Seaman Dan
Seaman Dan | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Henry Gibson Dan |
Born | Thursday Island, Torres Strait Islands, Queensland, Australia | 25 August 1929
Died | 30 December 2020 (aged 91) Edmonton, Queensland, Australia |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
Years active | 1990sā2016 |
Labels |
|
Henry Gibson Dan
Early life
Seaman Dan was born on 25 August 1929 in the general hospital on
"Seaman"
In the late 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, Dan worked as a boat captain and pearl diver, gathering pearl and trochus shells across the north of Australia. He also did jobs such as mineral prospecting and taxi driving.[1]
Music career
Dan's singing came from family, friends and associating with talented musicians in his multi-cultural maritime working life, creating a fusion of music from Australia, Melanesia, North America, Africa and Polynesia, notably the Thursday Island "hula" style. He was a regular performer at Thursday Island's local hotels and a community musician for decades.[citation needed]
His first album, Follow the Sun, was released in 2000, on his 70th birthday.[3]
He performed in Japan
In 2010, Dan semi-retired at the age of 80 years.[5][6]
Recognition
His album Perfect Pearl won the ARIA Award for Best World Music Album in 2004, and in 2009 won again with Sailing Home.[7][8]
In its citation on awarding Dan the
In 2013, he received a Hall of Fame Award at the National Indigenous Music Awards in Darwin, Northern Territory.[citation needed]
In 2019 Seaman Dan was honoured at the Queensland Music Awards with the Grant McLennan Lifetime Achievement Award.[10]
Death
Dan died in Edmonton, Queensland on 30 December 2020, aged 91.[11]
Discography
Studio albums
Title | Details |
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Follow the Sun |
|
Steady, Steady |
|
Perfect Pearl |
|
Island Way |
|
Sailing Home |
|
Sunnyside |
|
A Caribbean Songbook |
|
An Old Man of the Sea |
|
Compilation albums
Title | Details |
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Somewhere There's an Island-Best of 1999ā2006 |
|
Still on Deck: Personal Favourites |
|
Awards and nominations
ARIA Music Awards
The
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2004 | Perfect Pearl | ARIA Award for Best World Music Album | Won |
2006 | Island Way | Best World Music Album | Nominated |
2009 | Sailing Home | Best World Music Album | Won |
2016 | An Old Man of the Sea | Best World Music Album | Nominated |
Australia Council for the Arts
The
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | himself | Red Ochre Award | Awarded |
National Indigenous Music Awards
The National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMA) recognise excellence, dedication, innovation and outstanding contribution to the Northern Territory music industry. They commenced in 2004.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
National Indigenous Music Awards 2013 | himself | Hall of Fame Inductee | Inductee |
Queensland Music Awards
The
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) |
---|---|---|---|
2019[13] | himself | Grant McLennan Lifetime Achievement Award | awarded |
References
- ^ a b c ""Hula Time!" with Seaman Dan". ABC Local Radio. Message Stick. 12 November 2012. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
- ^ Canberra Times, 13 April 2006, "Island music escape"
- ^ Neuenfeldt, Karl. "Steady Steady". NewSouth Books. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ^ Hillier, Tony (18 April 2009). "Seaman's coda". The Australian.
- ^ Dan, Seaman (16 May 2010). "Sailing Away with Uncle Seaman Dan" (downloadable audio). Speaking Out (Interview). Interviewed by Rhianna Patrick. Australia: ABC Local Radio. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
- Cairns, Australia: ABC Local Radio. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
- ^ The Cairns Post, 11 November 2009, "Seaman's success"
- ^ Albert, Jane (13 October 2004). "Old pearler surfaces with greatest prize". The Australian.
- Australia Council for the Arts. 2005. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ^ "Indigenous musos crowned at sold-out Brisbane show". National Indigenous Times. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
- ^ "Tributes for legendary Torres Strait Islander musician Henry Seaman Dan after his death at the age of 91". SBS News. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- ^ "About the Queensland Music Awards". Queensland Music Awards. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ^ "Past Winners 2019". Queensland Music Awards. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
Further reading
- Dan, Seaman; Neuenfeldt, Karl (2013). Steady, Steady: The Life and Music of Seaman Dan. Australia: Aboriginal Studies Press.
External links
- Seaman Dan AM, Q150 digital story, Living Queensland, State Library of Queensland
- Seaman Dan discography at Discogs
- Follow the Sun on YouTube(2000, remastered 4 November 2011)