James Reyne
James Michael Nugent Reyne OAM (born 19 May 1957) is an Australian musician. He achieved fame as the lead singer of Australian Crawl, and subsequently went on to a successful solo career.
James Reyne
James Michael Nugent Reyne
19 May 1957
Lagos, Nigeria
Mount Eliza, Victoria, Australia
Rock, folk rock
Musician, singer-songwriter
- Guitar
- vocals
- piano
- harmonica
1975–present
Biography[edit]
Early years[edit]
Reyne was born in Lagos, Nigeria. His father, Rodney Michael Reyne, was an English-born former Royal Marine who served as aide-de-camp to the governor of the state of Victoria, Sir Dallas Brooks,[1] and subsequently worked for British Petroleum. His paternal grandfather, Cecil Nugent Reyne, was an English rear admiral.[2] His mother, Judith Graham, née Leask, was a teacher.[1] His younger brother, David Reyne, was also born in Nigeria. The family moved to Victoria in late 1959, where a younger sister Elisabeth was born.
Reyne lived in Mount Eliza, Victoria, was educated at the Peninsula School and studied drama at the Victorian College of Arts. He formed a band called Spiff Rouch containing fellow locals Bill McDonough, Guy McDonough, Brad Robinson, Paul Williams, Robert Walker, Mark Hudson and Simon Binks.[3][4][5] By early 1978, Spiff Rouch had split and Reyne formed Clutch Cargo services with Binks, Robinson, Williams and his younger brother David Reyne.[3]
Acting career[edit]
Reyne appeared in the 1983 TV drama miniseries Return to Eden as Greg Marsden. He also played Tina Turner's manager Roger Davies in the 1993 bio-movie about Turner's life, What's Love Got to Do with It. In 2005 he appeared as a guest actor in the telemovie The Postcard Bandit, which used music by Australian Crawl on its soundtrack.[19]
Personal life[edit]
Reyne is the older brother of drummer and TV presenter David Reyne. Their younger sister, Elisabeth, was married to Simon Hussey.[20] They co-produced Daryl Braithwaite's 1991 album Higher Than Hope.[21][22] Hussey produced and engineered Reyne's early albums and both were bandmates in Company of Strangers, with Braithwaite, for the 1992 album of the same name and related singles.[23][24][25]
Reyne is the father of Neighbours actor Jaime-Robbie Reyne.[26][27] He lives on the Mornington Peninsula and has a daughter.[28]
On 13 May 2017 he married Leanne Woolrich.
Awards and nominations[edit]
ARIA Music Awards[edit]
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987.