Greg Page

For his character in The Wiggles, see Greg Wiggle.
Gregory John "Greg" Page is an Australian musician who is known as the leader of The Wiggles. He is the tallest Wiggle out of all of The Wiggles. He was also the youngest wiggle in the original group. In early 2013, he was replaced by Emma Watkins. He was also temporarily replaced by Sam Moran for five years (late 2006 - early 2012) when he retired due to health issues.
== Career ==
Greg performed in several bands in secondary school. He was a roadie for and sang with The Cockroaches during the band's final years. It was during that time that he met Anthony Field, who was a member of The Cockroaches, and on Anthony's recommendation, he enrolled at Macquarie University to study Early Childhood Education. While students, Greg, Anthony, and guitarist Murray Cook, along with former Cockroaches member and keyboardist Jeff Fatt, combined their music backgrounds and teaching skills to form The Wiggles. He was the youngest member of the original line-up, at the age of 19.
He has a sister named Belinda. Influenced by Anthony, he was a fan of Elvis Presley and owned the world's fourth-largest memorabilia collection, before donating a reported $1.5 million worth to a New South Wales museum.
Greg's 2005 solo album, "Taking Care of Country", reflects his interest in Elvis Presley's music. It was recorded with the TCB Band, Elvis Presley' backup band. In Spring 2003, Greg performed in Las Vegas with the TCB Band. In 2002, Greg sang backing vocals for Australian Elvis impersonator, Mick Gerace. Greg has accumulated an extensive collection of Elvis memorabilia, including the last Cadillac owned by Elvis, his personal and movie clothing, and original TCB Band necklaces.
In 2005, Greg was told by a number of practitioners after a double hernia procedure that he had just seven years to live after being diagnosed with orthostatic intolerance. Effects of this illness included fainting, slurred speech, trembling and fatigue, all of which made him virtually non-present throughout the entire 2006 US tour. As a result of this, Greg retired from the band, and an announcement for this was made on November 30, 2006. The role of the Yellow Wiggle was handed to Greg's close-following understudy, Sam Moran.
In early 2012, Greg reapplied for his position within The Wiggles, and amidst plenty of controversies, returned full-time to his position. He began touring again in March that year.
Greg, however, along with Murray and Jeff, left the group at the end of 2012, Greg, in particular, wanted to spend more time with his family and friends. He was replaced by Emma Watkins. Greg makes cameos in In Taking Off and The Wiggles' "Ready Steady Wiggle" TV Series, and in 2013, Greg landed a role in a children’s show called Butterscotch's Playground where Greg plays Himself/The Playground Ground Keeper. He even created and works as an executive producer in a Christian children’s show called “Two by 2”. Greg made a return stint with The Wiggles for their 2017 video of Go Santa Go, being reintroduced to younger audiences and any current generation fans as an older man and he has worked on a Team Rescue album called Stop and Think!.
== Wiggles Media Credits ==
=== Albums ===
For a full list of songs written and arranged by Page, see Greg Page Songs
* The Wiggles - Vocals, Guitar, Hand Claps, Songwriter, Song Arrangements
* Here Comes a Song - Vocals, Guitar, Hand Claps, Recording and Mixing Engineer, Producer, Songwriter, Song Arrangements
* The Adventures Of Captain Feathersword, The Friendly Pirate - Vocals, Songwriter
* Yummy Yummy - Vocals, Guitar, Songwriter, Song Arrangements
* Big Red Car - Vocals, Hammond B-3, Vibraslap, Songwriter, Song Arrangements
* Wake Up Jeff! - Vocals, Backing Vocals, Songwriter, Song Arrangements
* Wiggly, Wiggly Christmas - Vocals, Backing Vocals, Guitar, Songwriter, Song Arrangements
* The Wiggles Movie Soundtrack - Vocals, Songwriter
* Toot Toot! - Vocals, Songwriter, Song Arrangements
* It's a Wiggly Wiggly World! - Vocals, Backing Vocals, Songwriter, Song Arrangements
* Wiggle Time! - Vocals on "Get Ready To Wiggle" and "Dorothy the Dinosaur"
* Yule Be Wiggling - Vocals, Backing Vocals, Songwriter, Song Arrangements
* Hoop-Dee-Doo it's a Wiggly Party - Vocals, Backing Vocals, Songwriter, Song Arrangements
* Wiggly Safari - Vocals, Songwriter
* Wiggle Bay - Vocals, Songwriter, Co-Arranger of "Dance A Cachuca"
* Go To Sleep Jeff! - Vocals, Co-Arranger of "Maranoa Lullaby"
* Whoo Hoo! Wiggly Gremlins! - Vocals, Songwriter
* Top of the Tots - Vocals, Songwriter
* Cold Spaghetti Western - Vocals, Songwriter, Co-Arranger of "Cielito Lindo" and "El Pato"
* Santa's Rockin'! - Vocals, Songwriter, Song Arrangements
* LIVE Hot Potatoes! - Vocals, Guitar
* Sailing Around the World - Vocals, Songwriter
* Here Comes the Big Red Car - Co-Writer of "Sorry Again"
* Splish Splash Big Red Boat - Co-Writer of "Big Red Boat"
* Racing to the Rainbow - Vocals, Songwriter, Song Arrangements
* Getting Strong! - Songwriter
* Dorothy the Dinosaur - Co-Writer of "I'm Dorothy the Dinosaur!", "Teddy Bear Lullaby", "Seashell Barcarolle" and "My Name is Dorothy (Come Dance With Me)"
* You Make Me Feel Like Dancing - Co-Writer of "I Drive The Big Red Car"
* Dorothy the Dinosaur's Rockin' Christmas - Backing Vocals (archived recordings)
* Ukulele Baby! - Co-Writer of "Round and Round, Round and Round"
* Surfer Jeff - Vocals, Backing Vocals, Writer of "Here Come Our Friends" and "Up, Down, Turn Around", Co-Writer of "Dorothy the Dinosaur's Beach Party" and "Would You Like To Go To Scotland?", Co-Arranger of "An Irish Dinosaur Tale"
* Celebration! - Vocals, Musician, Co-Arranger of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"
* Taking Off! - Writer of "Everybody's Here"
* Go Santa Go! - Musician (archived recordings)
* Och Aye the G'Nu! - Co-Writer of "It's a Parrot Party"
* Wiggly, Wiggly Christmas! - Vocals on "Go Santa Go"
* We're All Fruit Salad!: The Wiggles' Greatest Hits - Co-Writer of "We're All Fruit Salad!"
* ReWiggled
* The Wiggles Sound System: Rave of Innocence - Co-Arranger of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat", "B.I.N.G.O.", "ABC", "Five Little Ducks", "Baby Shark" and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"
==== Other ====
* Playhouse Disney 2 - Co-Writer of both the Character and Generic versions of "Playhouse Disney Theme"
== Marriage ==
=== Michelle Marriage ===
Greg married Michelle Charlton in late 1995/early 1996, before Wake Up Jeff! was filmed. They got together when Page went into the local Chinese restaurant where Michelle worked as a waitress back in 1994. They wed before 150 family and friends at Oatlands House in Dundas two years later. Page was 24 at the time of the marriage.
They both had a baby girl named Madison in 1997. Greg is the stepfather of Michelle's son. Michelle had a son named Blaine from a previous marriage.
On January 17, 2008 after Greg's 36th birthday and 2 years after he left The Wiggles due to his health, he broke up with Michelle because they understood about not being together anymore.
=== Vanessa Marriage ===
Greg married Vanessa Reid in 2009 and they had a daughter named Lara who was born in October 2009. Greg and Vanessa also had a son, Cameron, who was born in July of 2011.
== Illness and Retirement ==
Greg had experienced health difficulties since December of 2005, at age 33 when he underwent a double hernia operation and withdrew from his group's Wiggledancing! Live On Stage tour on August 23, 2006 after suffering repeated fainting spells, slurred speech, fatigue, and trembling. Although Greg was missing for virtually all of the late 2006 U.S. tour, audiences were informed of Greg's absence at concerts moments before the curtain went up. At first, Greg was told that he had seven years to live, but he was diagnosed with a non-life-threatening and difficult to diagnose chronic illness called orthostatic intolerance, which causes symptoms such as fatigue and loss of balance. Specialists believed that Greg had mild episodes of the illness going back twelve years, but symptoms worsened after his hernias. It was decided that Greg would step back from performing with The Wiggles to better manage his health. In the months following the announcement of Greg's retirement, he received an overwhelming outpouring of public support. He reported that it took his parents six months to answer to the mountains of emails.
== Cardiac Arrest ==
On January 17th, 2020, The Original Wiggles were doing a reunion show for the bushfires in Australia. Towards the end of the show, the group was ready to do their last song 'Get Ready To Wiggle' and once they finished they started to leave the stage. When Greg was leaving the stage reaching down to get his drink, he collapsed as he was walking. It was captured on camera and his gasping was heard through the speakers as he was still wearing his mic. Once the whole band had left, the people in the crowd started chanting 'Hot Potato, Hot Potato, Hot Potato!' since they had not played that song yet. Anthony and Murray came on stage and Murray told the crowd that Greg was not feeling well. While Greg was getting CPR, they closed the curtain for privacy. Then the band and Captain Feathersword played Hot Potato. The paramedics were using the defibrillator but in order to put it on him, they cut open his yellow skivvy, and he was rushed to the hospital. Once Anthony realized how bad Greg was doing, he had a panic attack, then the morning after, while he was explaining to Greg what happened, he had another panic attack, and during the second show, the crowd was chanting in support of Greg making Anthony break into tears and overcome by emotion as Murray and Jeff comforted him. The reason why Greg had a cardiac arrest was because a small amount of plaque broke free during the blood flow while he was dancing, and it blocked his artery making his heart stop. On April 17th he posted a video on his YouTube channel and he said he didn't watch the entire show he only watched the very end where he collapsed because he wanted to know what happened.
== Trivia ==
* Greg has been writing songs since 1991.
* The first song that Greg wrote for The Wiggles was Rock-A-Bye Your Bear.
* He held the record for being the youngest Wiggle to join, as he became a Wiggle when he was 19 years old until 2021 when Tsehay Hawkins became a Wiggle when she was 16 years old.
* On February 25, 1996, Greg and Michelle were married.
* Greg Page worked on his solo album from 1997 to 1998.
* Greg used to work at Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC).
* Greg really loves the movie Toy Story.
* In 2011, Greg published his autobiography called Now and Then: Greg Page.
* His favourite Wiggles song is The Monkey Dance.
* His favourite Wiggles videos are "Wake Up Jeff! and It's a Wiggly Wiggly World!"
* Greg was a member of The Manzillas.
* He has an edutainment series called Explore, Discover and Grow.
* As of April 15, 2020, Greg is now an ambassador for Safebeat in the US.
* Greg once owned the fourth largest Elvis memorabilia collection in the world. He donated the collection to a museum.
* Despite having been the original Yellow Wiggle, Greg's favourite colour is blue in real life. In fact, when he isn't a Wiggle, he hardly wears yellow.
* In addition to the above fact, he and Anthony had a race to get the blue shirt when the Wiggles went shopping for their coloured shirts. Anthony got there first, and the rest is history.
* In TV Series 1, Greg was also the narrator of the Henry the Octopus segment.
* He and Jeff Fatt are the only band members to reprise their original roles in regular Wiggles media since their departure (not counting reunion concerts).
* His birthdate is the same day that Elton John recorded Rocket Man.
* On June 2nd, 2023, Greg gave a presentation at the University of Adelaide discussing his sudden cardiac arrest.
* He is the only OG Wiggle born in the Gen X Era.