Wayne Stevens (May 1958 – 7 November 2020), known by the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Bones Hillman, was a New Zealand musician best known as the bass guitarist for the Australian alternative rock band

Midnight Oil Midnight Oil (known informally as "The Oils") are an Australian rock band composed of Peter Garrett (vocals, harmonica), Rob Hirst (drums), Jim Moginie (guitar, keyboard) and Martin Rotsey (guitar). The group was formed in Sydney in 1972 ...

, which he joined in 1987 and remained with until his death in 2020.

Career

Hillman played

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

in his first band the Masochists, an early New Zealand

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

act, formed with Kevin Gray (vocals), Spike Nasty (drums) and Jimmy Sex (guitar), from the

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

suburb of Avondale. They were alternatively known as The Metal Masochists, MM, Vandals, and The Avondale Spiders. In late 1977 he joined the

Suburban Reptiles The Suburban Reptiles were one of the first two punk rock, punk bands to form in New Zealand, the other being the Scavengers. History The Suburban Reptiles were conceptualised by Auckland students Simon Grigg and Brett Salter in late 1976, wi ...

and appeared on their first single, "Megaton" (Vertigo, 1978). The name ''

Hillman Hillman was a British automobile marque created by the Hillman-Coatalen Company, founded in 1907, renamed the Hillman Motor Car Company in 1910. The company was based in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, near Coventry, England. Before 1907 the company had ...

'' was coined by the make of car he drove. He left the band in early 1978 and joined the former Masochists in the Rednecks, a mainstay of the legendary Zwines punk scene in Auckland. In late 1979, Hillman joined the New Zealand band the Swingers with

Phil Judd Philip Raymond Judd (born 20 March 1953) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter known for being one of the founders of the bands Split Enz and The Swingers. Split Enz In 1972, Judd and Tim Finn founded the arty folk band Split Enz. In its early ...

(ex-

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 a ...

) and Mark Hough (a.k.a. Buster Stiggs, ex-Suburban Reptiles). Their single " Counting the Beat" was a trans-Tasman number one hit before the band disintegrated in 1983. He appeared in the 1982 film ''Starstruck'', as one of the Swingers.Starstruck (1982)
at IMDb He was credited as Dwayne Hillman. Moving to Australia as part of The Swingers in 1980 and living there until 2002, Hillman was a member of internationally known Australian rock band

, replacing

Peter Gifford Peter Gifford (born 5 April 1955), sometimes known as "Giffo," is an Australian musician. From 1980 until 1987, he played bass guitar, Chapman Stick and sang backing vocals for Australian rock band Midnight Oil. Midnight Oil Gifford is credi ...

in 1987 as bass player. During the hiatus of Midnight Oil, Hillman returned to New Zealand, working as a studio and live musician with

Dave Dobbyn Sir David Joseph Dobbyn (born 3 January 1957) is a New Zealand musician, singer–songwriter and record producer. In his early career he was a member of the rock group Th' Dudes and was the main creative force in pop band DD Smash. Since then ...

and recorded the album ''

Available Light In photography and cinematography, available light (also called ambient light or practical light) refers to any ''available'' source of light that is not explicitly supplied by the photographer for the purpose of taking pictures. The term usu ...

''. Hillman moved with his family to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

, in early 2007 to participate in the more active musical scene there. In 2009, Hillman recorded albums for

Anne McCue Anne McCue is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, music-recording producer, video director, and radio host from Australia, more recently (as of 2007) based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Early life and education McCue grew up in Cam ...

(''

Broken Promise Land "Broken Promise Land" is a song written by Bill Rice and Sharon Vaughn, and recorded by American country music singer Waylon Jennings in 1985 for his album '' Turn the Page'' as "The Broken Promise Land". It was released as a single from Jenning ...

'') and

Elizabeth Cook Elizabeth Cook (born July 18, 1972) is an American country music singer and radio host. She has made over 400 appearances on the Grand Ole Opry since her debut on March 17, 2000, despite not being a member. Cook, "the daughter of a hillbilly s ...

(''

Welder In a broad sense, a welder is anyone, amateur or professional, who uses welding equipment, perhaps especially one who uses such equipment fairly often. In a narrower sense, a welder is a tradesperson who specializes in fusing materials togethe ...

'', produced by

Don Was Don Edward Fagenson (born September 13, 1952), known professionally as Don Was, is an American musician, record producer and record executive. Primarily a bass player, Was co-founded the funk-rock band Was (Not Was). In later years he produced so ...

). Two years later he worked on the Musical adaptation of ''

Diner A diner is a small, inexpensive restaurant found across the United States, as well as in Canada and parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of foods, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a co ...

'', recording tracks for

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three ...

. In 2014, Hillman reunited with Midnight Oil producer

Warne Livesey Warne Livesey (born 12 February 1959) is an English/Canadian music producer, mixing engineer, songwriter and musician. He has produced Midnight Oil, The The, Matthew Good Band and Deacon Blue. Life and career Warne Livesey started his career in ...

to record songs for his new musical project the Graysmiths. The following year, Hillman recorded and toured with

Matthew Good Matthew Frederick Robert Good (born June 29, 1971) is a Canadian musician. He was the lead singer and songwriter for the Matthew Good Band, one of the most successful alternative rock bands in Canada during the 1990s and early 2000s. Since the ...

. In 2017, Hillman participated in a Midnight Oil reunion and tour.

Death

Hillman died on 7 November 2020 in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

at the age of 62. Hillman had kept his bandmates unaware of his health problems until very shortly before his death, according to an interview with Midnight Oil's drummer Rob Hirst shortly after Hillman's death.

References

External links

Hillman's website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hillman, Bones 1958 births 2020 deaths Australian rock bass guitarists Australian male guitarists Male bass guitarists Midnight Oil members New Zealand bass guitarists New Zealand male guitarists New Zealand guitarists Australian double-bassists Male double-bassists New Zealand expatriates in Australia Australian songwriters Australian expatriates in the United States New Zealand expatriates in the United States 21st-century double-bassists Deaths from cancer in Wisconsin