This is the official site of Shane Howard, Australian singer / songwriter, guitarist and author. Shane Howard is a consistent and prolific songwriter, who has refined his art with 12 solo albums, two books and a stable of great production credits, establishing him as a significant contributor to Australia’s folklore.
His anthemic song, Solid Rock and the album, Spirit of Place (1982), with his band Goanna, written after a profound and moving experience at an inma at Uluru in 1981, passed into folklore and the Australian psyche. He pushed on, beyond commercial success and relentlessly pursued an artist’s journey, in order to make sense of the story of a ‘whitefella’ in an Aboriginal country.
His songs have been recorded by artists as diverse as Ireland's Mary Black and Australia's John Farnham and Troy Cassar-Daley. He has spent much of his musical life working with Aboriginal musicians, as well as touring Ireland and forging Irish-Australian connections. Shane has been a producer for the Pigram Brothers, Street Warriors, Mary Black, Archie Roach and the soundtrack for the Jimmy Chi musical, Corrugation Road. He’s a founding member of the celebrated Black Arm Band.
In 2012, Howard celebrated the 30 anniversary of his iconic song ‘Solid Rock’ by returning to the heart of Australia and working with local songwriters to translate ‘Solid Rock’ into the Pitjantjatjara language. In October 2012, he celebrated the anniversary of the song with a unique concert, held in the shadow of Uluru with the Anangu people ¬and special guests and friends.
