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{{Short description|Australian musician and actor (1953–2012)}}
{{Short description|Australian musician (1953–2012)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox musical artist
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Greg Ham
| name = Greg Ham
| image = File:Men At Work 1983 (Greg Ham).jpg
| image = Men At Work 1983 (Greg Ham) (cropped).jpg
| image_size =
| landscape = <!-- yes, if wide image, otherwise leave blank -->
| landscape = <!-- yes, if wide image, otherwise leave blank -->
| alt =
| caption = Ham in a 1983 photoshoot with Men at Work
| caption = Ham in a 1983 photoshoot with Men at Work
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| birth_name = Gregory Norman Ham
| birth_name = Gregory Norman Ham
| alias =
| alias =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1953|9|27}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1953|9|27}}
| birth_place = [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], Australia
| birth_place = [[Melbourne, Victoria]], Australia
| origin = [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], Australia
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2012|4|19|1953|9|27}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2012|4|19|1953|9|27}}
| death_place = [[Carlton North, Victoria]], Australia
| death_place = [[Carlton North, Victoria]], Australia
| genre = {{hlist|[[Pop rock]]|[[New wave music|new wave]]|[[post-punk]]|[[reggae rock]]}}
| genre = {{hlist|[[Pop rock]]|[[New wave music|new wave]]|[[post-punk]]|[[reggae rock]]}}
| occupation = Musician, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, actor
| occupation = Musician, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist
| instrument = {{hlist|Keyboards|saxophone|flute|harmonica|guitar|vocals}}
| instrument = {{hlist|Keyboards|saxophone|flute|harmonica|guitar|vocals}}
| years_active = 1979–2012
| years_active = 1979–2012
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| website =
| website =
}}
}}
'''Gregory Norman Ham''' (27 September 1953 – 19 April 2012) was an Australian musician, songwriter, and actor, best known as a member of the 1980s band [[Men at Work]]. He played saxophone, flute, organ, piano, and synthesizer.
'''Gregory Norman Ham''' (27 September 1953 – 19 April 2012) was an Australian musician, best known as a member of the 1980s band [[Men at Work]]. He played saxophone, flute, organ, piano, and synthesizer.


==Early life==
==Early life==
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Ham played [[saxophone]], keyboards, [[flute]], and [[harmonica]] for the group, as well as performing backing vocals. He sang lead vocals on songs such as "Helpless Automaton" and "I Like To." Ham also performed the saxophone solo in the song "[[Who Can It Be Now?]]" (a rehearsal take was used in the final mix) and improvised the flute riff in the song "[[Down Under (song)|Down Under]]".{{Citation needed|date=December 2019}}
Ham played [[saxophone]], keyboards, [[flute]], and [[harmonica]] for the group, as well as performing backing vocals. He sang lead vocals on songs such as "Helpless Automaton" and "I Like To." Ham also performed the saxophone solo in the song "[[Who Can It Be Now?]]" (a rehearsal take was used in the final mix) and improvised the flute riff in the song "[[Down Under (song)|Down Under]]".{{Citation needed|date=December 2019}}

In 1983, Ham, as a member of Men at Work, won a [[Grammy Award]] for [[Best New Artist]].


=== Lawsuit and plagiarism accusation ===
=== Lawsuit and plagiarism accusation ===
Larrikin Music bought the rights to the 1930s children's song "Kookaburra" in 1990 for $6,100. In 2009, music publisher Larrikin Music, then headed by Norman Lurie (now retired), sued Men at Work and their record label EMI for plagiarism, alleging that the flute riff copied the 1934 nursery rhyme "[[Kookaburra (song)|Kookaburra]]", to which they owned the publishing rights. The [[Federal Court of Australia]] ruled that "Down Under" did infringe the copyright of "Kookaburra" and awarded Larrikin 5% of the song's royalties backdated to 2002. Several appeals by EMI and Men at Work were unsuccessful. In an interview with ''The Age'' newspaper, Ham said he was deeply affected by the judgment and felt it tarnished his reputation, saying: "I'm terribly disappointed that that's the way I'm going to be remembered—for copying something."<ref name=northover>{{cite news|last=Northover|first=Kylie; Chris Johnston|title=How the song turned sour for a 'beautiful man'|url=http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/music/how-the-song-turned-sour-for-a-beautiful-man-20120419-1xa5w.html|access-date=20 April 2012|newspaper=The Age|date=20 April 2012}}</ref> Colin Hay, Ham's childhood friend and bandmate chooses, however, to remember Ham as “a great, great friend and a great guy” who was a "very inspired and instinctive" musician."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-09-10 |title=Interview: Men At Work |url=https://www.classicpopmag.com/2019/09/interview-men-at-work/ |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=Classic Pop Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>
Larrikin Music bought the rights to the 1930s children's song "Kookaburra" in 1990 for $6,100. In 2009, music publisher Larrikin Music, then headed by Norman Lurie (now retired), sued Men at Work and their record label EMI for plagiarism, alleging that the flute riff copied the 1934 nursery rhyme "[[Kookaburra (song)|Kookaburra]]", to which they owned the publishing rights. The [[Federal Court of Australia]] ruled that "Down Under" did infringe the copyright of "Kookaburra" and awarded Larrikin 5% of the song's royalties backdated to 2002. Several appeals by EMI and Men at Work were unsuccessful. In an interview with ''The Age'' newspaper, Ham said he was deeply affected by the judgment and felt it tarnished his reputation, saying: "I'm terribly disappointed that that's the way I'm going to be remembered—for copying something."<ref name=northover>{{cite news|last=Northover|first=Kylie; Chris Johnston|title=How the song turned sour for a 'beautiful man'|url=http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/music/how-the-song-turned-sour-for-a-beautiful-man-20120419-1xa5w.html|access-date=20 April 2012|newspaper=The Age|date=20 April 2012}}</ref>


=== Later career ===
=== Later career ===
Ham played brass and keyboard with the R&B band Relax with Max, with frontman Max Vella, girlfriend Linda "Toots" Wostry, on saxophone, James Black on keyboard, David Adam and Ross Hannaford on guitar and John James "JJ" Hackett on drums. Relax with Max played at the Metropol in Fitzroy and on ABC's television comedy ''While You're Down There'' and at the Falls Creek music festival. They supported Australian artists including [[Kylie Minogue]] and American soul singers [[James Brown]] and [[Bo Diddley]].{{citation needed|date=April 2012}} Ham also performed regularly with jazzy ensemble Miss Dorothy and His Fools in Love. Later in life, Ham taught guitar at Carlton North Primary School and assessed music students for the [[Victorian Certificate of Education]] (VCE).<ref name=newsltd />
Ham played brass and keyboard with the R&B band Relax with Max, with frontman Max Vella, girlfriend Linda "Toots" Wostry, on saxophone, James Black on keyboard, David Adam and Ross Hannaford on guitar and John James "JJ" Hackett on drums. Relax with Max played at the Metropol in Fitzroy and on ABC's television comedy ''While You're Down There'' and at the Falls Creek music festival. They supported Australian artists including [[Kylie Minogue]] and American soul singers [[James Brown]] and [[Bo Diddley]].{{citation needed|date=April 2012}} Ham also performed regularly with jazz ensemble Miss Dorothy and His Fools in Love. Later in life, Ham taught guitar at Carlton North Primary School and assessed music students for the [[Victorian Certificate of Education]] (VCE).<ref name=newsltd />


==Death==
==Death==
Ham was found dead on 19 April 2012 at his home in Carlton North, Melbourne. Several newspapers{{Which|date=April 2023}} listed the cause as a [[heart attack]]. Friends of Ham had told newspapers that he had a long battle with [[heroin]] addiction, which had escalated after the Kookaburra Trial<ref>{{cite news |title=A jaunty tune turned sour for Men At Work's man with the flute |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |last=Northover |first=Kylie |date=20 Apr 2012 |access-date=28 May 2023 |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/a-jaunty-tune-turned-sour-for-men-at-works-man-with-the-flute-20120419-1xa4x.html}}</ref>. It is known that he was depressed and suffering anxiety over the copyright lawsuit filed against him and the members of Men at Work for the alleged similarities between "Kookaburra" and the flute riff in "Down Under".<ref name=smh2>{{cite news|last=Mathieson|first=Craig|title=Entertainer at work (Sydney Morning Herald)|url=http://www.colinhay.com/2013/03/01/entertainer-at-work-sydney-morning-herald/|access-date=4 December 2013|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=1 March 2013}}</ref><ref name=smh>{{cite news|last=Cook|first=Henrietta|title=Greg Ham found dead in house|url=http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/greg-ham-found-dead-in-house-20120419-1x93x.html|access-date=19 April 2012|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=19 April 2012}}</ref><ref name="Pena">{{cite web|url=http://www.examiner.com/article/remembering-greg-ham-1953-2012 |title=Remembering Greg Ham: 1953–2012 |last=Pena |first=Shirley |work=examiner.com |date=19 April 2014 |access-date=22 July 2014 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6RFWVSiQU |archive-date=22 July 2014 }}</ref>
Ham was found dead on 19 April 2012 at his home in Carlton North, Melbourne. Several newspapers{{Which|date=April 2023}} listed the cause as a [[heart attack]]. Friends of Ham had told newspapers that he had a long battle with [[heroin]] addiction, which had escalated after the Kookaburra Trial.<ref>{{cite news |title=A jaunty tune turned sour for Men At Work's man with the flute |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |last=Northover |first=Kylie |date=20 Apr 2012 |access-date=28 May 2023 |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/a-jaunty-tune-turned-sour-for-men-at-works-man-with-the-flute-20120419-1xa4x.html}}</ref> It is known that he was depressed and suffering anxiety over the copyright lawsuit filed against him and the members of Men at Work for the alleged similarities between "Kookaburra" and the flute riff in "Down Under".<ref name=smh2>{{cite news|last=Mathieson|first=Craig|title=Entertainer at work (Sydney Morning Herald)|url=http://www.colinhay.com/2013/03/01/entertainer-at-work-sydney-morning-herald/|access-date=4 December 2013|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=1 March 2013}}</ref><ref name=smh>{{cite news|last=Cook|first=Henrietta|title=Greg Ham found dead in house|url=http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/greg-ham-found-dead-in-house-20120419-1x93x.html|access-date=19 April 2012|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=19 April 2012}}</ref><ref name="Pena">{{cite web|url=http://www.examiner.com/article/remembering-greg-ham-1953-2012 |title=Remembering Greg Ham: 1953–2012 |last=Pena |first=Shirley |work=examiner.com |date=19 April 2014 |access-date=22 July 2014 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160326170838/http://www.examiner.com/article/remembering-greg-ham-1953-2012 |archive-date=26 March 2016 }}</ref>


Ham's private funeral was held at the [[Fitzroy Town Hall]] in Melbourne on 2 May 2012.<ref name="Funeral"/> Ham was survived by his two children.<ref name="Funeral">{{cite news | url = http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/men-at-works-greg-ham-farewelled/story-e6frfn09-1226345094707 | title = Crowd Gathers to Farewell Men at Work's Greg Ham at Funeral | publisher = news.com.au | date = 2 May 2012 | access-date = 21 July 2014 }}</ref>
Ham's private funeral was held at the [[Fitzroy Town Hall]] in Melbourne on 2 May 2012.<ref name="Funeral"/> He was survived by his two children.<ref name="Funeral">{{cite news | url = http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/men-at-works-greg-ham-farewelled/story-e6frfn09-1226345094707 | title = Crowd Gathers to Farewell Men at Work's Greg Ham at Funeral | publisher = news.com.au | date = 2 May 2012 | access-date = 21 July 2014 }}</ref> Colin Hay remembered Ham as “a great, great friend and a great guy” who was a "very inspired and instinctive" musician."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-09-10 |title=Interview: Men At Work |url=https://www.classicpopmag.com/2019/09/interview-men-at-work/ |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=Classic Pop Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
* {{IMDb name|0357217}}
* {{IMDb name|0357217}}
* {{Find a Grave|89003679|Greg Ham}}

{{Men at Work}}
{{Men at Work}}


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[[Category:Australian pianists]]
[[Category:Australian pianists]]
[[Category:Australian saxophonists]]
[[Category:Australian saxophonists]]
[[Category:Male saxophonists]]
[[Category:Australian male saxophonists]]
[[Category:Men at Work members]]
[[Category:Men at Work members]]
[[Category:Musicians from Melbourne]]
[[Category:Musicians from Melbourne]]
[[Category:People educated at Camberwell Grammar School]]
[[Category:People educated at Camberwell Grammar School]]
[[Category:Male pianists]]
[[Category:Australian male pianists]]
[[Category:Deaths from coronary artery disease|Category:Deaths from coronary artery diseas]]
[[Category:Deaths from coronary artery disease|Category:Deaths from coronary artery diseas]]
[[Category:20th-century flautists]]
[[Category:20th-century flautists]]

Latest revision as of 02:43, 10 December 2024

Greg Ham
Ham in a 1983 photoshoot with Men at Work
Ham in a 1983 photoshoot with Men at Work
Background information
Birth nameGregory Norman Ham
Born(1953-09-27)27 September 1953
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Died19 April 2012(2012-04-19) (aged 58)
Carlton North, Victoria, Australia
Genres
Occupation(s)Musician, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist
Instruments
  • Keyboards
  • saxophone
  • flute
  • harmonica
  • guitar
  • vocals
Years active1979–2012
LabelsEMI

Gregory Norman Ham (27 September 1953 – 19 April 2012) was an Australian musician, best known as a member of the 1980s band Men at Work. He played saxophone, flute, organ, piano, and synthesizer.

Early life

[edit]

Ham was born in Melbourne and attended Camberwell Grammar School from 1964 to 1971.[1] According to the school's year books, he was remembered for his acting talent in school plays, particularly The World We Live In (the insect comedy) in 1969 where he played the "parasite".[2] In 1970 he played Mr Seekamp, editor of the Ballarat Times, in Lola Montez and, in 1971, Puff in The Critic. In 1967 Ham was photographed airborne by J. Jones in a still photo which won first prize in the Ilford Competition.

Career

[edit]

Men at Work

[edit]

In 1972, Ham met Colin Hay via mutual friend Kym Gyngell. In 1979, he joined the original lineup of Men at Work with Hay, Ron Strykert, and Jerry Speiser.[3] Ham and Hay formed the core of the band from 1979 until 1985 when Ham left, and the band broke up shortly afterward. Ham returned to Men at Work when they reformed in 1996 to tour the United States.[4]

Ham played saxophone, keyboards, flute, and harmonica for the group, as well as performing backing vocals. He sang lead vocals on songs such as "Helpless Automaton" and "I Like To." Ham also performed the saxophone solo in the song "Who Can It Be Now?" (a rehearsal take was used in the final mix) and improvised the flute riff in the song "Down Under".[citation needed]

In 1983, Ham, as a member of Men at Work, won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist.

Lawsuit and plagiarism accusation

[edit]

Larrikin Music bought the rights to the 1930s children's song "Kookaburra" in 1990 for $6,100. In 2009, music publisher Larrikin Music, then headed by Norman Lurie (now retired), sued Men at Work and their record label EMI for plagiarism, alleging that the flute riff copied the 1934 nursery rhyme "Kookaburra", to which they owned the publishing rights. The Federal Court of Australia ruled that "Down Under" did infringe the copyright of "Kookaburra" and awarded Larrikin 5% of the song's royalties backdated to 2002. Several appeals by EMI and Men at Work were unsuccessful. In an interview with The Age newspaper, Ham said he was deeply affected by the judgment and felt it tarnished his reputation, saying: "I'm terribly disappointed that that's the way I'm going to be remembered—for copying something."[5]

Later career

[edit]

Ham played brass and keyboard with the R&B band Relax with Max, with frontman Max Vella, girlfriend Linda "Toots" Wostry, on saxophone, James Black on keyboard, David Adam and Ross Hannaford on guitar and John James "JJ" Hackett on drums. Relax with Max played at the Metropol in Fitzroy and on ABC's television comedy While You're Down There and at the Falls Creek music festival. They supported Australian artists including Kylie Minogue and American soul singers James Brown and Bo Diddley.[citation needed] Ham also performed regularly with jazz ensemble Miss Dorothy and His Fools in Love. Later in life, Ham taught guitar at Carlton North Primary School and assessed music students for the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE).[4]

Death

[edit]

Ham was found dead on 19 April 2012 at his home in Carlton North, Melbourne. Several newspapers[which?] listed the cause as a heart attack. Friends of Ham had told newspapers that he had a long battle with heroin addiction, which had escalated after the Kookaburra Trial.[6] It is known that he was depressed and suffering anxiety over the copyright lawsuit filed against him and the members of Men at Work for the alleged similarities between "Kookaburra" and the flute riff in "Down Under".[7][8][9]

Ham's private funeral was held at the Fitzroy Town Hall in Melbourne on 2 May 2012.[10] He was survived by his two children.[10] Colin Hay remembered Ham as “a great, great friend and a great guy” who was a "very inspired and instinctive" musician."[11]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Gallery of Achievement: Mr Greg Ham (1971), Old Camberwell Grammarians′ Association, 2008.
  2. ^ Baker, Glenn A. (23 April 2012). "Down Under instrumentalist blew away listeners". The Age. Archived from the original on 29 April 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  3. ^ Holmgren, Magnus; Warnqvist, Stefan. "Men at Work". passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Cops remain at home of Men at Work star Greg Ham who was found dead in Melbourne". news.com.au. 20 April 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  5. ^ Northover, Kylie; Chris Johnston (20 April 2012). "How the song turned sour for a 'beautiful man'". The Age. Retrieved 20 April 2012.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Northover, Kylie (20 April 2012). "A jaunty tune turned sour for Men At Work's man with the flute". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  7. ^ Mathieson, Craig (1 March 2013). "Entertainer at work (Sydney Morning Herald)". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  8. ^ Cook, Henrietta (19 April 2012). "Greg Ham found dead in house". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  9. ^ Pena, Shirley (19 April 2014). "Remembering Greg Ham: 1953–2012". examiner.com. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  10. ^ a b "Crowd Gathers to Farewell Men at Work's Greg Ham at Funeral". news.com.au. 2 May 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  11. ^ "Interview: Men At Work". Classic Pop Magazine. 10 September 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
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