A life making sport through music

Greg, 62, is the musical muscle behind popular ABC radio act The Coodabeen Champions, who will perform shows in NSW, Victoria and South Australia in August.

The group, one of the first to combine sport and discussion for the sake of variety entertainment, has been a fixture of the sports media landscape since its radio show first aired in 1981.

Greg, who grew up in the Adelaide suburb of Hectorville, said Coodabeen Champions Live featured all the elements of the radio show including humorous panel discussions, lots of audience interaction and live “phone calls” from popular regular personalities.

It also features a selection of sing-alongs of Greg’s own parody songs, including a footy-flavoured take on Neil Diamond’s I’m a Believer called I’m a Receiver, and a parody that relocates Marty Robbins’ country hit El Paso from West Texas to a bistro in Rooty Hill, Sydney.

The proud Adelaide Crows AFL supporter said he felt extremely fortunate to have earned a living from combining his two great passions, footy and music.

“I’ve made my living from corporate functions and being funny about football,” he said. “I tell people on stage that Collingwood bashing has almost paid off my house.”

Greg has been a member of the team for 35 of its 37 years and first met the group on the live entertainment circuit.

He was originally invited to write and recite comedic football poems, but the first parody song he performed, Kickin’ in the Wind, was such a hit with listeners, that the group decided to take him on as their full time musician.

He said the Coodabeens started out just before those other sports funnymen, Roy & HG. “There was a (humorous) TV show called League Teams featuring ex-champions of the game, but we were one of the next to come along,” he said.

The Coodabeens started out as a community radio show in 1981 before crossing over to ABC in 1988.

www.coodabeens.com.au