Co-founded by Lou Bennett, Sally Dastey and Amy Saunders, Tiddas’ first public appearance was on the 10th August 1990 at the Richmond Town Hall Hotel, at the ‘Hot Jam Cooking - Gubs and Koories in Concert’, organised by 3CR Community Radio, Ruby Hunter, Destiny Deacon, Janina Harding and with support from the Victorian Women’s Trust. At the time, Lou, Amy and Sally didn’t have a name to put on the poster and it was Ruby Hunter who fondly dubbed the trio Tiddas, meaning sisters. Tidda is a widely used term in Australia and the Pacific amongst Indigenous communities.

Released in October 1992, the group's debut EP Inside My Kitchen brought two nominations at the 1992 Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) Awards for Best New Talent and Best Indigenous Talent. The group supported Sweet Honey in the Rock and Midnight Oil on tour before adding yidaki player Tim "Froggie" Holtze for their Sing About Life album, an acoustic-folk mix, released in late 1993. The record achieved gold status in Australia (35,000 copies sold) and won Best Indigenous Record at the 1993 ARIA Awards. National and international tours followed, including several WOMAD concerts. Sing About Life was released in the U.S. in September 1995, spurring tours of North America and Europe.

The Black Sorrows' Joe Camilleri produced the group's second album, Tiddas, released in Australia in August 1996. A more rounded album than Sing About Life, it reached the Australian Top 40. The first single, "Ignorance Is Bliss," was reputedly inspired by a lively exchange with Sir Bob Geldof while touring in 1993. Backing musicians on the album included the Black Sorrows' Jen Anderson on violin, Joe Camilleri on sax (on "Waving Goodbye"), Peter Luscombe on drums, Steven Hadley on bass, and Weddings, Parties, Anything's Mark "Squeezebox Wally" Wallace on piano accordion.

A single, "Walk Alone," was released in 1997.

Dr Lou Bennett AM

Sally Dastey

Amy Saunders

Studio Albums

• 1993 – Sing About Life (Polygram) – #36 AUS

• 1996 – Tiddas (Black Pig/Polygram) – #26 AUS

• 1998 – Lethal By the Kilo (Mercury Music)

Live Albums

• 1999 – Show Us Ya Tiddas (Festival Music)

Extended Plays (EPs)

• 1992 – Inside My Kitchen (Black Heart Music)

Singles

• 1992 – Inside My Kitchen

• 1993 – Waiting – #88 AUS

• 1994 – Real World

• 1995 – Changing Times

• 1996 – Ignorance is Bliss – #97 AUS

• 1997 – Walk Alone

• 1998 – Yil Lull (as Singers For The Red Black & Gold) – Non-album single

ARIA Music Awards

• 1993 – Inside My Kitchen – Best New Talent (Nominated)

• 1993 – Inside My Kitchen – Best Indigenous Release (Nominated)

• 1994 – Sing About Life – Best Indigenous Release (Won)

• 1994 – Sing About Life – Breakthrough Artist - Album (Nominated)

• 1995 – Changing Times – Best Indigenous Release (Nominated)

• 1997 – Tiddas – Best Indigenous Release (Nominated)

Australian Women in Music Awards

• 2018 – Tiddas – Auriel Andrew Memorial Award (Nominated)

Deadly Awards

• 1996 – Tiddas – Band of the Year (Won)

• 1997 – Ignorance is Bliss – Single Release of the Year (Won)

• 1999 – My Island Home (with Alister Jones) – Excellence in Film or Theatrical Score (Won)

• 2000 – Tiddas – Outstanding Contribution to Music (Won)

National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMA)

• 2019 – Tiddas – Hall of Fame Inductee (Inducted)

Tiddas have featured on numerous Australian artists albums including:

• Shane Howard (Shane Howard and Friends) – I Shall be Released

• Powder Finger – Odyssey Number Five

• Archie Roach – Jamu Dreaming

• Archie – Dancing with My Spirit

• Ruby Hunter – Thoughts Within

• Kev Carmody and Paul Kelly – From Little Things Big Things Grow

• Kev Carmody – Bloodlines

• Kev Carmody – Images and Illusions