly known simply as The Deadlys), was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. It ran from 1995 to 2013

{{awards table}}

|-

| 1999

| Coloured Stone

| Outstanding Contribution to Aboriginal Music

| {{yes2|awarded}}

|-

{{end}}

The Don Banks Music Award was established in 1984 to publicly honour a senior artist of high distinction who has made an outstanding and sustained contribution to music in Australia.{{cite web | url = http://www.australianmusiccentre.com.au/award/don-banks-music-award.html | archive-url = https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20150818230200/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/119124/20150819-0902/www.australianmusiccentre.com.au/award/don-banks-music-award.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 18 August 2015 | title = Don Banks Music Award: Prize | publisher = Australian Music Centre | accessdate = 2 October 2017 }}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} It was founded by the Australia Council in honour of Don Banks, Australian composer, performer and the first chair of its music board.

{{awards table}}

|-

| 2000{{cite web | title=Don Banks Music Award : Prize : Australian Music Centre | website=Australian Music Centre | url=https://www.australianmusiccentre.com.au/award/don-banks-music-award | access-date=23 April 2021}}

| Bunna Lawrie

| Don Banks Music Award

| {{yes2|awarded}}

|-

{{end}}

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

{{awards table}}

! {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}

|-

| 2014

| Dance to the Sun

| Best Global or Reggae Album

| {{nom}}

| {{Cite web|url= https://musicvictoria.com.au/musicvictoriaawards/previous-nominees|title= Previous Nominess|website= Music Victoria|accessdate= 13 August 2020|archive-date= 19 September 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200919214225/https://www.musicvictoria.com.au/musicvictoriaawards/previous-nominees|url-status= dead}}{{cite web|url=https://musicvictoria.com.au/musicvictoriaawards/previous-winners|title=Previous Winners|website=Music Victoria|accessdate=13 August 2020|archive-date=31 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731040330/https://musicvictoria.com.au/musicvictoriaawards/previous-winners|url-status=dead}}

|-

{{end}}

The National Indigenous Music Awards recognise excellence, innovation and leadership among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians from throughout Australia. It commenced in 2004.

{{awards table}}

|-

| 2011{{Cite web |url=http://www.vibe.com.au/newsite/news/gurrumul-dominates-nimas |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130627220217/http://www.vibe.com.au/newsite/news/gurrumul-dominates-nimas |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 June 2013 |title=Gurrumul dominates NIMAs |date=22 August 2011 |publisher=Vibe Australia |work=Deadly Vibe |access-date=6 May 2013 }}{{Cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2011/08/19/3297752.htm|title=Bunna Lawrie and Coloured Stone perform at the NIMAs|publisher=ABC Radio|date=20 September 2011|last=O'Toole|first=Kate|access-date=6 May 2013}}

| Coloured Stone

| Hall of Fame

| {{yes2|inducted}}

|-

{{end}}

{{awards table}}

|-

| 2024{{cite web|url=https://themusic.com.au/news/coloured-stone-inducted-into-the-south-australian-music-hall-of-fame/x_x129rd3N8/06-07-24|title= Coloured Stone Inducted Into The South Australian Music Hall Of Fame|website=The Music|date=6 July 2024|access-date=7 July 2024}}

| Coloured Stone

| Hall of Fame

| {{yes2|awarded}}

|-

{{end}}

{{reflist}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{cite web|last=Ryan|first=P|title=Mujik – Coloured Stone in 1985 – Cultural Pages|url=http://www.mujik.com/kultcha/pages/kulncsin.html|publisher=RAM Magazine|access-date=30 December 2013|date=10 June 2006}}
• {{cite web|last=Dawson|first=Peter|title=Mujik – Musicians on a Mission – Cultural Pages|url=http://www.mujik.com/kultcha/pages/kulnmoam.html|access-date=30 December 2013|date=10 June 2006}}
• {{cite web|title=Celebrity Vibe: Jason Scott|url=http://www.vibe.com.au/vibe/corporate/celebrity_vibe/showceleb.asp?id=18|publisher=Vibe Australia|access-date=30 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060104154813/http://www.vibe.com.au/vibe/corporate/celebrity_vibe/showceleb.asp?id=18|archive-date=4 January 2006|date=1 January 2001}}
• {{cite web|last=Daniels|first=Carmen|title="ONE FIRE": Yarrabah Youth Write and Record a Song with Indigenous Recording Artists!|url=http://www.ayn.ca/index.html?id=140|publisher=Aboriginal Youth Network|access-date=30 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011072106/http://www.ayn.ca/ViewNews.aspx?id=140|archive-date=11 October 2007|date=1 September 2011}}
• {{cite book |last=Hayward |first=Philip |title=Sound Alliances: Indigenous Peoples, Cultural Politics, and Popular Music in the Pacific |year=1998 |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-304-70050-9}}
• {{cite book |last=Dunbar-Hall |first=Peter |author2=Chris Gibson |title=Deadly Sounds, Deadly Places. Contemporary Aboriginal Music in Australia |date=July 2004 |publisher=University of New South Wales Press |isbn=978-0-86840-622-0 }}
• {{cite book |last=Lawrie |first=Bunna |title=Coloured Stone songbook |year=1991 |publisher=Warner Chappell Music |isbn=978-1-86362-027-7 }}
• {{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop |last=McFarlane |first=Ian |author-link= Ian McFarlane |publisher=Allen & Unwin |year=1999 |isbn=978-1-86448-768-8 }}

{{refend}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:ARIA Award winners

Category:Indigenous Australian musical groups

Category:South Australian musical groups

Category:1977 establishments in Australia

Category:Musical groups established in 1977