Murray Cook

**Murray James Cook** is an Australian guitarist who was formerly known as a member of The Wiggles. He started playing the guitar at age 11. As a teenager he performed in musicals and local bands. He is the second oldest Wiggle in the original lineup, the second tallest slightly shorter than Greg Page, and is the Lead Guitarist in The Wiggles.

## Early Musical Projects

Murray Cook played the guitar in the late 1980s with "The Transistors" and "Finger Guns" (who released three singles) before joining the Sydney-based band Bang Shang a Lang. He continued to play for this band in Sydney, when not on tour with The Wiggles. When things did not work out in the music field for him, he returned to college and studied early childhood education at Macquarie University, where he met Anthony Field and Greg Page and formed The Wiggles in 1991. He performed as a Wiggle from 1991 to 2012 and loved every minute of it, quoting "Children are the best audiences!" He was a music teacher at Kegworth Public School in Leichhardt in 1991 and was a tutor in early education and taught at Macquarie University in 1992. Murray's schtick in The Wiggles was an obsession with playing the guitar. He was conscious that he was probably the first guitarist children would see, and said, "I always think that if it inspires kids to play guitar later on that would be great. I think it would be really nice if in 15 years I read that somebody got into guitar playing because of the Wiggles. I know that would be fantastic." When asked what his favourite Wiggles song was, he stated, "Play Your Guitar With Murray, of course. When we play that song live I get to play like a rock 'n roll star."

Murray's major musical influences are The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who and Eric Clapton. In 2008, Cook was named "the sixth best guitarist in Australia".

Murray owns a collection of thirty vintage guitars.

Onstage, he used the Australian-made Maton Mastersound 500 guitar. He also played a '53 Gibson Les Paul gold top, '64 Fender Strat, James Burton Fender Telecaster, Maton Mastersound 500 and a more recent Les Paul at home or in the studio. The amplifiers he used were the Marshall Head and Box Combo, the Fender Twin and a Bad Cat, which he bought while in the U.S. and said had a "great sound." Murray, whose nickname is Muzz, came up with The Wiggles' signature index finger-wagging move after watching professional bowlers do the move on television. Murray left the group in 2012; since then he has made cameos and played instruments on tour with Greg Page and Jeff Fatt and temporally replaced by Simon Pryce, to spend more time with his family and friends. In 2013, Murray became the Tour Manager for The Wiggles Australia Tour and is making cameos in The Wiggles' TV series Ready, Steady, Wiggle!.

## Wiggles Media Credits

### Albums

* *The Wiggles* - Guitar, Bass Guitar, Vocals, Water Bubble Sounds, Songwriter, Arranger
* *Here Comes a Song* - Guitar, Bass Guitar, Vocals, Chief Kabasa Player, Songwriter, Arranger
* *The Adventures Of Captain Feathersword, The Friendly Pirate*
* *Yummy Yummy*
* *Big Red Car*
* *Wake Up Jeff!*
* *Wiggly, Wiggly Christmas (1996 album)*
* *The Wiggles Movie Soundtrack*
* *Toot Toot!*
* *It's a Wiggly Wiggly World!*
* *Wiggle Time!*
* *Yule Be Wiggling*
* *Hoop-Dee-Doo it's a Wiggly Party*
* *Wiggly Safari*
* *Wiggle Bay*
* *Go To Sleep Jeff!*
* *Whoo Hoo! Wiggly Gremlins!*
* *Top of the Tots*
* *Cold Spaghetti Western*
* *Santa's Rockin'!*
* *LIVE Hot Potatoes!*
* *Sailing Around the World*
* *Here Comes the Big Red Car*
* *It's Time to Wake Up Jeff!*
* *Splish Splash Big Red Boat*
* *Racing to the Rainbow*
* *Christmas Classics*
* *Dorothy the Dinosaur*
* *Getting Strong!*
* *Pop Go The Wiggles!*
* *You Make Me Feel Like Dancing*
* *Sing a Song of Wiggles*
* *The Wiggles Go Bananas!*
* *Hot Poppin' Popcorn*
* *Let's Eat!*
* *Dorothy the Dinosaur's Rockin' Christmas*
* *Ukulele Baby!*
* *The Wiggles' Big Birthday!*
* *It's Always Christmas With You!*
* *Surfer Jeff*
* *Celebration!*
* *Taking Off!* - Guitar
* *Furry Tales* - Musician
* *Pumpkin Face* - Musician
* *Go Santa Go!* - Musician, Co-Arranger of "Oh Happy Day"
* *Apples & Bananas* - Musician, Co-Writer of "Las Golondrinas"
* *Wiggle Town!* - Banjo on "Gymkhana Yodel"
* *Dance Dance!* - Acoustic Guitar, Ukulele and Mandolin on "Hula, Hula Baby" (archived recording)
* *Och Aye the G'Nu!*
* *Fun and Games*\* - Musician
* *Choo Choo Trains, Propeller Planes & Toot Toot, Chugga Chugga, Big Red Car!*\* - Musician
* *ReWiggled* - Guitar

\*Was only credited on the album's accompanying video.

### Television and Video Releases

* *Big Red Car*
* *Toot Toot!*
* *The Wiggly Big Show*
* *It's a Wiggly Wiggly World!*

## Personal Life

Murray was made a member of the Order of Australia on 26 January 2010 for service to the arts, particularly children's entertainment, and to the community as a benefactor and supporter of a range of charities.