Greg Page | |
|---|---|
.png) Page in 1998 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gregory John Page |
| Born | (1972-01-16)16 January 1972 (age 53) Sydney,New South Wales, Australia |
| Genres | Children's, pop, rock,country |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1991–2006; 2009–present |
| Formerly of | The Wiggles |
| Spouses | |
| Website | gregpage |
Gregory John Page,AM (born 16 January 1972)[1][2] is an Australian singer, musician and actor. He is best known as the original lead singer and a founding member of the children's bandthe Wiggles from 1991 to 2006 and then again in 2012.
Starting with his self-titled debut album, since 1998, Page has recorded several solo albums, his latest,Here Comes Christmas!, being released in 2015. Since the mid 2000s, Page has suffered from severe health problems, which caused his early departure from the Wiggles and brief retirement in 2006; his 2012 albumLet It Be Me, began production in 2004, but was postponed due to his health conditions.
Since coming out of retirement in 2009, Page has been performing live on stage again, including a handful of guest appearances with the original members of the Wiggles. After sufferingcardiac arrest in 2020, Page has become an advocate for heart health and has founded the charity Heart of the Nation.
Page was born inSydney, Australia. He grew up inNorthmead, New South Wales, where he attended Baulkham Hills Primary School. Growing up, he had a low self-esteem. By the time he was 16, his hair started greying. He performed in several bands in secondary school.[3]
Page was a member of the band Dead Giveaway.[4] He was aroadie for and sang with the Australian bandthe Cockroaches during the band's final years in the early 1990s. He befriended Cockroach memberAnthony Field while on tour.
After working as a roadie forthe Cockroaches, on bandmateAnthony Field's recommendation, he enrolled inMacquarie University to studyearly childhood education.[5][6] While students, Page, Field, and guitaristMurray Cook, along with former Cockroaches member and keyboardistJeff Fatt, combined their music backgrounds and teaching skills to formthe Wiggles.[7]
Field described Page as "the perfect straight man", with a "big friendly smile and easy stage manner" which made him engrossing for both children and adults. Also according to Field, Page "has an authoritative, though not overbearing, tone when he speaks to children and is a relaxed and cleveremcee".[8] When performing with the Wiggles, Page wore a yellow shirt. Like the other Wiggles, Page had ashtick, which was doingmagic tricks.
On 30 November 2006, the Wiggles announced that Page would leave the group due to poor health.[9] 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.[10]
Shortly after leaving the Wiggles, Page joined the cast of the children's educational television programButterscotch's Playground. Page helped develop the show with its creators.[11]
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 Yellow Wiggle, replacingSam Moran, who had succeeded him. It was reported that he would return to touring with the group in March of that year.[12][13] On 17 May 2012, it was announced that Page, along withMurray Cook andJeff Fatt, would again be retiring from the Wiggles at the end of the year. He was to be replaced by Wiggles cast memberEmma Watkins, the first female member of the Wiggles. Page eventually revealed that he was only asked to return to the group until August 2012, "to help transition from Sam Moran to a new Yellow Wiggle," but once Cook and Fatt decided to retire at the end of the year, they asked Page if he would extend his stay with the group until then so he would leave alongside them, to which he agreed.[14][15] Page and the others expected to remain involved with the creative and production aspects of the group, though Page no longer would have a share in the company, having sold it in 2006 when he left.[16]
Beginning in 2016, Page has continued to reprise his role as Yellow Wiggle for reunion gigs, charity events and featured guest spots while occasionally filling in as an understudy performing at live shows alongside current members of the group.
In July 2020, six months after suffering cardiac arrest, he and the original Wiggles appeared in The Soul Movers music video "Circles Baby".[17][18][19]
Page released his self-titled debut solo album in 1998. His second album,I Believe in Music, was released four years later, in 2002.
His 2005 solo album,Taking Care of Country, reflects Page's interest inElvis Presley's music. It was recorded with theTCB Band, Elvis' back-up band. In spring 2003, Page performed in Las Vegas with the TCB Band. In 2002, Page sang backup with AustralianElvis impersonator Mick Gerace.[7] His second album with the TCB Band,Let It Be Me, was released in 2012. Production of the album began in 2004, but it was interrupted due to Page's medical issues.[20]
By late 2009, Page had recovered enough from his illness to begin touring with anothercountry 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 aboutorthostatic intolerance.[21]
In the following years, he has released more solo albums, including:Greg Page Live in Concert (2003),Throw Your Arms Around Me (2004) andHere Comes Christmas! (2015). Page joined the cast of the children's educational television programButterscotch's Playground. Page helped develop the show with its creators.[11]
In January 2025, Page announced that he will be playingFranklin D. Roosevelt inAnnie the musical.[22]
Page has been married twice. His first marriage ended during his retirement from the Wiggles; in 2009, he had remarried. He has four children.[23][24]
Page amassed the fourth-largest collection ofElvis Presley memorabilia in the world,[25] including clothing, marriage certificate, guitar, piano, Elvis's final Cadillac, and original TCB Band necklaces.[26] In 2008, Page permanently loaned the collection, reportedly worth$1.5 million, to a new Elvis museum named "The King's Castle" inParkes, New South Wales.[27][28][29]
Page had experienced health difficulties since December 2005, when he underwent a doublehernia operation and withdrew from his group's U.S. tour in August 2006 after suffering repeated fainting spells, slurred speech, fatigue, and trembling.[30][31] Although Page was missing for virtually all of the Wiggles' late 2006 U.S. tour, audiences were informed of Page's absence at concerts moments before the curtain went up.[10]
At first, Page was told that he had seven years to live,[31] but he was diagnosed with a non-life-threatening form ofdysautonomia, a difficult-to-diagnose chronic illness. Page experienced symptoms such asorthostatic intolerance,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.[9] As part owner of the Wiggles, Page received a payout of about $20 million for his share in the business.[12]
Page was succeeded bySam Moran as a full member of the entertainment side of the group (although still an employee, rather than a partner, in its business side).[9]
While in retirement, Page was a presenter onSydney Weekender.[32]
On 17 January 2020, Page suffered cardiac arrest at a Wiggles reunion show that was raising funds forbushfire relief efforts.[33] He collapsed on stage and stopped breathing; off-duty nurse Grace Jones, who was in the audience, performedCPR with Wiggles drummer Steve Pace and band staff member Kimmy Antonelli; they used adefibrillator three times before Page was transported to the hospital.[33][34] The cardiac arrest was caused by ablocked artery, which was treated, and Page has since made a full recovery.[35] He later posted a video explaining the situation and expressing his gratitude to those who saved him, including Jones, Pace, Antonelli, and Dr. Therese Wales, as well as other members of the Wiggles' crew.[36][37]
In July 2020, six months after suffering aheart attack, he and the original Wiggles appeared inthe Soul Movers music video "Circles Baby".[17][18][19]
Page has since become an advocate for heart health and more widespread knowledge of CPR, founding a nonprofit initiative called "Heart of the Nation", which has the goal of increasing public awareness of defibrillator locations across Australia, as well as encouraging businesses to keep a defibrillator on-site.[38] He has also participated in several cardiac studies.[39]
Page was appointed aMember 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".[40]
| Title | Year | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Greg Page | 1998 | [41] |
| I Believe in Music | 2002 | |
| Greg Page Live in Concert | 2003 | |
| Throw Your Arms Around Me | 2004 | |
| Taking Care of Country | 2005 | |
| Let It Be Me | 2012 | |
| Here Comes Christmas! | 2015 |
| Title | Year | Note |
|---|---|---|
| "Walking Around" | 1998 | [42] |
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Data from Wikidata| International | |
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