Greg Ham | |
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_(cropped).jpg) Ham in a 1983 photoshoot with Men at Work | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Gregory Norman Ham (1953-09-27)27 September 1953 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 15 April 2012(2012-04-15) (aged 58) Carlton North, Victoria, Australia |
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| Years active | 1979–2012 |
| Labels | EMI |
Gregory Norman Ham (27 September 1953 – 15 April 2012) was an Australian musician, best known as a member of the 1980s bandMen at Work. He played saxophone, flute, harmonica, guitar, organ, piano, and synthesizer.
Ham was born in Melbourne and attendedCamberwell Grammar School from 1964 to 1971.[1] According to the school's year books, he was remembered for his acting talent in school plays, particularlyThe World We Live In (the insect comedy) in 1969 where he played the "parasite".[2] In 1970 he playedMr Seekamp, editor of theBallarat Times, inLola Montez and, in 1971, Puff inThe Critic. In 1967 Ham was photographed airborne by J. Jones in a still photo which won first prize in the Ilford Competition.
In 1972, Ham metColin Hay via mutual friendKym Gyngell. In 1979, he joined theoriginal lineup ofMen at Work with Hay,Ron Strykert, andJerry Speiser.[3] Ham and Hay formed the core of the band from 1979 until 1985 when Ham left, and the band broke up shortly afterward. Ham returned to Men at Work when they reformed in 1996 to tour theUnited States.[4]
Ham playedsaxophone, keyboards,flute, andharmonica for the group, as well as performing backing vocals. He sang lead vocals on songs such as "Helpless Automaton" and "I Like To." Ham also performed the saxophone solo in the song "Who Can It Be Now?" (a rehearsal take was used in the final mix) and improvised the flute riff in the song "Down Under".[citation needed]
In 1983, Ham, as a member of Men at Work, won aGrammy Award forBest New Artist.
Larrikin Records bought the rights to the 1930s children's song "Kookaburra" in 1990 for $6,100. In 2009, music publisher Larrikin Music, then headed by Norman Lurie (now retired), sued Men at Work and their record label EMI for plagiarism, alleging that the flute riff copied the 1934 nursery rhyme "Kookaburra", to which they owned the publishing rights. TheFederal Court of Australia ruled that "Down Under" did infringe the copyright of "Kookaburra" and awarded Larrikin 5% of the song's mechanical royalties backdated to 2002. Several appeals by EMI and Men at Work were unsuccessful. In an interview withThe Age newspaper, Ham said he was deeply affected by the judgment and felt it tarnished his reputation, saying: "I'm terribly disappointed that that's the way I'm going to be remembered—for copying something."[5]
Ham played brass and keyboard with the R&B band Relax with Max, with frontman Max Vella, girlfriend Linda "Toots" Wostry, on saxophone, James Black on keyboard, David Adam and Ross Hannaford on guitar and John James "JJ" Hackett on drums. Relax with Max played at the Metropol in Fitzroy and on ABC's television comedyWhile You're Down There and at the Falls Creek music festival. They supported Australian artists includingKylie Minogue and American soul singersJames Brown andBo Diddley.[citation needed] Ham also performed regularly with jazz ensemble Miss Dorothy and His Fools in Love. Later in life, Ham taught guitar at Carlton North Primary School and assessed music students for theVictorian Certificate of Education (VCE).[4]
Ham was found dead on 19 April 2012 at his home in Carlton North, Melbourne.[6][7] Several newspapers[which?] listed the cause as aheart attack. Friends of Ham had told newspapers that he had a long battle withheroin addiction, which had escalated after the Kookaburra trial.[8] It is known that he was depressed and suffering anxiety over the copyright lawsuit filed against him and the members of Men at Work for the alleged similarities between "Kookaburra" and the flute riff in "Down Under".[9][10][11]
Ham's private funeral was held at theFitzroy Town Hall in Melbourne on 2 May 2012.[12] He was survived by his two children.[12] Colin Hay remembered Ham as “a great, great friend and a great guy” who was a "very inspired and instinctive" musician."[13]
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