Stephen Ellis Gilpin (28 April 1949 – 6 January 1992) was a New Zealand singer and a founder of new wave band Mi-Sex.
[2][7] In 1977 Gilpin formed Fragments of Time with Don Martin on bass guitar and Alan Moon on keyboards (both ex-members of Father Thyme).
[8] Moon soon left and was replaced on keyboards by Murray Burns (ex-Red Rose), Kevin Stanton joined on guitar; and Phil Start on drums.
[6][7] Mi-Sex' debut single, "Straight Laddie" appeared in 1978, which was co-written by Gilpin and Stanton and was produced by the group.
[12] Mi-Sex received support from Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Sydney 'youth' radio station Double Jay and its nationally televised pop show, Countdown.
[7] They issued their debut album, Graffiti Crimes, in July on CBS Records and supported Talking Heads on the Australian leg of their tour.
[6] In Australia Mi-Sex achieved their highest chart peak in October 1979 with a number-one hit single, "Computer Games", on the Kent Music Report.
[15] Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, described it as an "electro-pop anthem ... [w]ith its simplistic, brain-teasing riff and Gilpin's mannered vocal yelps, [it] boasted little substance but was constructed for maximum effect".
[6] Gilpin remained in Australia and played with a variety of bands including Rapid Fire in 1985 with Allan Carr, Phil Emmanuel on guitar, and Chris Haigh.
[21] On 25 November 1991, while driving home from an Under Rapz gig at nearby Byron Bay, Gilpin was involved in a car accident.