Graham GreeneGraham Greene – Guitarist, Composer, Songwriter

Australian Guitar Magazine wrote (2007): “The Satriani of the South, Perth guitarist Graham Greene put together this brilliant album, all instrumental bar ’Fire In Your Liberty’, which features his wife Donna on vocals. As for the rest, Greene plays every instrument. Mixing soaring melodic ’80s-style lead with frenzied tapping, neo-classical displays of fret-wizardry, stabbing harmonics and talk box. Greene travels with flair and grace through a variety of styles, from ballads to metal and blues, and comes out the other side a certified rock god.”

Through the 80’s and early 90’s, Graham was one of the highest profile guitar players in Perth. His stints included Flash Harry (’82 – ‘86) as well as the enormously popular & successful Melodic Hard Rock Band, Ice Tiger (’87 – ’92), gaining recognition in Australia, Europe and Japan. Graham continues to entertain people with his fretboard agility & melodic compositions while continuing to gain recognition world wide. In October 2007 “G” was Special Guest with his instrumental band at Steve Flack’s Guitar Heroes:Guitar Fest in Sydney & in January 2008 returned with his vocal band, Resonance Project, from a Vietnam Stadium Concert where they were invited to represent Australia to a viewing audience of 15,000 ppl and televised live to 6 million people on VTV1. Guitar heads and music lovers alike are reminded of the fun & expression of music and the feelings of exhilaration and inspiration only a Greene guitar display can achieve. An experience not to be missed.

1982

  • July/August – WA tour with New Zealand Pop/Rock diva Kim Hart. Band included Paul Pooley (Bass), Claude Woodward (Keys), Simon Locke (Drums).
  • September – Joined The Reserves, soon to become Flash Harry

1982 – 1987

  • Flash Harry, popular top 40/covers band. Flash Harry record some original material (some written by Graham) and perform it on TV (Telethon, Appealathon).
    Support gigs include Meat Loaf, Mondo Rock, Ol’ 55, Eurogliders.

1987

  • Five month stint in the house band at Gobbles Nightclub, “The Intruders”, featuring Ric Whittle (drums), Peter Oats (Bass), Jeannie Norris (Vocals), Ty Coates (Vocals), Tony Borthwick (Sax), Mal Smith (Keys)

1987/88 – 1992

  • Ice Tiger with Dave Crosby (Vocals), Don Benson (Bass, vocals), Steve Essex (Drums, vocals), Greg Garbellini (Keys, guitar, vocals), John Calabrese (Keys, vocals), James Pool (Drums). Ice Tiger play supports with Bon Jovi, Jimmy Barnes, Divinyls, Matt Finish, Canned Heat, Pseudo Echo, Noiseworks and Dragon, and headlined their own concert at the Burswood Dome (1991). The album Love’n’Crime was released in 1991 in Western Australia, and internationally in 1996, after the band’s demise.
    Other band highlights include appearances on Telethon, Appealathon and Hey, Hey It’s Saturday, where they appeared on the show with Nathan Cavaleri and Wendy Matthews.
  • Endorsements included: Charvel, D’Addario, Peavey.

1993

  • Croz & The Legendary Allstars, with Dave Crosby (Vocals), Jamie Page (Guitar, vocals), James Morley (Bass, vocals) and Ashley Cook (Drums).

1994

  • Hard rock band Rusty Cage, with Donna Andrews (Vocals), Simon Whyte (Bass, vocals) and Sandro Donatelli (Drums). The band changes its name to Judgement Day when James Honner replaces Sandro Donatelli.
  • Graham also debuts as a solo artist/bandleader at the 1994 WA Music Industry Awards at His Majesty’s Theatre as Graham Greene & The Happy Sinners with Errol H. Tout (Guitar), Simon Whyte (Bass), James Honner (Drums), Gary Ridge (Percussion), Mary Andel (Keys), and backing vocalists Carl Pink, Bill Bennett, Stephanie Tornatora and Donna Greene.

1996

  • Judgement Day move to Sydney, when they are joined by Joe Rahme on drums.  Gigs included supporting  Alan Lancaster’s (ex Status Quo) ‘The Bombers’.
  • Endorsements included:  Ibanez and Peavey.

1997

  • Graham records his first solo CD, Blue Feathers.

1999

  • Return to Perth, release ltd. Edition EP, Voodoo Babies.

2000

  • Home coming gig with new lineup of GG & The Happy Sinners – Annemieke Heijne (Guitar), Troy Brazier (Drums), Brad Brazier (Bass), and backing vocalists Donna Greene, Stephanie Tornatora and Lorraine Collingwood.

2002

  • Release Club Voodoo.  CD Launch band included: Saxon Smith (Guitars), Rob Lumsden (Drums), Jim Awram (Bass), Aswon Farenji (Percussion), John Calabrese (Keyboards), Donna Greene (Vocals), Monique Robinson (Backing Vocals), Special Guest on tracks “RFC97” & “Sahara Moon”, Andrew Di Stefano.

2003

  • February, nerve damage in the neck causes left arm to seize preventing further playing for 11 months.  Receives alternative treatment through naturopathy for 10 months and uses music to complete the healing process with a meditation CD release, “Music of the Numbers”.

2004

  • Release Gaia Rising  (Ambient Rock Guitar tracks)
  • Performs at the 2004 sellout “Ice Tiger Reunion Shows” at the Charles Hotel.

2005

  • Graham is endorsed by Ormsby Guitars who design and build the GG6 & GG7 Signature Series Guitars

2006

  • Release Leap Of Face. The current lineup of Graham Greene & The Happy Sinners comes together – Saxon Smith (Guitar), Jim Awram (Bass), Tommy Ions (Drums), Donna Greene (Vocals)
    Track “Raven’s Eye Pt1.” used in the Stop Child Executions campaign.

2007

  • Resonance Project tracks; “Home” & “Fire In Your Liberty”, used in the Stop Child Executions campaign.  Broadcast at the announcement of the release of the first minor from death row in Iran.
  • Tour to Sydney to play at the Inaugural Guitar Heroes:Guitar Fest alongside Steve Flack’s Guitar Heroes and Kahvas Jute featuring Dennis Wilson and Bob Daisley (Ozzy Osbourne, Rainbow, Gary Moore, Yngwie Malmsteen et al).
  • Endorsements included: Mesa/Boogie & Wegen Picks.

2008

  • Band: Resonance Project (a continuation of Judgement Day) – Donna Greene (Vocals), Saxon Smith (Guitar, vocals), Jim Awram (Bass), Tommy Ions (Drums). The band’s first gig is an invitation to represent Australia at a concert at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi, Vietnam to 15,000 people and a VTV1 viewing audience of six million placed on the back of the World Economic Conference held in Vietnam, January 2008.
  • Recording new tracks for upcoming Resonance Project CD.
  • 3rd Ormsby Guitar built:  GG6FG Signature Model
  • Performs at the inaugural Guitar Gods Behaving Badly Event.
  • Winner of The Star Music Awards (Hollywood) as “Best Rock Instrumental Artist” (with song ‘Impressive Hair’)

2009

  • Takes the year to co-write with SA luminaries, Jac Dalton and Darren Mullan on “ICARUS”

2010

  • Performance plans for ICARUS are being made.

 

Memorable Moments:

• Opening for Bon Jovi at the Perth Entertainment Centre to 8,500 people (1990)
• Headlining a concert at the Burswood Dome to 11,000 people (1991)
• Playing “Jump”, “Yankee Rose” and “Just Like Paradise” at an Ice Tiger gig with special guest Gregg Bissonnette on drums (1991)
• Closing the 1994 WA Music Industry Awards at His Majestys Theatre with the debut of Graham Greene & The Happy Sinners
• Regaining the use of my left hand in 2003
• The Ice Tiger reunion shows 2004
• Having the song “Rainmaker” requested for inclusion in the Australian National Screen and Sound Archive (2005)
• Receiving my signature series guitars, the GG6 and GG7 (2005)
• Meeting Jim Marshall at Kosmic Sound for a Groove Magazine article I was writing 2006
• Being the first Australian endorsee placed on the artist page of the Mesa/Boogie website (US) 2007
• Performing on the bill with Dennis Wilson and Bob Daisley at the 2007 Guitar Heroes:Guitar Fest in Sydney
• With Resonance Project – Headlining the “Chao Viet Nam” concert at My Dinh Natonal Stadium in Hanoi to a crowd of 15,000 and a VTV1 viewing audience of six million (2008)

www.grahamgreene.com.au