{{Use Australian English|date=June 2020}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Harry Williams and Wilga Munro | image = | caption = | image_size = | origin = | genre = Australian country music | years_active = 1960s–1970s | label = | alias = The Country Outcasts | website = }} '''Harry "Buck" Williams''' (16 August 1927 – 1991) and '''Wilga Munro''' (born 1940 or 1943), known as '''Harry and Wilga Williams''', were Aboriginal Australian musicians who performed professionally between the 1960s and 1980s, playing Aboriginal country music. They formed the band the '''Country Outcasts''', also known as '''Harry Williams and the Country Outcasts'''.
==Harry Williams== Harry "Buck" Williams<ref name="Walker"/><ref name="outback"/> was born on 16 August 1927 on the Erambie Mission just outside the town of Cowra, New South Wales.<ref name=ehive>{{cite web | title=Harry & Wilga Williams | website=eHive | url=https://ehive.com/collections/200851/objects/1461160/harry-wilga-williams | access-date=4 November 2022| quote= From Australian Country Music Hall of Fame}}</ref><ref name="Walker"/><ref name="outback"/> His father, "Knocker" Williams, led a travelling tent show in which Harry played.<ref name="Walker"/><ref name=ehive/> His brother was Claude "Candy" Williams, also a musician.<ref name=ia>{{cite web | title=Biography – Claude (Candy) Williams | website=Indigenous Australia |publisher= National Centre of Biography, Australian National University| url=https://ia.anu.edu.au/biography/williams-claude-candy-31741 | access-date=3 November 2022}}</ref>
In his 20s, Harry started playing with Alan Saunders.<ref name="Walker"/>
He also worked as an actor, appearing in films and on TV, including ''Black Fire'' (1972, thought to be the first known film by an Indigenous Australian, directed by Bruce McGuinness) and ''Matlock''.<ref name="oxford">{{cite book|editor= Warren Bebbington|title=The Oxford Companion to Australian Music |year=1997 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-553432-8 }}</ref>
Williams was called "the godfather of Koori country" (music).<ref name="Walker">{{cite book |last=Walker |first=Clinton |author-link=Clinton Walker |title=Buried Country: The Story of Aboriginal Country Music |year=2000 |publisher=Pluto Press |isbn=1-86403-152-2 |pages=164–183 |chapter=Stand by your man }}</ref><ref name="outback">{{cite book |last=Ryan |first=Robin |editor= Philip Hayward |title=Outback & Urban: Australian Country Music. volume 1 |year=2003 |publisher=aicmPress |chapter= Gumleaves or Paper Roses: Australian Aboriginal country }}</ref>
His eldest son, with his first wife<ref name=ehive/> Ella Cooper Williams, Bertie Williams,<ref name="hayward1"/> who was in 1972 co-founder of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.<ref name=cs>{{cite web | last=Korff | first=Jens | title=Black Fire (Blackfire) (Film) | website=Creative Spirits | date=21 December 2018 | url=https://www.creativespirits.info/resources/movies/black-fire-blackfire | access-date=3 November 2022}}</ref>
Williams died in 1991<ref name=ehive/> under the same tree he was born.<ref name="Walker"/><ref name="outback"/>
==Wilga Munro== Wilga Munro was born in Tamworth, New South Wales in 1940<ref name="oxford"/> or 1943,<ref>{{Citation | title=Williams, Wilga Munro (1943–) | website=Trove | publication-date=2015 | url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1610129 | access-date=5 November 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Aboriginal Biographical Index entry | website=AIATSIS | url=https://iats.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/en_AU/external/search/detailnonmodal/ent:$002f$002fSD_ILS$002f0$002fSD_ILS:330709/ada | access-date=5 November 2022| quote=Source: ''Deadly Vibe''. Issue 57 (November 2001), p. 22, port.}}</ref> into a musical family, with four brothers and two sisters. Three of her four brothers became boxers, while one played rugby league for the Waratah Mayfield Cheetahs.<ref name=dv2007>{{cite interview|first=Wilga| last=Williams | interviewer-last=Barton | interviewer-first=Jacob | title=Wilga Williams | website=Deadly Vibe | date=29 November 2007 | url=https://deadlyvibe.com.au/2007/11/wilga-williams/ | access-date=5 November 2022}}</ref>
Biographies record that she was named after the wild orange tree she was born under.<ref name="Walker"/><ref name=ehive/>{{efn|However, the tree known as the Wilga, ''Geijera parviflora'' (Australian willow), is not referred to as "wild orange" in the literature; this is used for ''Capparis mitchellii''.}} Her father taught her to play the button and piano accordions,<ref name=ehive/> and she learnt guitar which she was around 12–13. She learnt music by ear, practising performing at family gatherings and at church, and cites her musical influences as Patsy Cline and Jean Shepard.<ref name=dv2007/>
She played in and toured the state with the Tamworth netball team, as well as coaching junior rugby and netball, along with her elder brother,<ref name=ehive/> and also played basketball. She joined the Royal Australian Air Force at the age of 19,<ref name=dv2007/> serving from 1959 to early 1960s, before returning to Tamworth and started performing.<ref name=ehive/>
In 1963 she moved to Newcastle, New South Wales, where she met Williams<ref name=ehive/> at a friend's house, when she was 23.<ref name=dv2007/>
==Joint career== At the time of meeting in 1963, Williams was looking for female vocalist for his band, The Tjuringas ("tjuringa"meaning sacred object<ref name="hayward1"/><ref name=ehive/>). He heard her sing and on the same night asked her to join the band as bass guitar player, which he taught her to play.<ref name=dv2007/>
Williams and Munro started performing together in The Tjuringas around Newcastle in 1971. Other members were Alan Saunders and Keith Saunders. Williams and Munro later began performing as a duo.<ref name="hayward1">{{cite book|last=Hayward|first=Philip|title=Sound alliances: indigenous peoples, cultural politics, and popular music in the Pacific|publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group|year=1998|pages=13|isbn=0-304-70050-9}}</ref>
In 1972, Harry and Wilga moved to Mooroopna, Victoria,<ref name=ehive/> and formed the Country Outcasts in Melbourne, with Ian "Ocker" McKie and Harry's son Bert (Bertie) Williams.<ref name="hayward1"/><ref name=ehive/> The band had a residency at the Grandview Hotel in Fairfield during much of the 1970s.<ref name=bc/><ref>{{cite web | last=Wray | first=Tyson | title=The Grandview Hotel | website=Beat Magazine | date=29 January 2016 | url=https://beat.com.au/the-grandview-hotel/ | access-date=5 November 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Gallery | website=The Grandview Hotel | url=https://www.grandviewhotelfairfield.com/gallery | access-date=5 November 2022}}</ref>
The first song recorded by the Country Outcasts was "Nullarbor Prayer", over several days in a studio in Currabubula. Written and narrated by Eric Onus (brother of Bill Onus<ref>{{cite web | title=Eric Onus |website =National Museum of Australia | date= 2018 | url=https://www.nma.gov.au/explore/features/indigenous-rights/people/eric-onus | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520062507/https://www.nma.gov.au/explore/features/indigenous-rights/people/eric-onus | archive-date=20 May 2022 | url-status=dead | access-date=5 November 2022}}</ref>), who came up from Melbourne, the song was included on their first album.<ref name=dv2007/>
They toured widely throughout Australia and New Guinea and released two full-length albums. The Country Outcasts embraced a number of young artists during the seventies so the performance line-up often varied. Some of the other band members included Ray "Buster" Thomas, Bill Brunswick, Debbie Williams, Ian "Ocker" McKie, Carole Fraser, Ian "Bear" Johnson and his sisters Roslyn and Janice Johnson, Henry Thorpe, Laurie Ingram, Claude "Candy" Williams (Harry's brother), Mac Silva and Auriel Andrew.<ref name="Walker"/><ref name="outback"/><ref name="oxford"/><ref name=ehive/>
The band toured many country festivals, including the Wandong Country Music Festival in 1975, and as part of the "All Aboriginal" Spectacular Show in Tamworth in 1995. In 1978 they performed at the Sydney Opera House, and in 1980 at the Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne.<ref name=dv2007/> They also performed at the Adelaide Festival Theatre.<ref name=ehive/>
==Other work== In 1972, Harry and his son Bertie featured in ''Black Fire'', a film by Bruce McGuinness,<ref name=ehive/><ref name=imdbbf>{{IMDb title|7933412| Black Fire}}</ref> thought to be the first film directed by an Indigenous Australian person.<ref name=cs/><ref name="oxford"/>{{efn|However, a short film dating from 1946 made by Lin Onus was recently discovered, and features in his son Tiriki's film ''Ablaze'' (2021).<ref name=ablaze>{{cite web | title=Documentary Ablaze reveals civil rights leader Bill Onus might have been the first Aboriginal filmmaker |first=Hannah |last=Reich |series=The Screen Show| website=ABC News |publisher = Australian Broadcasting Corporation | date=13 August 2021 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-13/ablaze-documentary-bill-onus-aboriginal-filmmaker/100337500 | access-date=3 November 2022}}</ref>}}
Harry and Wilga Williams were instrumental in promoting the first National Aboriginal Country Music Festival in Canberra in 1976,<ref name="outback"/> as well as a country music radio show, ''Country Music Shindig'', for Melbourne Community Radio Station 3CR.<ref name="Walker"/>
In 1977, Film Australia made a half-hour documentary film called ''Country Outcasts'', which followed Harry, Wilga and Gus Williams, Malcolm "Mac" Silva (1947–1989<ref name=mac>{{cite web | title=Silva, Mac | website=The Dictionary of Sydney | url=https://dictionaryofsydney.org/person/silva_mac | access-date=26 September 2022}}</ref>), and Auriel Andrew as they toured Aboriginal communities in central Australia. The tour included performances at Alice Springs, Hermannsburg, Papunya, and Yuendumu.<ref name=ehive/><ref>{{cite web | title=Country Outcasts | website=NFSA Online Shop | url=https://shop.nfsa.gov.au/country-outcasts | access-date=5 November 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Country Outcasts (1977) | website=Vimeo | date=2 November 2022 | url=https://vimeo.com/204199406|format=video, 28 mins | access-date=5 November 2022}}</ref>
In 1978, Reg Poole, Merv Lowry, and Denis Payne created the Checkerboard Country Road Show, with the intention of having black and white Australians work together for a common cause. Harry and Wilga joined in, and in 1980 it became Checkerboard Promotions.<ref name=ehive/>
They moved to Canberra in 1981, from where they continued to organise their performances as well as run talent contests to encourage more young Aboriginal musicians.<ref name=ehive/>
After Harry's death in 1991, Wilga continued to perform at various special events, such as the Deadly Awards and health promotions.<ref name=dv2007/>
==Recognition== Harry and Wilga were sometimes referred to as the "godfather and godmother of Koori country [music]". Clinton Walker sketched a portrait of the pair for his work ''Buried Country''.<ref name=bc>{{cite web | title=Art gallery | website=Buried Country| first=Clinton| last=Walker| author-link= Clinton Walker | url=http://www.buriedcountry.com.au/art-gallery.html | access-date=5 November 2022}}</ref>
The band won awards at the Mooroopna Festival, including Best Male Vocalist for Harry, and he was also co-winner of the Best Songwriter award.<ref name=ehive/>
In 1981 Harry and Wilga were recognised in the Country Music Hands of Fame in Tamworth.<ref name="acmhf1">{{cite web|url=http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com.au/handsoffame.html|title=Australian Country Music Hands of Fame|publisher=Australian Country Music Hall of Fame|access-date=2009-07-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091025033817/http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com.au/handsoffame.html |archive-date=2009-10-25}}</ref><ref name=ehive/>
Wilga was recognised in Clinton Walker's 2018 book ''Deadly Women Blues'', which was a history of black women in Australian music, for which he created an illustration of both Harry and Wilga. However, the book was withdrawn from sale owing to complaints from many of the subjects of the book about a number of glaring errors in it.<ref>{{cite web | last=Lallo | first=Michael | last2=Quinn | first2=Karl | title=Deadly Woman Blues book to be pulped following backlash over 'distressing' errors | website=The Sydney Morning Herald | date=6 March 2018 | url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/deadly-woman-blues-book-to-be-pulped-following-backlash-over-distressing-errors-20180306-h0x2gf.html | access-date=5 November 2022}}</ref>
==Discography== * "Home-Made Didgeridoo"/Arnhem Land Lullaby" (1974) * "Nullarbor Prayer" (1975)<ref name=ehive/> * ''Harry Williams and the Country Outcasts'' (1979, RCA)<ref name=ehive/> * ''Harry & Wilga Williams and the Country Outcasts'' (August 1981, Hadley)<ref name=ehive/>
==Footnotes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{youTube|kVh7lEfSdog|Harry Williams & The Country Outcasts: Streets of Old Fitzroy}} *{{vimeo|204199406|''Country Outcasts''}} (film, 28 mins) *{{IMDb title|23396526|Country Outcasts}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Harry and Wilga}} Category:Indigenous Australian musical groups Category:Australian musical duos Category:Australian country music groups