Gnarnayarrahe Waitairie was taken from his parents at the age of four and placed in a Church of Christ Home, where he was re-named Trevor Phillips. He ran away several times, and managed to learn from his grandfather the Indjibundji songs, dances and tribal lore, and he grew up both bi-lingual and bi-musical. He learned the didjeridu from King Wally of Broome.
He was involved with the band Stony Broke, where he earned the nickname 'Stony'.
Gnarnayarrahe and his partner Ponjydfljydu operated as the duo Dreamtime Walkabouts in pubs and cafes around Melbourne in the early 1990s, and co-founded the Indjibundji Tribal Aboriginal Cultural Dance School in July 1985. He was lead actor in Ray Mooney's play Black Rabbit at the Victorian Arts Centre and in 1990 was puppeted for the Jack Davis play 'Widartji'. He has performed in Boston (U.S.A.) and toured New Zealand. He enjoys busking, and was awarded the title 'World's Best Busker' at a competition at Coff's Harbour in 1992.
