Judge Wayne

ROCKHAPPENZ Public Collection

Judge Wayne  —  vocalist with the 60s rock band Judge Wayne and the Convicts from Auckland, recording on the Viking label .....

Wayne Harrison (also known as Wayne Thompson) was born in Scotland, and he assumed the stage-name Judge Wayne fronting what was to be known as Judge Wayne and the Convicts.

One single was released as a result of a single recording session, and subsquently all four recorded tracks from that seesion were released on a Viking extended-play 45rpm.  But soon, things went horribly wrong for the group, and one night, Tom, Gib and Dave turned up at the Surfside to play, but couldn't find their gear anywhere.  Wayne and Mike had also disappeared.  It turns out that Wayne and Mike had sold the gear to pay for fares to go to Australia in order to launch Wayne on a solo career.  They had obviously planned the trip in advance, as Wayne recorded two songs on Viking before his departure.  They wereLittle Miss Rhythm 'n' Blues//Here I Am and released in 1965 as Judge Wayne.  That spelt a premature end to the band and Tom, Gib and Dave all moved back to Australia as well, with Gib eventually returning to New Zealand in 1973.  All of them maintained an active involvement in the music industry for a little while but Wayne's solo career didn't get past his first song.

Judge Wayne and The Convicts - Dave Camp (Drums), Mike Williamson (Bass Guitar),
Tom Williamson (Guitar), Albert (Gib) Williamson (Guitar) and Wayne Thompson (Vocals)