The Waifs (originally styled as The WAiFS) are an Australian folk rock band formed in 1992 by sisters Vikki Thorn (harmonica, guitar, vocals) and Donna Simpson (guitar, vocals) as well as Josh Cunningham (guitar, vocals). Their tour and recording band includes Ben Franz (bass), David Ross Macdonald (drums) and Tony Bourke (keyboard / piano).
The band's 2003 album Up All Night reached the top five of the Australian Albums Chart, achieving double platinum status and winning four ARIA Awards in October. Two further top five albums were issued, Sun Dirt Water in 2007 and Temptation in 2011. The Waifs have three top 50 singles, "London Still" (2002), "Bridal Train" (2004) and "Sun Dirt Water". The band supported Bob Dylan on his 2003 Australian tour and then his 2003 North American tour, including a gig at the Newport Folk Festival.
The Waifs founded the independent label Jarrah Records in July 2002, co-owned with fellow musician John Butler and their common manager Phil Stevens, which handles their Australian releases.
History
1992–1996: Fisherman's daughters and a farmer's son
The Waifs formed in August 1992 in Albany, Western Australia, as a folk rock band. The Simpson sisters, Donna and Vikki (now Vikki Thorn), had formed a duo, Colours, in Albany to perform cover versions of Bob Dylan and the Everly Brothers at local pubs.
|themselves
| Best Independent Artists
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| Sun Dirt Water
| Best Independent Blues and Roots Album
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| 2009
|Beautiful You
| Best Independent Blues and Roots Album
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| 2018
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| 2003 || "London Still" (Josh Cunningham, Donna Simpson, Vikki Thorn) || Song of the Year ||
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| 2004 || "Lighthouse" (Josh Cunningham) || Song of the Year ||
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| rowspan="2"|2009 || "Stay" (Josh Cunningham, Donna Simpson, Vikki Thorn, Brett Canning) || Blues & Roots Work of the Year ||
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|"Sun Dirt Water" (Josh Cunningham, Donna Simpson, Vikki Thorn) || Blues & Roots Work of the Year ||
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| 2012 || "Falling" (Josh Cunningham, Donna Simpson, Vikki Thorn) || Blues & Roots Work of the Year ||
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| 2016 || "6000 Miles" || Song of the Year ||
ARIA Awards
The ARIA Music Awards are a set of annual ceremonies presented by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the music of Australia. They commenced in 1987. The Waifs have won four awards from nineteen nominations.
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| 2017
| themselves
| Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame
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National Live Music Awards
The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) commenced in 2016 to recognise contributions to the live music industry in Australia.
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| 2019
| The Waifs
| Live Country Act of the Year
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WAM Song of the Year
The WAM Song of the Year was formed by the Western Australian Rock Music Industry Association Inc. (WARMIA) in 1985, with its main aim to develop and run annual awards recognising achievements within the music industry in Western Australia.
<small>(wins only)</small>
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| 2007
| "Sun Dirt Water"
| Professional Song of the Year
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West Australian Music Industry Awards
The West Australian Music Industry Awards are annual awards celebrating achievements for Western Australian music. They commenced in 1985.
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| 2006 || Ben Franz (The Waifs) || Best Bassist ||
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| 2011 || The Waifs || Hall of Fame ||
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| 2017 || The Waifs || Most Popular Act ||
Other awards
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| 2005 || Rob Bygott (Bard Films) for "Bridal Train" || West Australian Screen Awards, Best Music Video ||
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| rowspan="3"| 2006 || rowspan="2"| Vikki Thorn for "Bridal Train" || USA Songwriting Competition, Folk Category First Prize ||
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| | USA Songwriting Competition, Overall First Prize ||
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References
External links
- The Waifs Rolling Stone page
- Sydney Morning Herald article about US tour with Bob Dylan
- Spoonfed UK Article about Shepherd Bush Empire Show
- USA Songwriting Competition