Biographies
Greg Champion is part humourist, part folkie, half hippy, half bogan, part Victorian and completely South Australian.
Champs has probably crossed your radar through his shows around Australia at rural Community Halls, Sports Clubs, corporate gigs and folk and country music festivals as a musician, comedian or compere.
Greg drifted into radio in 1983 on a fledgling public radio program, The Coodabeen Champions. He's now been a member of the institutional Coodabeens on ABC radio for twenty-three years, developing and sharing his particular brand of Aussie songs along the way.
It was 1985 when Macca of ABC's Australia All Over started flogging Greg's I Made a Hundred in the Backyard At Mum's. Since then Champs has become known for songs like Cricket's On The Radio, May Your Fridge Be Full Of Coldies, Still Haven't Been on Burke's Backyard, That's The Thing About Football, Sensitive New Age Guys From the Bush, his Aussie Christmas CDs with Colin Buchanan and a collaboration with Jim Haynes & Ted Egan on Don't Call Wagga Wagga Wagga.
And now, launched at Tamworth 2009, Greg's latest album Strayana.
Greg Champion has followed his own path through the Australian musical landscape, and in the process he's released eighteen albums reflecting his distinctive take on the way we live.
He's produced a uniquely Australian body of work and it's been said of Greg, that he's contributed to the fabric of Australian culture.
For more information, interviews or album copies, please contact:
Sue Camilleri on 08 89 412 512, mobile 0408 412 512 or email: soozcam@bigpond.net.au
SHORT BIO
Greg came to notice in 1986 on ABC radio with the song I Made a 100 In The Backyard At Mum's. Now he's released about 25 CDs, and won a couple of gongs for Tired Old Talent. Champs has been a member of long-running national ABC radio programme The Coodabeen Champions for 27 years. Greg grew up in the Magill Home For The Visually Unpleasant, and nowadays does guest speaking, where he's classified as a De-Motivational Speaker. A two time runner-up in the Australian Underachiever Awards, Champs has no criminal record.
CORPORATE BIO
Greg Champion's rise to prominence has come largely from his work on the radio, singing about cricket and football (AFL). He has been a member of the long-running Melbourne-based radio humourists The Coodabeen Champions for twenty-four years.
Greg came to the nation's attention in 1986 with the release of a single, I Made a 100 In The Backyard At Mum's. It was the leading track on an Australia All Over album, with ABC's "Macca", that sold over 150,000 copies. In 1994, Channel 7 took up his anthem 'That's The Thing About Football' as a theme for their AFL broadcasts over several years.
This penchant for sport songs led to Greg and the Coodabeens singing on the ground at three AFL Grand Finals, and at two Adelaide Grand Finals. There have been several appearances on the MCG and SCG during international cricket matches.
Meanwhile Champs has pursued a career in the Aussie Country Music and Folk scenes. He's attended the last sixteen Tamworth Festivals and has been awarded a Golden Guitar and two comedy songwriting titles. Since 1990 Champs has released about eighteen albums about Australiana, footy, cricket, Country, comedy and Chistmas. His wacky Aussie Christmas CD with Colin Buchanan achieved platinum sales and the pleasure of having their bent Chrissy songs sung at school carol nights across the nation.
Greg's song titles reveal you something about him: Roll Over Rolf Harris, May Your Fridge Be Full Of Coldies, Dermott Brereton Is A Hood, The Devil Went down To Dubbo and Don't Call Wagga Wagga Wagga, which was recorded with Ted Egan and Jim Haynes.
Greg Champion has provided the current summer theme on ABC radio sport, Cricket's On The Radio. He attends the key Folk and Country Festivals around Australia, and excels as a comedy guest speaker/entertainer. Champs forges his own unique path through the Australian musical landscape, and has been called a valued contributor to Australian culture.
www.gregchampion.com.au
champs@gregchampion.com.au
JIM HAYNES-WRITTEN BIO
Champs has always marched to the beat of his own musical drum. Part comic, part folkie, part country, he has released twenty albums of parodies, football songs, folk songs and among all that has been some very good Country Music, including some iconic comedy songs and a trucking song recorded by Slim Dusty.
Born in Benalla and raised in Adelaide, Greg finished his B.A. degree before moving to Melbourne and playing in several ground-breaking rock bands like 'Young Homebuyers' before drifting into radio in 1983 with the now legendary program, The Coodabeen Champions. Originally a football chat show The Coodabeens has been heard on public and commercial radio over the years but has been an institution on ABC radio for an amazing twenty-eight years.
The Coodabeens gave Greg an outlet for his humour and parodies and, in 1985, I Made a Hundred in the Backyard At Mum's became a huge hit on another ABC radio programme, "Australia All Over". Since then Champs has produced songs like Cricket's On The Radio, May Your Fridge Be Full Of Coldies and That's
The Thing About Football.
Greg's Aussie Christmas CDs with Colin Buchanan have been very popular and he collaborated with Jim Haynes & Ted Egan on Don't Call Wagga Wagga Wagga and produced Jim's most successful album It's Nothing Serious in 1995.
As the Adelaide Crows' Number-One-Ticket-Holder in Melbourne Greg shares with his friend Beccy Cole an irrational passion for the team from South Australia and comperes many team functions.
One of Greg's proudest moments was when he discovered he had appeared in The Macquarie Dictionary of Australian Quotations and it's certainly true that he has produced a uniquely Australian body of work and his iconic songs have both reflected and contributed to the fabric of Australian culture.
The Coodabeen Champions
In 1981, two University pals
in Melbourne, Simon Whelan and Jeff Richardson, approached 3RRR
with the idea of doing a funny radio show about AFL football,
and 'The Coodabeen Champions' was born. Being humorous about
sport was almost a groundbreaking concept back then.
Over the next two years, Ian
Cover, Greg Champion and Tony Leonard joined the Saturday morning
programme. This line-up remained unchanged for twenty years,
until 2003 when five Coodabeens became four after Tony Leonard
elected to stay at 3AW while the Coodabeens returned to ABC radio.
After seven years honing their
'make it up as you go' style on public radio, the Coodabeen Champions
accepted an invitation to join ABC radio in Melbourne. One year
later, in 1988, the oft-called 'wacky funsters' were asked to
take up an additional national Sunday night timeslot, where,
for three hours each week they delivered a show that ultimately
ran for seven years.
Form 1988 till 1992 The Coodabeens
enjoyed national prominence and a devoted following on a Sunday
evening, while also presenting their AFL show on Saturday mornings
to the Southern states.
However, for various reasons,
some of which were out of their control, in 1993 the Coodabeen
Champions found themselves taking their footy show to 3AW, commercial
radio in Victoria. The 'zany larrikins' continued their Sunday
nights on ABC for a further three years, while spending their
Saturdays on the other network.
Eventually Auntie decreed that
being on two stations was a bit too weird, and the lads were
relieved of their Sunday show on the last day of 1995. The protests
resounded across the country, but the umpire never changes his/her
mind. The Coodabeens continued their now epic adventures at
3AW for ten straight years, before, in a final ironic twist,
announcing a joyful return to the national broadcaster in 2003.
Almost as if never having been
away, they resumed their original two ABC programmes on Saturday
mornings and Sunday evenings. It was at this point that one
of the five, Tony Leonard, decided his future lay at 3AW and
opted not to join the gang in the 'homecoming'.
The Coodabeen Champions has had
many other contributors in their twenty-two years on air. Long
loyal service has come from Torch McGee, Darren James, Billy
Baxter, Julian Ross, Helen Molnar and several more.
There have been many attempts
at describing the Coodabeens' radio style: "like eavesdropping
on a pub conversation between a group of mates", it's been
said. And still The Coodabeen Champions continue to enjoy wonderful
support from loyal ABC listeners all across this 'big wide brown
sunburnt country of ours' '. The group have shared their 20s
30s and 40s together, raised families, enjoyed solid external
careers, and been feted as a national treasure. And there's
no sign of weariness or decline. In fact, they would suggest
their best work is still ahead of them.
© Copyright 2009, Greg Champion
