Steve Gilpin

Stephen Ellis Gilpin was born on 28 April 1949 in Wellington, New Zealand.[1][2] He began his music career as a cabaret singer in hotels.[2] In 1972 he issued two singles, "Spring" and "Stoned Me", on Strange Records, and another single, "Anna, No Can Do", on HMV Australia.[2] In November that year he was the winner of New Zealand TV talent show, New Faces, ahead of Shona Laing.[3][4][5] He followed with a string of singles until his focus shifted from cabaret to rock music.[6] In 1976 Gilpin met with progressive rock band Father Thyme and suggested that they work together.[2][7]

In 1977 Gilpin formed Fragments of Time with Don Martin on bass guitar and Alan Moon on keyboards (both ex-members of Father Thyme).[8] Moon soon left and was replaced on keyboards by Murray Burns (ex-Red Rose), Kevin Stanton joined on guitar; and Phil Start on drums.[2][6][7] Start was replaced by Steve Osborne on drums.[9] Mi-Sex was formed by Gilpin, Burns, Martin and Stanton, after Osborne was replaced by Richard Hodgkinson.[6][7] They started playing new wave and Stanton adapted the band name, Mi-Sex, from a track, "My Sex", by United Kingdom band, Ultravox from their 1977 album, Ultravox!.[6][7]

Mi-Sex' debut single, "Straight Laddie" appeared in 1978, which was co-written by Gilpin and Stanton and was produced by the group.[7][10][11] The band decided they would try the Australian touring circuit and arrived in August that year. Within six months they had become the fourth most popular band in Sydney.[6] The Canberra Times described their popularity in March 1979 "one of Sydney's major acts ... they played in the [university] Union ... on a very successful night ... [they] will leave to tour New Zealand on March 19".[12] Mi-Sex received support from Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Sydney 'youth' radio station Double Jay and its nationally televised pop show, Countdown.[7] They issued their debut album, Graffiti Crimes, in July on CBS Records and supported Talking Heads on the Australian leg of their tour.[6]

In Australia Mi-Sex achieved their highest chart peak in October 1979 with a number-one hit single, "Computer Games", on the Kent Music Report.[6][13] The track was co-written by Gilpin, Burns and Stanton.[14] In their homeland it reached No. 5 on the New Zealand Singles Chart.[15] Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, described it as an "electro-pop anthem ... [w]ith its simplistic, brain-teasing riff and Gilpin's mannered vocal yelps, [it] boasted little substance but was constructed for maximum effect".[6] Mi-Sex performed at the Sydney Opera House with various artists in the Concert of the Decade on 4 November 1979.[6] The group won the 1979 TV Week – Countdown Music Awards for 'Most Popular Album or Single', 'Best Australian Single' and 'Best New Talent' at the ceremony held in April the following year.[16][17]

The next year they recorded their follow-up album Space Race, which reached No. 1 on the New Zealand Albums Chart.[15] They completed a six-week tour of the United States.[6] Their next single, "People" reached No. 3 in New Zealand[15] – their highest local hit single – and No. 6 in Australia.[13] However, during the early-1980s their popularity waned and the group effectively split in 1985.[6] Gilpin remained in Australia and played with a variety of bands including Rapid Fire in 1985 with Allan Carr, Phil Emmanuel on guitar, and Chris Haigh.[18][19] He joined as guest vocalist with The Incredible Penguins in 1985, for a cover of "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)", a charity project for research on fairy penguins, which peaked at No. 10 on the Australian Kent Music Report in December.[13][20] Mi-Sex released a Greatest Hits collection in 1988.

Gilpin also performed with a covers band Under Rapz.[6][18][21] He lived on a rural property near Mullumbimby in northern New South Wales.[21]

On 25 November 1991, while driving home from an Under Rapz gig at nearby Byron Bay, Gilpin was involved in a car accident.[6] He sustained serious head injuries that left him in a coma.[22] He never recovered consciousness and died in Southport Hospital on 6 January 1992, aged 42.[22] He was buried on his property.[21] Two benefit concerts were held in February for his wife Maggie, and their two children.[22]