Now with the skivvy hung-up from the group, "Muz" is still making music and still bringing smiles to his (now grown-up) fans, but not with "Hot Potatoes" or purple dinosaurs.

These days the only red fixture you'll see is one of his (many) guitars when onstage co-fronting The Soul Movers alongside Lizzie Mack.

"I still occasionally I get someone coming up saying 'are you the guy from The Wiggles' at shows," Cook said.

He joined the group in 2015, "looking for something else to do" after leaving children's concerts behind, and joked about being a "fanboy" in the beginning.

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Cook heard the first album of The Soul Movers, which then included Deniz Tek (ex-Radio Birdman) and loved it.

After sending Mack a Facebook message and a few jams later, Cook has worked on three albums with the group - their next release, Evolution, out on March 26.

Former Sherbet stars Garth Porter and Tony Mitchell worked on the new album, which is sort of a dream come true for Cook - the "Howzat" hit-makers were the first live band he ever saw at age 14.

"We're not so much soul with this new album, we've moved definitely to the pop zone working with Sherbet," Mack said.

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She added their music is very much infused with "vintage sounds", some coming from Murray's expansive guitar collection.

Meantime, their next collaboration has been unfolding in Helensburgh this month in the studio of Stewart Cunningham, with his band Leadfinger.

The project isn't quite ready for release yet, but will be a duet between Cunningham and Mack.

"When Deniz was still on guitar we'd done some shows with Leadfinger, that would have been back in 2009," she said of first getting to know the Illawarra rockers.

Mack hopes to have the group support one of their upcoming shows in Petersham in April.

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The Soul Movers is part of a lineup of Sydney acts to reopen a newly refurbished Enmore Theatre on February 22 - alongside Ian Moss, Alex The Astronaut, Red Rider, Tim Freedman, Choirboys - with all ticket sale profits donated to the Australian music charity Support Act.

They'll also play a solo headline gig at The Servo in Port Kembla, on Saturday February 27.

www.soulmoversband.com

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