Goanna

Play Radio

31,974 plays (5,271 listeners)

Shop now at Amazon | Send Goanna Ringtones to Cell
Buy
Add to my Library

(1970s – present)

Goanna is an Australian folk-rock band, notable for integrating social protest with popular music.

Formed by singer-songwriter Shane Howard in the late 1970s, they produced three full albums, and a very rare four song EP. The original name of the band was “The Goanna Band”, which was the name used on the EP release in 1979. However, the original name was soon shortened to “Goanna” by the time that the album Spirit of Place was released in the early 1980s.

Goanna’s debut album Spirit of Place won the ARIA Best Album of the Year for 1982, with their first major hit, “Solid Rock”, winning Best Single of the Year. This song touched on the displacement of aboriginal tribes by the encroaching European settlers. It became a worldwide hit, and was the first rock record to feature extensive use of an Australian didgeridoo, one of the world’s oldest wood instruments. Goanna also recorded “Let the Franklin Flow”, a song about the ecological damage caused by damming Tasmania’s Franklin River for hydroelectricity, and “Sorry”, a song about Australia’s stolen generation of aborigines.

Shane Howard and his bandmates, including sister Marcia Howard and friend Rose Bygrave, have all recorded solo projects in addition to their time in Goanna.

The members of the group do not rule out future Goanna recordings and have never officially disbanded. The 1998 album “Spirit Returns” is reportedly a result of the group’s members desire to “get together” again and make a musical statement.
Share this artist:

Top Albums

  • Spirit Of Place
    Goanna
    Buy
  • Oceania
    Goanna
    Buy
  • Spirit Returns
    Goanna
    Buy
  • Christmas for Aussie Kids
    Goanna
    Buy

Top Tracks

1  
37
2  
8
3  
6
4  
5
4  
5
4  
5
7  
4
8  
3
9  
2
9  
2
9  
2
12  
1
12  
1
12  
1
12  
1
Buy all tracks at Amazon MP3
See more

Shoutbox

Leave a comment. Log in to Last.fm or sign up (it’s free).
See all 2 shouts

Videos

Top Listeners

See more

More Information

Links
Labels