Bill Berry (folk singer)

The Australian folk singer and songwriter Bill Berry (1934- ) was born in Redcliffe, Queensland. He began singing at an early age, and his sister Marie was a singer with the National Opera Company. He joined the communist Eureka Youth League An associate of the Sydney Push in the 1950s and early 1960s, he performed with John Meredith and the Heathcote Bushwhackers. He later joined New Theatre and sang with the 'Unity Singers' and other left-wing singing groups. In the mid-1960s, he returned to Queensland where he married marine biologist Claire Rudkin and helped to establish the folk-song movement there, becoming a popular solo performer. He now lives with his second wife, Hilary Burns, a renowned artist in N.S.W. An oral history of his life and work has been recorded by folklorist Alex Hood.

References

• Interview by Alex and Annette Hood, audio in National Library of Australia