Outback (group)
Outback was a world music group founded in the late 80s by multi-instrumentalists Graham Wiggins and Martin Cradick. The group became famous for its fusing of traditional Australian tribal music, represented primarily through Wiggins's didgeridoo, with modern Western music, mostly Cradick's acoustic guitar. Before the band dissolved in 1992, it had been joined by Senegalese Sagar N'Gom, French violinist Paddy Le Mercier and drummer Ian Campbell.
Biography
The core of the group was formed after Cradick and Wiggins met by chance in Oxford. They immediately started a duo and began playing all over England. Their success allowed them to release a cassette (released under their own names), Didgeridoo and Guitar, which then helped them finance the production of their first album, Baka, named after a pygmy tribe from Cameroon and released in 1990 on Hannibal Records.
Their first album meeting international success, the duo was able to add Senegalese Sagar N'Gom with his West African percussions and Ian Campbell on the drums. The unusual band would only live for a short time though, producing only one second and final album, Dance the Devil Away, where they are were joined by French fiddler Paddy LeMercier.
The band dissolved in 1992. Martin Cradick soon founded with his wife Su Hart the group Baka Beyond, which would later be joined by N'Gom and LeMercier. Graham Wiggins on the other hand founded Dr Didg with Ian Campbell and guitarist Mark Revell.
Members
- Martin Cradick (Guitar, mandolin, darbuka, bendir, luthar, jengu, Shaker)
- Graham Wiggins (Didgeridoo, melodica)
- Sagar N'Gom (Djembe, mbala, tama)
- Ian Campbell (Drum kit)
- Paddy Le Mercier (violin)