Shane Howard

As part of our commitment to capturing and sharing great Australian music stories, the Australian Music Vault asked some of the country’s most influential trailblazers and unsung heroes to open up about their lives in music.

Singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer and author Shane Howard is one of Australia’s most influential musicians, both as a solo artist and as the founding member and mainstay of folk-rock band, Goanna.

Formed in 1977 in Geelong, Goanna captivated audiences across the country with songs that that displayed a passion for Indigenous rights and environmental protection. Their 1982 hit song, ‘Solid Rock’, opened up a national conversation about the continuing injustices inflicted on First Nations peoples since colonisation which continues to resonate to this day.

As a solo artist Howard has released 14 albums and worked as a music producer for numerous artists, including Archie Roach and Irish folk singer Mary Black. He was a founding member of national arts ensemble for Indigenous music, Black Arm Band, and in 2016 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the performing arts.

In this interview, Shane Howard discusses his life-changing trip to Uluru and how it inspired the song ‘Solid Rock’, the pressures associated with a rapid rise to fame, and his return to solo work both in Australia and overseas.

Interviewer: Brian Nankervis

Location: Bakehouse Studios, Richmond, 2022