Malcolm Green (born 25 January 1953) is an English-born drummer best known as a member of New Zealand band
Split Enz
Split Enz were a New Zealand rock band formed in Auckland in 1972 by Tim Finn and Phil Judd and had a variety of other members during its existence. Originally started as a folk-oriented group with quirky art rock stylings, the band built ...
from 1976 to 1981.
Green replaced
Emlyn Crowther as Split Enz's drummer in London in 1976, winning an audition over ex-
Sparks drummer
Dinky Diamond. Green had formerly played with
Love Affair,
The Honeycombs
The Honeycombs were an English beat group, founded in 1963 in North London, best known for their chart-topping 1964 hit, the million selling "Have I the Right?"
The band featured Honey Lantree on drums, one of the few female drummers in band ...
(both of them long after their run of 1960s hits), and
Octopus. He was joined in Split Enz by Octopus bassist
Nigel Griggs
Nigel Griggs (born 18 August 1949) is a musician who played bass guitar in Split Enz. He is the brother of Paul Griggs from the 1970s vocal group Guys 'n' Dolls. A professional musician since 1963, Nigel Griggs played in a number of bands, not ...
, who replaced
Mike Chunn
Jonathan Michael Chunn (born 8 June 1952 in London) is a former member of the New Zealand bands Split Enz and Citizen Band. He performed alongside his brother Geoff Chunn in both bands. His musical performing career was cut short due to agoraph ...
.
Green was sacked from Split Enz in 1981 after disagreements with frontman
Tim Finn
Brian Timothy Finn (born 25 June 1952) is a New Zealand singer and musician. His musical career includes forming 1970s and 1980s New Zealand rock group Split Enz, a number of solo albums, temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowd ...
over the rejection of Green's songwriting contributions, and released a non-charting solo single, "Follow Me." He subsequently settled in
Sydney, where he produced music at his own home studio. He also drummed for and acted as a mentor to Sydney band Gethsemane.
In 2005, Green accepted an invitation to play with Split Enz at its induction into the
ARIA
In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...
Hall of Fame in
Australia. In 2006 he rejoined Split Enz for its Australian reunion tour, sharing drumming duties with
Noel Crombie
Geoffrey Noel Crombie (born 17 April 1953) is a New Zealand percussionist and former member of the band Split Enz. He fulfilled multiple roles including costume and hair designer, singer, album cover designer, and music video director. Prior to ...
. Green did not, however, take part in Split Enz's reunion tour of New Zealand in 2008, during which drumming duties were handled by
Michael Barker.
In 2014 Green returned to Britain to be closer to his elderly father.
Bibliography
* Chunn, Mike, ''Stranger Than Fiction: The Life and Times of Split Enz'', GP Publications, 1992.
* Chunn, Mike, ''Stranger Than Fiction: The Life and Times of Split Enz'', (revised, ebook edition), Hurricane Press, 2013.
References
External links
Green Sound Music– Malcolm Green's Sydney recording studio (archived link)
Gethsemane website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Malcolm
English drummers
British male drummers
Living people
Split Enz members
1953 births
English expatriates in Australia
20th-century New Zealand musicians