Royal Telephone by Jimmy Little: record sleeve

This is the record sleeve for the 1963 release of Jimmy Little's hit single 'Royal Telephone', which transformed him into a household name. 'Royal Telephone’ was a No. 1 hit in Australia, staying in the top 10 for 18 weeks. It was the first recording by a local First Nations artist to achieve mainstream chart success.

Jimmy, a Yorta Yorta man raised on the Cummeragunja Reserve in NSW, began his music career in the mid-1950s. He became a regular performer on TV music programs like The Johnny O'Keefe Show before 'Royal Telephone' catapulted him to a new level of stardom. In 1964, Everybody’s magazine named him Australian Pop Star of the Year.