He has been a cattle drover, welder, civil rights activist and musician. After leaving school at 16 he entered university at 33, and has done post-graduate study in history at the University of Queensland.
He is primarily known as a singer-songwriter, whose work is rooted in the struggles of the Aboriginal people. His albums include Eulogy, Pillars of Society, Arnhemland and Bloodlines. According to one source (reference 1 below), Carmody, like fellow-musician Archie Roach, was adopted, but I can find no other substantiation of this.