G. Wayne Thomas
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Use Australian English|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox musical artist
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| birth_name = Graham Wayne Thomas
| alias = Wayne Thomas
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G. Wayne Thomas is a New Zealand-born Australian-based musician, producer and songwriter. His 1972 single, "Open Up Your Heart"/"Morning of the Earth", reached #21 on the Australian singles chart.
Thomas was born in Auckland, New Zealand. He moved to Australia in 1968 and started writing music for commercials. He signed with Warner Bros. Records, released a single in 1971, and started working as a producer. He produced the soundtrack to the surf movie Morning of the Earth, changing what was going to be a Tamam Shud album into a "various-artists" record. It featured Tamam Shud, Terry Hannigan, Brian Cadd, John J. Francis and Peter Howe, as well as three G. Wayne Thomas tracks. The soundtrack was released in 1972 along with a single from the album, "Open Up Your Heart"/"Morning of the Earth".{{cite book |last1=McFarlane |first1=Ian |author-link1=Ian McFarlane |title=Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop |chapter=Encyclopedia entry for 'G. Wayne Thomas' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040823035618/http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=723 |chapter-url=http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=723 |year=1999 |publisher=Allen & Unwin |location=St Leonards, NSW |archive-date=23 August 2004 |isbn=1-86508-072-1}}
In 1972, Thomas put together a band called "Duck", to record an album. The band originally comprised Jon English, Bobbi Marchini, John Robinson, Bobby Gebert, Larry Duryea, Teddy Toi and Steve Webb. They released an album of covers, Laid, which was produced by Thomas.{{cite book |last1=McFarlane |first1=Ian |author-link1=Ian McFarlane |title=Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop |chapter=Encyclopedia entry for 'Duck' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040806231401/http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=299 |chapter-url=http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=299 |year=1999 |publisher=Allen & Unwin |location=St Leonards, NSW |archive-date=6 August 2004 |isbn=1-86508-072-1}}
Thomas started his own label, Warm & Genuine, and released a self-titled album in 1973. He followed that up with a soundtrack for the 1973 Australian surf film, Crystal Voyager, putting together a studio band called the Crystal Voyager Band, comprising Thomas, Bobby Gebert, Mick Liber, Rod Coe and John Proud. Thomas's last release on Warm & Genuine was in 1975, after which he signed with Polydor.
In 1979-80, he worked in a duo with Peter Bailey and together they released an album, Missing Persons, as well as four singles.
Discography
=Albums=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
! Title ! Details |
| scope="row"| G. Wayne Thomas
|
|
|---|
| scope="row"| Crystal Voyager
|
|
| scope="row"| Missing Persons (as Thomas and Bailey) |
|
=EPs=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
! Title ! Details |
| scope="row"| Open Your Hear
|
|
|---|
=Singles=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
|+ List of singles, with Australian chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Year ! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Title ! scope="col" colspan="1" | Peak chart ! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Album |
| scope="col" style="text-align:center;" | AUS {{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=308}} |
|---|
| 1971
! scope="row" | "Take It Easy"/"You're Not Alone" | style="text-align:center;" | 58 |rowspan="3" | G. Wayne Thomas |
| 1972
! scope="row" | "Open Up Your Heart"/"Morning of the Earth" | style="text-align:center;" | 21 |
| rowspan="3" | 1973
! scope="row" |"Everything in You"/"Call My Name" | style="text-align:center;" | 47 |
| scope="row" |"Hollywood"/"Morning Light" (with The Crystal Voyager Band) | style="text-align:center;" | - |rowspan="3" | Crystal Voyager |
| scope="row" |"Changes"/"Into the Blue" (with The Crystal Voyager Band) | style="text-align:center;" | - |
| 1974
! scope="row" |"Gypsy Shoes"/"Clouds Cry" | style="text-align:center;" | - |
| rowspan="2" | 1975
! scope="row" |"Mercy for the Innocent"/"Junkyard" | style="text-align:center;" | - | {{n/a|non album single}} |
| scope="row" |"Summer Days"/"Fly Away"
| style="text-align:center;" | - | {{n/a|non album single}} |
| 1976
! scope="row" |"Just to Love You"/"How Can I Tell You?" | style="text-align:center;" | 58 | {{n/a|non album single}} |
| rowspan="2" | 1979
! scope="row" |"The Last Laugh"/"It's Alright" | style="text-align:center;" | - |rowspan="3" | Missing Persons |
| scope="row" |"Missing Persons"/"Loving You"
| style="text-align:center;" | - |
| rowspan="2" | 1980
! scope="row" | "I Don't Want to Spoil Your Party"/"Half Way Home" | style="text-align:center;" | - |
| scope="row" |"Tobacco Road"/"They Loved Their Lives Away"
| style="text-align:center;" | - | {{n/a|non album single}} |