Greg Page (musician)
| Greg Page | |
|---|---|
 Greg (yellow shirt), with The Wiggles |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gregory John Page |
| Born | 16 January 1972 Sydney, Australia |
| Genres | Children's music Pop Rock Country |
| Instruments | guitar drums keyboards |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Associated acts | The Wiggles |
| Website | Official webpage |
Gregory John "Greg" Page AM (born 16 January 1972 in Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian musician and actor. He is best known as the original lead vocalist and a founding member of the children's band The Wiggles. Page has also recorded several solo albums.
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[edit] Career
Page met Anthony Field and Murray Cook when they were Early Childhood Education students at Macquarie University, and combined their music backgrounds and teaching skills to form The Wiggles.[1] When performing with The Wiggles, Page wore a yellow shirt. Like the other Wiggles, Page had a schtick, which was doing magic tricks.
His 2005 solo album, Taking Care of Country, reflects Page's interest in Elvis Presley's music. It was recorded with the TCB Band, Elvis' back-up band. In spring 2003, Page performed in Las Vegas with the TCB Band. In 2002, Page sang back-up with Australian Elvis impersonator Mick Gerace.[1]
[edit] Illness and retirement
On 30 November 2006, The Wiggles announced that Greg Page would leave the group due to poor health.[2]
Page had experienced health difficulties since December 2005, when he underwent a double hernia operation and withdrew from his group's U.S. tour after suffering repeated fainting spells, slurred speech, fatigue, and trembling.[3][4] Although Page was missing for virtually all of the late 2006 U.S. tour, audiences were informed of Page's absence at concerts moments before the curtain went up.[5] At first, Page was told that he had seven years to live,[4] but he was diagnosed with a non-life-threatening and difficult to diagnose chronic illness called orthostatic intolerance or dysautonomia, which causes symptoms such as fatigue and loss of balance. Specialists believed that Page had mild episodes of the illness going back twelve years, and that his symptoms worsened after his hernias. It was decided that Page would retire from performing with The Wiggles to better manage his health.[2] In the months following the announcement of Page's retirement, he received an "overwhelming outpouring of public support". He reported that it took his parents six months to respond to the "mountains of letters, emails and sympathy notes".[4] It was reported that as part owner of The Wiggles, Page was given a $20 million payout.[6]
Page was succeeded by Sam Moran as a full member of the group.[2]
[edit] Post-Wiggles
By late 2009, Page had recovered enough from his illness to begin touring with another country rock band, but with a more limited schedule than The Wiggles. He had also started his own foundation, the Greg Page Fund, to raise funds and educate the public about orthostatic intolerance.[7] In addition, he is a supporter of, and spokesperson for, the Dysautonomia Youth Network of America (DYNA).
[edit] Reunion with The Wiggles
In January 2012, and amidst a great deal of controversy, The Wiggles announced that Page had regained his health and was returning to his role as the Yellow Wiggle. It was reported that he would return to full-time touring with the group in March of that year.[6][8]
[edit] Personal life
Page owned the fourth largest collection of Elvis Presley memorabilia in the world.[9] His collection included Elvis' personal and movie clothing, marriage certificate, guitar, piano, the last Cadillac owned by Elvis, and original TCB Band necklaces.[10] In 2008 he decided to donate the collection, reportedly worth $1.5 million, to a new Elvis museum in Parkes, New South Wales.[11] Some of the collection was lent for display at the 2008 Parkes Elvis Festival.[12]
Page was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia on 26 January 2010 "For service to the arts, particularly children's entertainment, and to the community as a benefactor and supporter of a range of charities".[13]
[edit] Solo discography
- Greg Page (1998)
- I Believe in Music (2002)
- Greg Page Live in Concert (2003)
- Throw Your Arms Around Me (2004)
- Taking Care of Country (2005)
[edit] References
- ^ a b Troedson, David (2002-05-27). "Interview - Greg Page of The Wiggles". Elvis Australia. http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/interview_gregpage.shtml. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
- ^ a b c "Greg Page leaves The Wiggles". The Wiggles Homepage. 2006-11-30. http://www.thewiggles.com/us/mediacentre/news/31. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
- ^ Associated Press (2006-11-30). "The Wiggles' lead vocalist to stop performing". MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15956876/. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
- ^ a b c "Yellow Wiggle Greg Page talks of his illness". The Daily Telegraph. 2008-06-17. http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23874832-5012980,00.html. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
- ^ Crooks, Michael (2006-11-29). "Illness forces Greg Page out of the Wiggles". Who.com. http://www.who.com/who/scoop/article/0,19971,1564303,00.html. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
- ^ a b Washington, Stuart (2012-01-21). "Yellow Sub: Greg Resurfaces". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/yellow-sub-greg-resurfaces-20120120-1qa53.html. Retrieved 2012-01-22.
- ^ Maddox (2009-09-12). "Wounded Wiggle starts to get his groove back". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/tv--radio/wounded-wiggle-starts-to-get-his-groove-back/2009/09/11/1252519637299.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1. Retrieved 2009-09-25.
- ^ Kwek, Glenda (2012-01-19). "How 'Salaried' Sam Lost His Wiggle". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/how-salaried-sam-lost-his-wiggle-20120119-1q7wx.html. Retrieved 2012-01-22.
- ^ Braithwaite, Alyssa (2009-01-07). "Collector finds wiggle room among kings of memorabilia". Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.theage.com.au/national/collector-finds-wiggle-room-among-kings-of-memorabilia-20090107-7c0y.html. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
- ^ "My obsession - Greg Page". Collectors. Archived from the original on 2007-10-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20071016192602/http://abc.net.au/tv/collectors/txt/s1594125.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
- ^ Dunn, Emily; Gary Maddox (2008-12-31). "Elvis is alive … in Parkes". Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/stay-in-touch/elvis-is-alive-133-in-parkes/2008/12/18/1229189795759.html. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
- ^ "Elvis collection to 'wiggle' in for festival". Parkes Champion-Post. 2008-12-31. http://parkes.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/general/elvis-collection-to-wiggle-in-for-festival/1397402.aspx. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
- ^ "Greg Page AM". It's an Honour. Australian Government. http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1141811&search_type=quick&showInd=true. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
[edit] External links
- Greg's Facebook
- The Official Wiggles Website
- Greg Page.com
- Greg's Message
- Dysautonomia Youth Network of America, Inc.
- Dysautonomia Information Network
- National Dysautonomia Research Foundation
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