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Pre-Wiggles
In 1982 Jeff Fatt and Anthony Field were members of a popular Australian band called 'The Cockroaches'.
By 1986 they had a contract with the label 'Regular Records' and did quite well in Australia with 6 top 40 hits.
During
this time, Anthony, Murray Cook, and Greg Page met while they were all studying teaching (Early Childhood Education) at Macquarie
University in Australia. They combined to produce fun and creative musical projects for their studies.
Early Wiggles
So how did it all come together?
Jeff Fatt: I got this call from Anthony.
"Hello,
Anthony. Go away, go away. I'm not interested," you know. He's always got these ideas for things. He said, "I've got this
project… this project to make a children's album." And he said, "Come down to the studio." And I said…
Anthony
Field:
You said, "How long will it take?"
In 1991, The Wiggles released their first album,
and then they began to perform in day-care centers. Jeff and Murray already had their purple and red shirts, so Greg and Anthony
went shopping to pick out bright colors for them to wear. The color of each Wiggle is now how each person is identified.
It
was approximately 1995 when Anthony and Jeff left the Cockroaches to Wiggle full time. By this time the Wiggles were becoming
better known, and the demands of The Wiggles schedule could no longer be met while still playing with The Cockroaches
The
Wiggles got their start in America as the opening act for the former love of all preschoolers: Barney (1999). And once The
Wiggles made their first appearance on the Disney Channel, (January 28, 2002), life as they knew it was over.
Anthony
Field:
"… When we first went on Disney, the guy came
in and said, "It's not one of the bigger stations. It's getting there. We've only got 80 million subscribers." And we all
went, "Oh, right, OK. That'll do." So that many people saw us be… When we were in America when we first started with
doing…we did Blockbuster car park, and four people turned up."
The Wiggles - Greg Page, Anthony Field, Jeff
Fatt, Murray Cook
Murray Cook - The Red Wiggle
"I wanted to teach, but looking at early childhood,
it seemed like there was a lot more of the arts involved in it, and that was something I was really interested in. In early
childhood education there's lots of...you use a lot of music and art and movement, so I thought that was something that I
could really commit to and really get involved in and enjoy. "
Murray Cook on George Negus Tonight (07/16/2003)
Born: June 30, 1960
Family: Married with 2 children
Height:
6'4"
Murray is the guitar playing Wiggle. When not Wiggling he plays in a local Australian band Bangshangalang. Murray
is also well known for making faces, and puts that talent to use for The Wiggles.
Anthony Field - The Blue Wiggle
"The Macquarie University Institute of Early Childhood
Studies opened my eyes to the fascinating world of child development and where children are coming from."
Anthony Field on George Negus Tonight (07/16/2003)
Born: Born May 8, 1963
Family: Married (May 3, 2003 - Michaela
Patisteas) with 1 child
Height: 6 feet
Anthony was originally the green Wiggle. He changed to blue because there
was confusion between him and Dorothy. Anthony also loves to sing, and his deep baritone voice works well with The Wiggles
musical arrangements.
Jeff Fatt - The Purple Wiggle
Jeff Fatt: I got this call from Anthony.
"Hello,
Anthony. Go away, go away. I'm not interested," you know. He's always got these ideas for things. He said, "I've got this
project… this project to make a children's album." And he said, "Come down to the studio." And I said…
Anthony
Field:
You said, "How long will it take?"
Jeff Fatt on George Negus Tonight (07/16/2003)
Born: July 21, 1953
Height 5 feet, 10 inches
Family: Single
Jeff is the purple Wiggle who plays the keyboard and the accordian. He is also very well known for falling asleep.
A common phrase while watching The Wiggles, is "Wake Up Jeff". Jeff also seems to have a thing for cows.
Greg
Page - The Yellow Wiggle
"Quite often we refer to what we do now as teaching
a larger classroom, because so many of the skills that we learned...management skills about how you talk to children - not
talking down to them, talking to them in a way that makes them feel like they're an equal with you."
Greg Page on George Negus Tonight (07/16/2003)
Born January 16th 1972
Height: 6'5"
Family: Married (Michelle)
with 2 children
Greg was influenced by, and likes Elvis, and says it is no secret that Elvis' success was based on
the fact that he could wiggle, even saying that Elvis knew how to wiggle better than the Wiggles do!
If you have watched
The Wiggles you would have guessed that Greg is a big magic fan. But he also loves computers and technology. His love for
cricket and technology led him to form a company that produces a web site that teaches people how to play and coach cricket.
Greg not only sings with The Wiggles. He currently has 6 solo CDs released outside of the children's entertainment
field.
I have not found a source for these CDs in the United States yet.
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