Wilbur Wilde (born Nicholas Robert Aitken on 5 October 1955) is an Australian

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

, television personality and radio presenter. He is best known for his work on ''

Hey Hey It's Saturday ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' was a long-running variety television program on Australian television. It initially ran for 28 years on the Nine Network from 9 October 1971 to 20 November 1999, with a recess in 1978. Its host throughout its entire ...

''. He rose to prominence with the bands Ol' 55 and

Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons are an Australian blues music, blues and rock music, rock band that features the singer, songwriter and saxophonist Joe Camilleri (aka "Jo Jo Zep"). The band was active in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and had severa ...

Career

Music career

Wilde was the tenor saxophonist (and did some vocals) with Ol' 55 from 1975 until 1977. Wilde then joined

in 1977 as saxophonist and backing singer. He still remains in that role to this date.

Television career

He is most famous for appearing as part of the house band on ''

'' from 1984 until 1999, and again from 2009 until 2010. Wilde has made numerous other TV appearances throughout his career on shows including ''

The Flying Doctors ''The Flying Doctors'' is an Australian drama TV series produced by Crawford Productions that revolves around the everyday lifesaving efforts of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, starring Andrew McFarlane as the newly arrived Dr. T ...

'', MDA, ''

The Paul Hogan Show ''The Paul Hogan Show'' was a popular Australian comedy show which aired on Australian television from 1973 until 1984 for a total of 12 seasons and 60 episodes. It made a star of Paul Hogan, who later appeared in ''Crocodile Dundee.'' Hogan' ...

'', ''Blankety Blanks'', ''

Sale of the Century ''Sale of the Century'' (stylized as ''$ale of the Century'') is an American television game show that originally debuted on September 29, 1969, on NBC daytime. It was one of three NBC game shows to premiere on that date, the other two being th ...

'', ''Celebrity Squares'', MTV, '' Getaway'', ''

Postcards A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. There are novelty exceptions, such as wood ...

'', ''

Prisoner A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

'', ''

Temptation Temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals.Webb, J.R. (Sep 2014). Incorporating Spirituality into Psychology of temptation: Conceptualization, measurement, and clinical implications. Sp ...

'', '' Spicks and Specks'', ''

The Russell Gilbert Show ''The Russell Gilbert Show'' is a short-lived Australian comedy show hosted by Russell Gilbert in 1998. It was produced by Somers Carroll Productions and was partially a spin-off from ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'', where Gilbert had risen to prominenc ...

'', and commercials for the Australian Pensioners Insurance Agency. From 1992 to 1999, Wilbur toured with The New Rocky Horror Show, contributing to more than 750 performances along the way. His CV also boasts a string of movie credits including ''

Trojan Warrior ''Trojan Warrior'' is a 2002 Australian comedy film directed by Salik Silverstein and starring Stan Longinidis. The film was released in the United States as ''Kick to the Head''. Premise When a comical mob bag-man rats out the local mob boss, ...

'', ''

Mad Max ''Mad Max'' is an Australian post-apocalyptic Action film, action film series and media franchise created by George Miller (filmmaker), George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It began in 1979 with ''Mad Max (film), Mad Max'', and was followed by thre ...

'', ''

The Coolangatta Gold The Coolangatta Gold is one of the premier events in the sport of Ironman (surf lifesaving). The event is organised by Surf Life Saving Australia. The Event History In 1984, Peter Schrek was writing a movie featuring the talents of ironman ...

'', ''City of the Damned'', ''Jenny Kissed Me'', ''Dead End Drive-In'', and ''Cool Change''.

Radio career

Between 2000 and 2004, Wilde presented the ''Classic Cafe'' on Gold 104.3 Melbourne. In December 2005, Wilde joined Vega 91.5, hosted a drive show between 3 - 6pm. departing the station in 2008. Wilde also previously presented radio shows at 3UZ and 3XY.

Personal life

Wilde is a supporter of the

Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. It is based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...

. His brother,

Chris Aitken Christopher Aitken (born 21 September 1979) is a Scottish retired footballer and current manager of Kilwinning Rangers. He moved into management at East Kilbride after his elder brother Stephen resigned from his position on 10 August 2021. ...

, played fourteen games for them in the 1960s and 1970s. He plays golf at the National.

References

External links

* 1955 births Australian saxophonists Male saxophonists Australian rock keyboardists Australian television personalities Australian radio personalities Living people Musicians from Melbourne Musicians from Sydney Rock saxophonists Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons members Ol' 55 (band) members 20th-century saxophonists 20th-century Australian male musicians 20th-century Australian musicians 21st-century saxophonists 21st-century Australian male musicians 21st-century Australian musicians {{Australia-tv-bio-stub