What is Murray Cook's Net Worth?
Murray Cook is an Australian musician and actor who has a net worth of $20 million. Murray Cook is best known as one of the founding members of the children's music group the Wiggles. In the group, he wore a red skivvy, played guitar, and contributed vocals and lyrics. Cook has played with a number of other bands over the years, including Bang Shang a Lang, the Proposition, and the Soul Movers.
Early Life and Education
Murray Cook was born on June 30, 1960 in Cowra, New South Wales, Australia. For his higher education, he studied early childhood education at Macquarie University in Sydney.
First Bands
Cook's first bands included Finger Guns, the Transistors, and Bang Shang a Lang. He has continued playing occasionally with Bang Shang a Lang when he has availability. The group released the album "Unreal, Orange Peel!" in 2006.
The Wiggles
At Macquarie University, Cook met Anthony Field and Greg Page, who were studying early childhood education like him. Inspired to make an album of children's music based on concepts within the field, Anthony Field enlisted Cook, Page, and his Cockroaches bandmate Jeff Fatt to help him. With the addition of pianist and composer Phillip Wilcher, the men founded the children's music group the Wiggles in 1991. In the group, Cook wore a red skivvy and contributed guitar, vocals, and lyrics. The Wiggles quickly became successful after touring and releasing some albums, prompting Cook, Field, and Page to quit their jobs as preschool teachers. Following the group's eponymous debut album, Wilcher left the group, leaving the Wiggles a quartet. Originally, the group traveled with a small retinue of dancers, which over the years became a larger troupe. Additionally, they augmented their act with costumed characters, such as Henry the Octopus and Dorothy the Dinosaur.
The Wiggles reached the peak of their popularity in the early 2000s when they broke into the American market with their eponymous television show. They continued performing live and releasing multiple albums a year, many of which were certified Gold. In 2005, the group was officially consolidated. Cook remained with the Wiggles until 2012, when he departed the group with Page and Fatt. He was replaced by Simon Pryce. However, Cook and Fatt continued to hold shares in the group, and they along with Page also continued to have creative input in the group. The former members have also participated in occasional Wiggles reunion performances, including at Falls Festival in Australia in 2022 and 2023. In the former year, Cook and the other original Wiggles contributed to the hit tribute album "ReWiggled."
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Other Musical Projects
Cook's other musical projects include the Sydney soul-rock band the Soul Movers, which he began writing songs for in 2015 alongside Lizzie Mack. With the group, he recorded the albums "Testify" and "Bona Fide" and performed at the music festival Splendour in the Grass.
In 2015, Cook played guitar on the album "Edge of the Dancefloor," by the Sydney pop band the Proposition. A couple of years later, he played guitar in the tribute show "The Nancy Sinatra/Lee Hazlewood Experience" in Newcastle, New South Wales.
Honors and Accolades
Cook won numerous awards as a member of the Wiggles, including ARIA, AIR, and APRA Awards. Among his accolades with the Wiggles were 11 ARIA Awards for Best Children's Album. In 2011, the Wiggles were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.
In 2006, Cook and his fellow Wiggles received honorary degrees from Australian Catholic University, with Cook giving the commencement speech to the graduates. Later, in 2010, he and the other original Wiggles members were made Members of the Order of Australia.
Personal Life
With his wife Meg Munro, Cook has a son and a daughter. His daughter is Georgia Munro-Cook, a wheelchair basketball player who has represented Australia at various international tournaments, including the 2018 and 2022 Wheelchair Basketball World Championships and the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
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