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Neil Mullane Finn OBE (born May 27, 1958 in Te Awamutu, New Zealand) is a singer and songwriter and one of New Zealand's foremost musicians.
Biography
Early Years / Split Enz
Finn attended school at Sacred Heart College, and at Te Awamutu College. He decided at the age of 12 to become a musician, and throughout school performed in prisons, hospitals, as well as at home gatherings.
In 1976, he formed a group known as After Hours (with Mark Hough, Geoff Chunn and Alan Brown). He finished school in 1975. Not long after the debut performance of After Hours, Neil was invited to London to join Split Enz, the band formed by his elder brother, Tim Finn.
By 1981, Neil was sharing lead-singer's duties in Split Enz. He wrote their first international hit "I Got You", and contributed significantly to all their later albums, briefly assuming leadership of the band after Tim left in 1983.
The Mullanes / Crowded House
Split Enz broke up in 1984. Finn formed a new band called The Mullanes (Mullane being both his middle name and his mother's maiden name) with Split Enz drummer Paul Hester, guitarist Craig Hooper of The Reels and bassist Nick Seymour, younger brother of Hunters & Collectors leader Mark Seymour. He had actually met Seymour on the final Split Enz tour.
Hooper left just before they recorded their first album, at which time the band was renamed Crowded House, after the rented accommodation they shared while recording in Los Angeles.
Crowded House went on to enormous success worldwide, in particular with two major hits: Don't Dream It's Over (U.S. #2, 1987) and Weather With You (U.K. #7, 1992).
After releasing four albums, Crowded House, Temple of Low Men, Woodface, and Together Alone, the group broke up in 1996, and followed this action by releasing a greatest hits album Recurring Dream: The Very Best Of Crowded House. Following this, Neil Finn went solo. At a later date, the album "Afterglow" was released which contained Crowded House tracks not previously found on Crowded House albums.
Solo years
Finn has recorded two solo albums to date: Try Whistling This (1998) and One Nil (2001). (One Nil was released in the US and Canada as a remixed and reordered version named One All (2002).) In addition, he and brother Tim have collaborated on two Finn Brothers albums, Finn (1995) and Everyone Is Here (2004).
In 2001, he released a live album/DVD (7 Worlds Collide) consisting of songs recorded at St James Theatre in Auckland, New Zealand with the likes of Lisa Germano, Sebastian Steinberg (Soul Coughing), Ed O'Brien and Phil Selway (Radiohead), Johnny Marr (The Smiths), Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam), Paul Jeffrey, Tim Finn, and Betchadupa.
Also in 2001, Finn was heavily involved in creating the soundtrack for the motion picture 'Rain'.
Finn has also produced and recorded with various New Zealand acts such as Bic Runga, The Mutton Birds and Dave Dobbyn.
Both Finn and his brother were made OBE (Order of the British Empire) for services to New Zealand music in the 1993 Queen's Birthday Honours List.
The Dixie Chicks latest release "Taking The Long Way" has a song co-written by them and Neil, entitled "Silent House".
Finn also features as a backing vocalist for the Sheryl Crow song "Everyday is a Winding Road" from her self-titled second album of 1997.
Family
Neil married his wife Sharon Dawn Johnson on February 13, 1982. The song "I Love You Dawn", available on the album of unreleased Crowded House tracks and B-sides called "Afterglow" was penned in her honour.
They have two sons, Liam Mullane (born September 24, 1983) and Elroy Timothy (born October 25, 1989). Both sons play various instruments, and often perform alongside their father on tour, and in the recording studio. Liam now has his own band, Betchadupa, based in London, UK.
Sharon Finn creates chandeliers in her workshop in Auckland. Numerous chandeliers designed by Sharon featured on stage in the 2004-5 tours promoting the Everyone Is Here album.
Sharon has appeared on backing vocals on various albums such as Crowded House and Alex Lloyd's Watching Angels Mend.
Discography
Cover
| Date
| Title
| Label
| Charted
| Country
| Catalog Number
|
|---|
| 1998
| Try Whistling This
| EMI
| -
| -
| 72434-95139-2-1
|
| 2001
| One Nil
|
| -
| -
|
|
| 2002
| One All
|
| -
| -
|
|
Live Albums
|
| 2000
| Neil Finn: Sessions at West 54th
|
| -
| -
|
|
| 2001
| 7 Worlds Collide
|
| -
| -
|
|
DVDs
|
| 2001
| 7 Worlds Collide
|
| -
| -
|
|
Year
| Single
| Album
| Charted
| Certification
|
|---|
1998
| "Sinner"
| Try Whistling This
| -
| -
|
1998
| "She Will Have Her Way"
| Try Whistling This
| -
| -
|
1999
| "I Can See Clearly Now"
|
| -
| -
|
2001
| "Rest Of The Day Off"
| One Nil
| -
| -
|
References
- Chunn, Mike, Stranger Than Fiction: The Life and Times of Split Enz, GP Publications, 1992. ISBN 1-86956-050-7
- Bourke, Chris, Something So Strong, Macmillan Australia, 1997, ISBN 0-7329-0886-8
- Twomey, Chris & Doole, Kerry, Crowded House: Private Universe, Omnibus Pr, 1998, ISBN 0-7119-4816-X
- Dix, John, Stranded in Paradise: New Zealand Rock and Roll, 1955 to the Modern Era, Penguin Books, 2005, ISBN 0-14-301953-8
Other links
cy:Neil Finn
de:Neil Finn
nl:Neil Finn
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