Rai Thistlethwayte

Quick Facts

Full Name	Rai Thistlethwayte
Occupation	Singer
Date Of Birth	Apr 19, 1980(1980-04-19)
Age	44
Birthplace	Sydney
Country	Australia
Birth City	New South Wales
Horoscope	Aries

Rai Thistlethwayte Biography

Rai Thistlethwayte is one of the most popular and richest Singer who was born on April 19, 1980 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Thistlethwayte was raised in Sydney, New South Wales in a musical family. Before he was five years old, his mother was a classical pianist teacher. His father, Ian is a language teacher, a bass player, and guitarist. He played bass in the Sydney-based band ‘The Plebs’ which was formed in 1963 under the name of ‘The Centaurs.

After their self-funded release of the EP First Work, Thistlethwayte founded rock band Thirsty Merc in 2002. Warner Music Australia signed them. Thirsty Merc released three albums that were a success, including their self-titled debut Thirsty Merc which was 2x platinum in Australia, received 4 ARIA Award nominations and Sideshows which reached Platinum status. Thirsty Merc’s third studio album was released in June 2010. Mousetrap Heart featured the title track and singles of ‘Tommy And Krista and ‘All My Life’. Thistlethwayte’s live performances, as well as the band’s strong musicianship, are well-known for their energy and high level of musicianship. Band members enjoyed many tours during the “Mousetrap Heart” period, including a multi-city and regional tour through Australia and New Zealand. This tour was known as the “Rock Your Socks Off Tour”, and it ended in mid-November 2011.

As well as his work in rock and pop, Thistlethwayte has performed in a number of jazz combos with many Australian jazz musicians, including ARIA award- winning guitarist James Muller, American jazz bassist Christian McBride, trumpeter James Morrisson, tenor saxophonist Dale Barlow and Phil Stack, who also plays bass in Thirsty Merc. In 2008, Thistlethwayte performed a concert with respected Australian jazz pianist and composer Mark Isaacs at the Brisbane Jazz festival. Isaacs is on record as saying, “It’s a well-kept secret that Rai is an outstanding jazz pianist… I consider Rai the most exciting young jazz pianist to emerge in this country in recent years.” He has performed solo at the Wangaratta Jazz Festival and twice at the Stonnington Jazz Festival in Melbourne, once in 2011 and 2012. He is also the regular guest keyboardist in the Sydney rock and jazz fusion group “The Subterraneans”. Thistlethwayte also writes spoken word prose and poetry, sometimes performing and recording under the name “Michael Albatross”. In June 2014, alongside Australian jazz trumpeter James Morrison, Thistlethwayte adjudicated the vocal competition at “Generations In Jazz” in Mount Gambier, South Australia. He also performed there with improvising vocal group The Idea Of North and also James Morrison himself. Thistlethwayte was a participant at the Creative Music Workshop at the Banff Centre, Canada, in 2014, and studied improvised music and Carnatic singing under Aruna Sairam, Steve Coleman and Vijay Iyer. He has also featured as a guest musician with the electronic group Knower, and can be seen performing in the live video clips of their tracks Overtime as well as Time Traveler.

Thistlethwayte has taught masterclasses at The Australian Institute of Music, Lismore University, Claremont College and Blacktown Tafe and has been a mentor in Song Summit from 2010–2012, a week-long annual songwriting conference hosted by APRA, of which he is an Ambassador. He attended the ‘Bali Songwriting Retreat’ in Ubud, Bali, in 2011, along with Bonnie McKee, Delta Goodrem, Nick Jonas and Arnthor Birigisson. Thistlethwayte taught songwriting masterclasses at numerous schools for part of “SongMakers” for APRA, a government funded initiative designed to introduce songwriting into high schools.

After spending a year at Sydney Conservatorium, Thistlethwayte was discovered by Columbia/Sony and signed with them in the United States. One single, Give A Smile to the Planet was released in Australia in 2000. It peaked at the top

40. He also completed an album which was initially released as a promo, but was ultimately canceled. The relationship with this particular label did not seem to be a good one, but it ended in good stead.

Rai Thistlethwayte Net Worth

Rai Thistlethwayte is one of the richest Singer from Australia. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Rai Thistlethwayte 's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: December 11, 2023)

Rai Thistlethwayte, a singer and songwriter from Australia, was born 21 April 1980. Thistlethwayte can play the piano, guitar, and sing. Thirsty Merc’s lead singer is also the primary songwriter. Thirsty Merc has released a number of hits on the Australian Music Charts since 2004, including “In The Summertime”, “Someday, Someday”, “20 Good Reasons”, “Those Eyes”, and “Emancipate Myself”. He currently lives in Los Angeles. Thistlethwayte is a solo artist and performs under the moniker ‘Sun Rai’.

Thistlethwayte was a teenager when he listened to classical rock and early metal. Then he started listening to blues and jazz. At the age of 15, he began writing songs. He graduated from high school in 1997 and was awarded a scholarship by the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. In 1998, he began a Bachelor of Music degree in jazz piano.

Thistlethwayte dated Aimee Osbourne, daughter of rocker Ozzy Osbourne and celebrity personality Sharon Osbourne. Thistlethwayte and Osbourne began their relationship after meeting at the 2004 MTV Awards in Sydney.

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

Rai Thistlethwayte height Not available right now. Rai weight Not Known & body measurements will update soon.

Who is Rai Thistlethwayte Dating?

According to our records, Rai Thistlethwayte is possibily single & has not been previously engaged. As of December 1, 2023, Rai Thistlethwayte’s is not dating anyone.

Relationships Record : We have no records of past relationships for Rai Thistlethwayte. You may help us to build the dating records for Rai Thistlethwayte!

Facts & Trivia

Rai Ranked on the list of most popular Singer. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in Australia. Rai Thistlethwayte celebrates birthday on April 19 of every year.

Where does Rai Thistlethwayte live?

He is currently based in Los Angeles. As a solo artist, Thistlethwayte performs under the name ‘Sun Rai.

How did Thirsty Merc get their name?

They were joined by Baker and Robertson, and formed a pop rock band, initially called Thirsty; soon after they moved to Sydney and were renamed, Thirsty Merc. The band’s name came from Thistlethwayte’s 1979 Mercedes-Benz 280SEL, which was a gas-guzzler.

Where is Thirsty Merc from?

Dubbo, Australia

What genre is Sun Rai?

R&B/Soul

What genre is Thirsty Merc?

Alternative/Indie