New Single BRICK BY BRICK by Famous Blue Raincoat out now
APRA award winning Kiwi Singer/songwriter Wayne Gillespie has been making quality music in Australia since CBS Australia released his second album New Locations here back in 1987.
Gillespie made his professional debut busking in Paris subways, playing to audiences in London folk clubs and Sydney's Darlinghurst cafes before returning to Auckland in the early 80's.
Wayne Gillespie's first independent release, the acoustic 'Wayward Son' made the finals of the New Zealand Music awards in 1984 and the song 'Away with You' also won a special APRA award in the same year.
The success of 'Wayward Son' resulted in Gillespie coming to the attention of producer Trevor Lucas (Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny, Goanna) and being signed by CBS Records (NZ). Lucas produced Gillespie's second album; the electric 'New Locations' in Jan-March 1986, which achieved critical acclaim and chart success and saw Gillespie relocating to Sydney in the late 80's.
Gillespie combined with a local community of Australasian musicians (such as Dave Dobbyn, Margaret Urlich, Amanda Brown (Go-Betweens), Pedro Bull (Paul Kelly), Mal Green (Split Enz), Dave Sparks (the Saints), Peter Moloney (Johnny O Keefe), Tony Waine (Narcs) and Nigel Gavin (Ex-Robert Fripp) to produce his third album Living in Exile (released in 1993 by Sony (NZ) and Raveswood/Larrikin/Festival in Australia).
Gillespie was invited by the NZ award winners the Narcs to produce and co-write their third album Push the Boat Out released in 1996.
Live shows have included sharing the stage with Suzanne Vega, Chris Whitley, Stan Ridgway, Colin Hay, Ed Keupper, Dave Dobbyn, Margaret Urlich, D.I.G, Neil Murray and the Narcs.
During the 90's Wayne also completed a psychology degree at Macquarie university. His thesis 'The Personality of Rock Musicians' was published in the UK Journal of Music Psychology in October 2000 and he combines songwriting/performing with work in the creative arts as a counselling psychologist.
2006 saw the release of “Live at the Bunker” an acoustic album with long-time associate guitar wizard Nigel Gavin
His latest collaboration with drummer Rob Grosser and band has produced the first single BRICK BY BRICK due for release on 13 August 2021. The album DELUSIONS due out in November 2021 - Gillespies’ first studio release in 25 years!!