Jeffrey Wayne "Jeff" Fatt is an Australian keyboardist who is best known as the original Purple Wiggle in The Wiggles and a member of the the 1980s and 1990s rock band The Cockroaches. He is also best known for having voiced Henry the Octopus. As a kid he and all of his siblings were encouraged by his mother to learn how to play the piano. He is the oldest Wiggle out of all of The Wiggles. He is also shortest Wiggle of the original lineup. He is the keyboardist in The Wiggles.
Other Information[]
Jeff is an Australian musician. He is best known as a member of the Wiggles, Jeff Fatt became one of the "most popular" Asian performers in the world. The son of Chinese parents who owned a large retail store in Casino, Jeff had aspirations to become an architect and earned a Bachelor of Arts in industrial design. He opened a public address equipment business with his brother in Sydney when he began playing keyboard for the rockabilly band The Roadmasters and was recruited by Anthony and Paul Field to join The Cockroaches. After The Cockroaches disbanded in the early '90s, Anthony asked Jeff, who was renovating his house at the time, to help them record The Wiggles' first album in 1991. Jeff reported, "I got this call from Anthony: 'Hello, Anthony. Go away, go away. I'm not interested,' you know. He's always got these ideas for things. He said, 'I've got this idea, come down to the studio.'" Jeff's response to Anthony's request was, "How long will it take?".
As a Wiggle, Jeff wore a purple skivvy. He was sleeping at odd times, which led to a Wiggles' catchphrase and the title of one of their songs, "Wake Up, Jeff!" Jeff is the oldest Wiggle and is well-known for his "laid-back personality". As Sam, when referring to the development of The Wiggles' acts, stated, "Jeff really does fall asleep". Jeff confirmed this by stating that "The irony is I'm a very light sleeper in the night-time. I will invariably have a snooze before the show". Jeff was the only member of The Wiggles without a background in early childhood education; he stated that was the reason falling asleep was chosen as his act, "because it was a way of getting me involved in the shows without actually having to do anything". Jeff reports that it took about a year to teach himself childhood development in the early wiggly days. Or as he quoted, "learn the language of preschool", including addressing children using the inclusive "everybody", instead of "boys and girls", and that The Wiggles' first performances were traumatic for him because he was not used to being around children. Since 1990, Jeff has taken a photo a day documenting the most eventful thing that has happened to him. He is "a keen surfer", leading to the production of album and accompanying song Surfer Jeff.
Jeff was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) on 26 January 2010 for service to the arts, particularly children's entertainment, and to the community as a benefactor and supporter of a range of charities. In 2011, after numerous heart issues, Jeff underwent a triple bypass and received a pacemaker, and therefore could not perform in the band's US tour that year.
Jeff left the group in 2012. Since then he began making cameos and playing instruments with Murray Cook and Greg Page and was replaced by Lachlan Gillespie.
Filmography[]
- The Wiggles Movie (1997) - Jeff Wiggle, Henry the Octopus (voice)