Warren Hedley Williams is an Aboriginal singer, musician and songwriter from Hermannsburg in Central Australia. Born in 1963, Warren is an Arrernte man who plays country music and works as a broadcaster on CAAMA Radio in Alice Springs.
Warren started playing guitar at six with his father Gus Williams.
In 1996 Warren was the first remote Indigenous broadcaster (RIBS) on the 8KIN FM network, presenting music shows live from Hermannsburg. He is the longest-serving broadcaster on CAAMA Radio. Warren’s programs are also played through the National Indigenous Radio Service.
Between 1998 and 2010 Warren toured with John Williamson and Pixie Jenkins, including ‘Mates on the Road’, ‘Stone and Wire’, ‘Chandelier of Stars’ and ‘Wildlife Warrior on Tour’. In 2004 Warren was the subject of an episode of the television series Nganampa ‘Anwernekenhe’. In 2007, he wrote the musical Magic Coolamon, which debuted as the first ever Central Australian Indigenous musical.
In 2015 Warren invited long-time friend and award-winning Australian singer Shane Nicholson to visit his hometown, taking him to sacred sites and sharing Aboriginal Dreaming stories which inspired Nicholson’s ARIA-nominated album ‘Hell Breaks Loose’, featuring the track ‘Hermannsburg’.
In the same year Williams made his television directorial debut, writing and directing two episodes of the Aboriginal television series ‘Our Place’ for ICTV.
Williams has released 10 albums to date. In 2016 Williams teamed up with emerging artist Dani Young, writing and recording an album of traditional country duets in Nashville. The album, ‘Desert Water’, was produced by Grammy and ACM award-nominated songwriter Billy Yates, and features Grammy winner Jim Lauderdale. The album debuted at #2 on the ARIA Country albums charts, and the first single ‘Two Ships’ spent 6 weeks at #1 on Tamworth Country Radio.