Gurrumul has been forced to cancel his upcoming US tour due to illness. The singer/songwriter will remain at home in North East Arnhem Land under a doctor's supervision and a full recovery is expected. Ticket holders should apply for refund from point of purchase.Gurrumul was touring in support of his self-titled debut which is set for release in the US on Dramatico on June 15. Regrettably, the illness has caused additional promo appearances scheduled through this week to be canceled as well (including "Mountain Stage," WXPN's "World Café," WNYC's "Soundcheck," WPR's "To The Best of Our Knowledge" and PRI's "The World").
Postponed dates begin June 15 at Joe's Pub in New York and include shows in Philadelphia, Washington DC, Chicago, San Fransciso, Seattle and Los Angeles. The tour will be rescheduled at a later date.
Gurrumul Yunupingu was born blind and grew up as a member of the Gumatj clan on Elcho Island, off the coast of tropical North East Arnhem Land. The Sydney Morning Herald described Gurrumul as "the greatest voice this continent has ever recorded." His debut album achieved double platinum status in his homeland and was nominated for four ARIA Awards at the Australian equivalent of the Grammys including the coveted "Album of the Year" and "Best Male Artist."
His angelic voice has connected with listeners worldwide-Björk, Elton John and Sting are fans. He even performed a live acoustic duet of the Police's "Every Breath You Take" with Sting on French television. As a teenager, Gurrumul was a member of Yothu Yindi, the groundbreaking Aboriginal ensemble.
In the United Kingdom, where the album was released last year, Gurrumul made his UK TV debut on Later with Jools Holland, claimed the top of the world music charts and graced the cover of Songlines Magazine. Gurrumul was also named one of the top ten world-music releases of 2009 by the BBC.
THE FOLLOWING US TOUR DATES HAVE BEEN CANCELED:
June 15 New York, NY Joe's Pub
June 20 Philadelphia, PA World Café Live
June 22 Washington DC, Millenium Stage @ Kennedy Center
June 30 Chicago, IL Old Town School of Folk Music
July 3 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
July 6 Seattle, WA Triple Door
July 8 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour