Wendy Stapleton

Wendy Stapleton
Wendy Stapleton, Candles by the Bay, Mordialloc, 16 December 2007. Photo courtesy avlxyz.
Background information
Birth name	Wendy Anne-Marie Stapleton
Born	(1954-07-08) 8 July 1954 (age 62)
Origin	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres	Pop, rock
Occupation(s)	singer, songwriter, actor
Instruments	voice
Years active	1966–present
Labels	Mushroom, Festival
Website	wendystapleton.com.au

Wendy Anne-Marie Stapleton (born 8 July 1954) is an Australian pop/rock singer-songwriter, and musical theatre and television actress. Stapleton has performed as a backing singer, session musician and a solo artist; she fronted various Melbourne-based groups including Wendy Stapleton Band (1976–1978) and Wendy & the Rocketts [sic] (1980–1985) which had a top 30 hit single with "Play the Game" in June 1983.

Stapleton's television roles include Trixie Tucker, the mother of Nina Tucker played by Delta Goodrem, on Neighbours during 2002 and 2003. She reprised the role in 2016. Her musical theatre work includes her performance as United Kingdom singer, Dusty Springfield in I Only Want to Be with You in 1995 and 1997–1998. As from February 2008, Stapleton hosted Wrokdown, a weekly TV music interview show, on Channel 31.

Wendy Stapleton was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. At nine years old, Stapleton appeared in J. C. Williamson’s 1963 production of Noël Coward's Sail Away at Her Majesty's Theatre which starred Maggie Fitzgibbon. In the mid-1960s she regularly performed in further J. C. Williamson productions and made weekly appearances on GTV-9's Tarax Show on Melbourne television. She attended St. Columba's College, in Essendon. From 16 years old, Stapleton was lead vocalist for a succession of bands including Keith McKay Trio (1968), Souled Out (1976–1977), Incession (1979), Southern Transit, Bill Livingstone Trio. She also worked as a session backing vocalist and, during 1976–1978, fronted the Wendy Stapleton Band which included Geoff Cox (ex-Keith McKay Trio, Bootleg Family Band) on drums and backing vocals who was replaced by Mike Anderson (Traction) on drums and backing vocals; and Keith McKay (Keith McKay Trio, Cycle) on keyboards and backing vocals.