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Shane Howard is a multiple ARIA award-winning musician. He is recognised as one of Australia's best songwriters and is widely known in Australia and overseas. In 1982 Shane's anthem "Solid Rock" from the album "Spirit of Place", (recorded with his legendary band "Goanna"), reverberated across the airwaves and it still does today. It was one of the first songs of its idiom to broach the subject of Aboriginal rights in Australia and impacted powerfully on a whole new generation of writers and musicians that followed. The album was released in 35 territories worldwide.
Shane was awarded a Fellowship by the Music Fund of the Australia Council (2002) in acknowledgement of his contribution to Australian musical life. A prolific songwriter, Shane and his songs champion the cause of the underdog and provide meaningful insights into the human spirit. The songs interpret the Australian landscape in a way that has helped to build a bridge between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples. Shane's songs also pay homage to the culture of his Irish ancestors . Shane has been a great contributor to various social justice causes, and in environmental issues such as the campaign to preserve the Franklin River. He combines a deep understanding of poetic and musical folk traditions and captures something essential of the spirit of Australia in words and music.
