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Blues Voice Marlene Cummins and Saltwater Band Announced as 2026 NIMAs Hall of Fame Inductees
The National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs) have announced blues musician Marlene Cummins and Elcho Island's Saltwater Band as the 2026 Hall of Fame inductees, ahead of the ceremony in Darwin next month. The recognition celebrates two significant contributions to Australian Indigenous music, spanning solo blues artistry and a band whose sound helped shape the country's contemporary Indigenous music scene.
Cummins, a Guguyelandji and Woppaburra woman born in Cunnamulla, Queensland, studied at Boston's Berklee College of Music and is known for her radio work, the documentary "Black Panther Woman" and the song "Koori Woman". Saltwater Band, from Galiwin'ku, blended traditional song with reggae and ska influences sung mostly in Yolŋu languages, and included the late Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, who became the most commercially successful Aboriginal Australian musician in history before his death in 2017. The 2026 NIMAs take place at Darwin Amphitheater on Saturday 8 August, hosted by Rob Collins and Leila Gurruwiwi, with performances from Baker Boy, Electric Fields and others, preceded by the Blak Loud Showcase on 7 August.
In short
- Marlene Cummins and Saltwater Band named 2026 NIMAs Hall of Fame inductees
- Ceremony held in Darwin on 8 August, hosted by Rob Collins and Leila Gurruwiwi
- Saltwater Band included the late Gurrumul Yunupingu, already inducted himself
Explained simply
The National Indigenous Music Awards recognise excellence in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music. The Hall of Fame celebrates artists whose work has had lasting impact on Indigenous Australian music and culture. It honours those who have shaped the contemporary musical landscape.
Marlene Cummins is a blues musician of Guguyelandji and Woppaburra heritage from Queensland. She studied formally at Berklee College of Music in Boston and has performed blues whilst building a career in radio and documentary work. Her songs, including "Koori Woman", have contributed to Indigenous artistic expression through the blues.
Saltwater Band, from Elcho Island in the Northern Territory, fused traditional Indigenous song with reggae and ska influences sung primarily in Yolŋu languages. The group included Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, who became Australia's most commercially successful Aboriginal musician before his death in 2017. The band's blend of traditional and contemporary sounds has influenced how Indigenous music develops today.