Kevin John Gilbert was born on 10 July 1933 to the Wiradjuri Nation near Condoblin, New South Wales. He was the youngest of eight children of New South Wales-born parent John Joseph Gilbert (of English and Irish ancestry) and Rachel Elizabeth, nee Naden (of Aboriginal and Irish ancestry). He was raised by relatives and in welfare homes after the death of his parents. In 1957 he was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife. In gaol he learned to read and developed an interest in art and literature. He also wrote 'The Cherry Pickers', a play about aboriginal seasonal workers, first performed in 1971, giving him the distinction of being the first Aboriginal playwright to have a play performed in Australia. Gilbert was paroled in 1971 and became active in a number of Australian Aboriginal movements. He played an important part in the establishment of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra. He edited a number of periodicals and continued to write, publishing poetry and several prose works. He died in 1993.