Alan Dargin

Who was Alan Dargin?

Alan Dargin was a didgeridoo player from Wee Waa, New South Wales, Australia. He started learning the instrument at age five, being taught by his grandfather. His signature instrument was over a hundred years old and was made from a species of eucalyptus known as the Bloodwood tree.

He performed on the streets of Sydney, through to performances in front of François Mitterrand and with many symphonies around the world, including the Vienna Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra at Royal Albert Hall, as well as many other locations in the United States, Japan, and Europe.

As an actor, he also had roles, including a featured part in Fringe Dwellers, but he was probably best known for his cross-dressing role in The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert.

He has contributed to albums by many famous artists such as Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Jimmy Barnes, Tommy Emmanuel, Wallace Buchanan, Yothu Yindi, Alison Brown and Don Burrows, and filmed a documentary about Cape York with Jacques Cousteau.

His last recording, MRD, contains tracks that feature collaborations with musicians such as Tommy Emmanuel, James Morrison, and many other virtuosos duetting with didgeridoo on instruments as varied as guitar, steel drums, keyboard, Chinese flute, trumpet, electric bass, and voice. The album is due to be released in April 2008.