Greg Page (musician)

Gregory John Page, (born 16 January 1972)  is an Australian singer, musician and actor. He is best known as the original lead singer and a founding member of the children's band the 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 album Let 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 suffering cardiac arrest in 2020, Page has become an advocate for heart health and has founded the charity Heart of the Nation.

Early life and education
Page was born in Sydney, Australia. He grew up in Northmead, 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.

Early career
Page was a member of the band Dead Giveaway. He was a roadie for and sang with the Australian band the Cockroaches during the band's final years in the early 1990s. He befriended Cockroach member Anthony Field while on tour.

1990-2006
After working as a roadie for the Cockroaches, on bandmate Anthony Field's recommendation, he enrolled in Macquarie University to study early childhood education. While students, Page, Field, and guitarist Murray Cook, along with former Cockroaches member and keyboardist Jeff Fatt, combined their music backgrounds and teaching skills to form the Wiggles.

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 clever emcee". When performing with the Wiggles, Page wore a yellow shirt. Like the other Wiggles, Page had a shtick, which was doing magic tricks.

On 30 November 2006, the Wiggles announced that Page would leave the group due to poor health. 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.

Shortly after leaving the Wiggles, Page joined the cast of the children's educational television program Butterscotch's Playground. Page helped develop the show with its creators.

2012-2020
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, replacing Sam Moran, who had succeeded him. It was reported that he would return to touring with the group in March of that year. On 17 May 2012, it was announced that Page, along with Murray Cook and Jeff Fatt, would again be retiring from the Wiggles at the end of the year. He was to be replaced by Wiggles cast member Emma 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. 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.

From time to time, beginning in 2016, Page has performed with the Wiggles for reunion shows and charity fundraisers.

In July 2020, six months after suffering cardiac arrest, he and the original Wiggles appeared in The Soul Movers music video "Circles Baby".

Solo
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 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 backup with Australian Elvis impersonator Mick Gerace. 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.

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.

In the following years, he has released more solo albums, including: Greg Page Live in Concert (2003), Throw Your Arms Around Me (2004) and Here Comes Christmas! (2015). Page joined the cast of the children's educational television program Butterscotch's Playground. Page helped develop the show with its creators.

Family
Page has been married twice. His first marriage ended during his retirement from the Wiggles; in 2009, he had remarried. He has four children.

Elvis memorabilia
Page amassed the fourth-largest collection of Elvis Presley memorabilia in the world, including clothing, marriage certificate, guitar, piano, Elvis's final Cadillac, and original TCB Band necklaces. In 2008, Page permanently loaned the collection, reportedly worth $1.5 million, to a new Elvis museum named "The King's Castle" in Parkes, New South Wales.

Health and retirement
Page had experienced health difficulties since December 2005, when he underwent a double hernia operation and withdrew from his group's U.S. tour in August 2006 after suffering repeated fainting spells, slurred speech, fatigue, and trembling. 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.

At first, Page was told that he had seven years to live, but he was diagnosed with a non-life-threatening form of dysautonomia, a difficult-to-diagnose chronic illness. Page experienced symptoms such as orthostatic 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. As part owner of the Wiggles, Page received a payout of about $20 million for his share in the business.

Page was succeeded by Sam Moran as a full member of the entertainment side of the group (although still an employee, rather than a partner, in its business side).

While in retirement, Page was a presenter on Sydney Weekender.

On 17 January 2020, Page suffered cardiac arrest at a Wiggles reunion show that was raising funds for bushfire relief efforts. He collapsed on stage and stopped breathing; off-duty nurse Grace Jones, who was in the audience, performed CPR with Wiggles drummer Steve Pace and band staff member Kimmy Antonelli; they used a defibrillator three times before Page was transported to the hospital. The cardiac arrest was caused by a blocked artery, which was treated, and Page has since made a full recovery. 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.

In July 2020, six months after suffering a heart attack, he and the original Wiggles appeared in the Soul Movers music video "Circles Baby".

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. He has also participated in several cardiac studies.

Awards
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".

Books

 * ISBN 978-0732289263 (paperback, 341pp.), ISBN 978-0730497295 (e-book, 352pp.)