10 Facts About Bones Hillman

Wayne Stevens, known by the stage name Bones Hillman, was a New Zealand musician best known as the bass guitarist for the Australian rock band Midnight Oil, which he joined in 1987 and remained with until his death in 2020.

The name Bones Hillman was coined by the make of car he drove.

Bones Hillman left the band in early 1978 and joined the former Masochists in the Rednecks, a mainstay of the legendary Zwines punk scene in Auckland.

Bones Hillman appeared in the 1982 film Starstruck, as one of the Swingers.

Bones Hillman moved with his family to Nashville, Tennessee, in early 2007 to participate in the more active musical scene there.

In 2009, Bones Hillman recorded albums for Anne McCue and Elizabeth Cook.

In 2014, Bones Hillman reunited with Midnight Oil producer Warne Livesey to record songs for his new musical project the Graysmiths.

In 2017, Bones Hillman participated in a Midnight Oil reunion and tour.

Bones Hillman died on 7 November 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from cancer at the age of 62.

Bones Hillman had kept his bandmates unaware of his health problems until very shortly before his death, according to an interview with Midnight Oil's drummer Rob Hirst shortly after Bones Hillman's death.