Mark John Hough (8 December 1954 – 7 January 2018), known by the stage name Buster Stiggs, was an English-born New Zealand drummer.
Hough was born in Harold Wood, Essex, England, in 1954, moving to New Zealand as a child. His family settled in Hawke's Bay, and he attended Hastings Boys' High School before studying art at Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland from 1972 to 1975. He began studying to be a teacher in 1976, but his primary interests were art and rock music, especially the nascent New Zealand punk scene. [1]
Hough's first band was After Hours, the first band of a teenage Neil Finn, which lasted until 1977 when Finn was asked to join his brother's band, Split Enz. From here, Hough moved to the short-lived Fang, for whom he played drums. By late 1977 he was playing with up-and-coming Auckland punk band Suburban Reptiles using the stage name Buster Stiggs, which would remain with him for his whole musical career. He was a main songwriter of the band, [2] writing their single "Saturday Night Stay At Home". [1]
After briefly playing guitar with The Scavengers for a couple of gigs in 1978, Stiggs and fellow Suburban Reptile Bones Hillman joined Split Enz founder Phil Judd — a former schoolmate at Hastings Boys' [2] — in a new three-piece band, The Swingers. The Swingers found quick success, and hit the charts with two singles, "One Good Reason" (1980) and "Counting the Beat" (1981). The latter reached the top of the charts in both New Zealand and Australia. [1]
Stiggs left The Swingers just as their second single was starting to hit the charts, joining Australian band Models. He stayed with the band for under a year, failing to gel fully with the band's sound. After leaving Models, he moved to the back room of the rock industry, working as a graphic designer and designing record covers and tour posters. [1]
Stiggs struggled with kidney disease and multiple myeloma in the last few years of his life, and finally succumbed to their combined effects in his adopted city of Perth, Australia, on 7 January 2018. He is survived by one son. [1] [2]
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were New Zealander Neil Finn and Australians Paul Hester (drums) and Nick Seymour (bass). Later band members included Neil Finn's brother, Tim Finn, and Americans Mark Hart and Matt Sherrod, with Finn and Seymour being the sole constant members of the group since its formation.
Neil Mullane Finn is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician who is known for being a member of Crowded House, Split Enz, and Fleetwood Mac. Finn rose to prominence in the late 1970s with Split Enz and wrote many of the band's most successful songs, including "One Step Ahead", "History Never Repeats", "I Got You", and "Message to My Girl".
The music of New Zealand has been influenced by a number of traditions, including Māori music, the music introduced by European settlers during the nineteenth century, and a variety of styles imported during the twentieth century, including blues, jazz, country, rock and roll, reggae, and hip hop, with many of these genres given a unique New Zealand interpretation.
Split Enz were a New Zealand rock band formed in Auckland in 1972 by Tim Finn and Phil Judd and had a variety of other members during its existence. Originally started as a folk-oriented group with quirky art rock stylings, the band built a strong regional following, noted for their outlandish costumes and makeup. After Tim Finn's brother Neil joined as co-lead vocalist and songwriter, the band came to embrace a more streamlined and pop-oriented approach and became pioneers of new wave.
Brian Timothy Finn is a New Zealand singer and musician. His musical career includes forming 1970s and 1980s New Zealand rock group Split Enz, a number of solo albums, temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowded House and joint efforts with Neil Finn as the Finn Brothers.
The Finn Brothers are a New Zealand musical duo consisting of brothers Neil and Tim Finn. In June 1993 both members were awarded the OBE for their contribution to music.
The Swingers were a New Zealand rock band who were together from 1979 to 1982 and whose biggest single was the song "Counting the Beat".
The Crocodiles was a New Zealand pop/new wave band formed in 1979 with lead singer Jenny Morris, who went on to commercial success as a solo artist in Australia; and later included drummer Barton Price, who subsequently joined Sardine v and then Models. The Crocodiles top 20 hit single in New Zealand was "Tears" in 1980 from debut album, Tears; a second album, Looking at Ourselves, appeared in November. The band relocated to Australia in February 1981 but disbanded in July without further releases.
Rock music in New Zealand, also known as Kiwi rock music and New Zealand rock music, began in 1955 with Johnny Cooper's cover version of Bill Haley's hit song "Rock Around the Clock". This was followed by Johnny Devlin, New Zealand's Elvis Presley, and his cover of "Lawdy Miss Clawdy". The 1960s saw Max Merritt and the Meteors and Ray Columbus & the Invaders achieve success. In the 1970s and early 1980s the innovative Split Enz had success internationally as well as nationally, with member Neil Finn later continuing with Crowded House. Other influential bands in the 1970s were Th' Dudes, Dragon and Hello Sailor. The early 1980s saw the development of the indie rock "Dunedin sound", typified by Dunedin bands such as The Clean, Straitjacket Fits and The Chills, recorded by the Flying Nun record label of Christchurch. New Zealand's foremost hard rock band Shihad started their long career in 1988.
Wayne Stevens, known by the stage name Bones Hillman, was a New Zealand musician best known as the bass guitarist for the Australian alternative rock band Midnight Oil, which he joined in 1987 and remained with until his death in 2020.
Conflicting Emotions is the eighth and penultimate album by New Zealand band Split Enz.
Crowded House is the debut album by Australian band Crowded House. Produced by Mitchell Froom, it was released in August 1986 and was certified platinum in four countries. The album includes the hit singles "Don't Dream It's Over", "Something So Strong", "Mean to Me", "World Where You Live" and "Now We're Getting Somewhere".
The Suburban Reptiles were one of the first two punk bands to form in New Zealand, the other being the Scavengers.
Simon Grigg is a New Zealand music businessman, writer, broadcaster, publisher, producer, DJ and archivist. Born in Auckland, New Zealand, he attended Palmerston North Boys High, Auckland Grammar and the University of Auckland.
Philip Raymond Judd is a New Zealand singer-songwriter known for being one of the founders of the bands Split Enz and The Swingers.
"Counting the Beat" is a single by New Zealand rock band The Swingers released in 1981 from their album Practical Jokers.
Liam Mullane Finn is a New Zealand singer and musician. Born in Melbourne, Australia, he moved to New Zealand as a child. He is the son of musicians Sharon and Neil Finn.
History Never Repeats – The Best of Split Enz is a compilation of hits by New Zealand rock band Split Enz. Initially released in the US in 1987, then in New Zealand and Australia in 1989, the album has been through many variations and reissues over the years.
The Living Enz was the first live album released by New Zealand rock band Split Enz. Primarily recorded in Melbourne, Australia during the band's 1984 Enz with a Bang farewell tour, it also includes some material from the Auckland shows of that tour, plus recordings from the band's 1982 Time and Tide tour.
The Pleasure of Your Company is the third studio album by Australian new wave rock band Models, which peaked at No. 12 on the Australian albums chart. It was released in October 1983 on Mushroom Records with Nick Launay producing. The album provided three singles, "I Hear Motion" released in September, which peaked at No. 16. Neither "No Shoulders, No Head" released in December, nor "God Bless America" released in April 1984, peaked into the Australian Top 50 singles chart. The video for "God Bless America", from March 1984, featured backing singers Kate Ceberano and Zan Abeyratne.