Wa Wa Nee was a 1980s Australian

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

band.

Career

Singer/songwriter Paul Gray and guitarist Steve Williams formed the band in 1982. They were joined by Geoff Lundren (bass), Elizabeth Lord (keyboards, backing vocals) and Chris Sweeney (drums) and signed with

CBS Records CBS Records may refer to: * CBS Records or CBS/Sony, former name of Sony Music, a global record company * CBS Records International, label for Columbia Records recordings released outside North America from 1962 to 1990 * CBS Records (2006), founde ...

in 1985. Mark Gray, Paul's brother, and Phil Witchett joined the group soon after and their debut single "

Stimulation Stimulation is the encouragement of development or the cause of activity generally. For example, "The press provides stimulation of political discourse." An interesting or fun activity can be described as "stimulating", regardless of its physica ...

" was released in April 1986. The song peaked at number 2 in Australia. "

I Could Make You Love Me "I Could Make You Love Me" is a song from Australian pop group Wa Wa Nee Wa Wa Nee was a 1980s Australian funk band. Career Singer/songwriter Paul Gray and guitarist Steve Williams formed the band in 1982. They were joined by Geoff Lundren ...

" was released in August 1986 and peaked at number 5. In November 1986, Wa Wa Nee released their debut self-titled album which peaked at number 29 in Australia. Two more singles were released from the album, " Sugar Free" in December 1986 gave the band a third Australian Top 10 hit, and "

One and One (Ain't I Good Enough) "One and One (Ain't I Good Enough)" is a song from Australian pop group Wa Wa Nee. The song was released in April 1987 on 2x7" Vinyl Single as the fourth and final single from their self-titled debut studio album, (1986). The song peaked at num ...

" in April 1987 which peaked inside the Top 20. "Sugar Free" was released in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in July 1987 and peaked at number 35 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song featured in the film, ''

Cassandra Cassandra or Kassandra (; Ancient Greek: Κασσάνδρα, , also , and sometimes referred to as Alexandra) in Greek mythology was a Trojan priestess dedicated to the god Apollo and fated by him to utter true prophecies but never to be believe ...

''. "Stimulation" was released as the follow-up single where it peaked at number 86. It was featured in the film '' Satisfaction''. In 1987, a remix album, titled ''

Ulta Mixes ''Ulta Mixes'' is the first remix album by Australian pop group Wa Wa Nee. The album included extended versions of four singles lifted from their debut studio album, ''Wa Wa Nee Wa Wa Nee was a 1980s Australian funk band. Career Singer/songwr ...

'' was released. During the recording of the second studio album in 1988, keyboardist Phil Witchett died. In November 1988, " Can't Control Myself" was released as the lead single from the band's second studio album. The song peaked at number 31. Their second studio album, '' Blush'' was released in May 1989, and spawned two more Top 100 hits in Australia, " So Good" and " I Want You". The group disbanded later in 1989.

Later works

After the dissolution of Wa Wa Nee, Bassist Mark Gray went on to work with Tania Bowra Band, with

James Reyne James Michael Nugent Reyne OAM (born 19 May 1957) is an Australian rock musician and singer-songwriter both in solo work and, until 1986, with the band Australian Crawl. Biography Early years Reyne was born in Lagos, Nigeria. His father, Ro ...

and

Indecent Obsession Indecent Obsession (also seen as Obsession) were an Australian pop rock band formed early in 1987 in Brisbane with founding mainstays Daryl Sims on drums and Michael Szumowski on keyboards. By 1988 the line-up also included Andrew Coyne on lead ...

. Steve Williams went on to work with James Freud Band, Mama's Darlings and Richard Clapton. He relocated to Europe before returning to live in Australia. In 2006, he was involved in a

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

covers band called The Zep Boys. Paul Gray worked with

Deni Hines Dohnyale "Deni" Sharon Hines (born 4 September 1970) is an Australian singer who has been releasing music since the early 1990s, with chart success in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Europe. She is the daughter of American-Australian singer M ...

, CDB,

Kate Ceberano Catherine Yvette Ceberano ( or , born 17 November 1966) is an Australian singer and actress who performs in the soul, jazz, and pop genres, as well as in film and musicals such as '' Jesus Christ Superstar''. Her song " Pash" received a gold ...

Tina Arena Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena (born 1 November 1967) is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician, musical theatre actress and record producer. She is one of Australia's highest-selling artists and has sold over 10 million records worldwid ...

and Bardot as a

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

player,

musical director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the ...

, songwriter and producer. Paul Gray appeared in the

Countdown Spectacular The ''Countdown Spectacular'' is a series of concerts reviving the nostalgia of the Australian music television series ''Countdown''. Countdown Spectacular The first tour was staged from June to August 2006. It featured mainly Australian artists a ...

2 concert series in Australia between late August and early September 2007 as a performer and musical director. He sang two songs: "Stimulation" and "Sugar Free". He has also appeared with 80s Enuff and Idols of the 80s. Gray performed Wa Wa Nee hits on 28 March 2010, at a fundraiser for the children of Jenin, a devastated area of the

West Bank The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

. All funds went directly to the building of a pre-school in the area. Gray performed at local music venues in Melbourne in 2010, with fellow 1980s hitmakers, Scott Carne (

Kids in the Kitchen Kids in the Kitchen are an Australian pop, funk and new wave band which formed in 1983. They enjoyed chart success with four top-20 hits on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart, " Change in Mood" (1983), " Bitter Desire" (1984), " So ...

) and

Brian Mannix Brian Mannix (born 7 October 1961 in Melbourne) is an Australian rock music singer and actor. He is best known as the lead singer of 1980s band Uncanny X-Men. Career Early life Mannix won a 'beauty contest' in his childhood after being entered ...

(

Uncanny X-Men ''Uncanny X-Men'', originally published as ''The X-Men'', is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics since 1963, and is the longest-running series in the X-Men comics franchise. It features a team of superheroes called the X ...

). Paul Gray supported

Belinda Carlisle Belinda Jo Carlisle ( ; born August 17, 1958) is an American singer. She gained fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, the most successful all-female rock band of all time, and went on to have a prolific career as a solo artist. Raised in ...

on some of her dates of her 2011 Australian Tour. Wa Wa Nee also supported

Rick Astley Richard Paul Astley (born 6 February 1966) is an English singer, songwriter and radio personality, who has been active in music for several decades. He gained worldwide fame in the 1980s, having multiple hits including his signature song "Ne ...

during his 2012 and 2014 tour of Australia. Singer Paul Gray died of

multiple myeloma Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone pain, an ...

on 24 April 2018, aged 54. The news was announced by his brother and fellow band member, Mark.

Discography

Studio albums

Remix and compilation albums

Singles

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions of ...

. They commenced in 1987. , - , rowspan="4" ,

ARIA Music Awards of 1987 The First Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as the ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAS) was held on 2 March 1987 at the Sheraton Wentworth Hotel in Sydney with Elton John as the host. The awards were ...

, "Stimulation" , ARIA Award for Highest Selling Single , , - , themselves ,

ARIA Award for Best New Talent The ARIA Music Award for Best New Talent was an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards. It was presented from 1987 through to 1998. The award for Best New Talent was first presented in 1987. Crowded House won the award with their single "D ...

, , - , Paul Gray – Wa Wa Nee
("Stimulation", "I Could Make You Love Me") , ARIA Award for Best Songwriter , , - , Jim Tait for ''Wa Wa Nee'' by Wa Wa Nee ,

ARIA Award for Engineer of the Year The ARIA Music Award for Engineer of the Year, is an award presented within the Artisan Awards at the annual ARIA Music Awards. The ARIA Awards recognise "the many achievements of Australian artists across all music genres", and have been given ...

Countdown Australian Music Awards

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...

'' was an Australian pop music TV series on national broadcaster ABC-TV from 1974 to 1987, it presented music awards from 1979 to 1987, initially in conjunction with magazine ''

TV Week ''TV Week'' is a weekly Australian magazine that provides television program listings information and highlights, as well as television-related news. Content ranges from previews for upcoming storylines of popular television programs, particu ...

''. The TV Week / Countdown Awards were a combination of popular-voted and peer-voted awards. , - , rowspan="4" , 1986 , ''Wa Wa Nee'' , Best Debut Album , , - , "Stimulation" , Best Debut Single , , - , rowspan="2" , themselves , Best Debut Act , , - , Most Popular Australian Group ,

References

External links

Wa Wa Nee Wa Wa Nee was a 1980s Australian funk band. Career Singer/songwriter Paul Gray and guitarist Steve Williams formed the band in 1982. They were joined by Geoff Lundren (bass), Elizabeth Lord (keyboards, backing vocals) and Chris Sweeney (drums) ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wa Wa Nee Australian new wave musical groups Australian pop music groups Australian funk musical groups Musical groups established in 1982 Musical groups disestablished in 1989 1982 establishments in Australia 1989 disestablishments in Australia