Mark Seymour
Encyclopedia
Mark Seymour is an Australia
n musician
and vocalist best known for his work as the frontman and songwriter
of rock band Hunters & Collectors
. Seymour has successfully pursued a solo career, releasing a number of albums of his own, gaining fame as a nominee for two ARIA Awards.
in 1956, Seymour moved to Melbourne
with his family in 1972 and has spent many years in the St Kilda
area. He is the brother of Crowded House
bass player
Nick Seymour
. He has two sisters, Hilary and Helen.
in Melbourne, Australia, playing guitar
and handling vocals
.
In 1997, whilst still officially part of Hunters & Collectors he released his debut solo album King Without a Clue
, which earned him a nomination in the ARIA Awards for Best Male Artist, as well as Best Debut Single with Last Ditch Cabaret
. In 1998, Hunters & Collectors officially split up.
Seymour later released a live DVD/CD in 2001 entitled One Eyed Man, Embedded in 2004, and 2005's Daytime & the Dark. His fourth solo studio album, titled Westgate was released in June 2007.
Seymour continues to tour, focusing on mostly small acoustic performances. In 2008, Thirteen Tonne Theory, a memoir
detailing his experiences with Hunters and Collectors, was published by Penguin Books
.
He wrote the anthem "Holy Grail
", which although not intended to be about sport, became synonymous with the AFL Grand Final
and adopted by Network Ten
for broadcasts of AFL matches, and also with Queensland's first Sheffield Shield cricket win in 1995. Seymour has performed at several AFL Grand Finals.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and vocalist best known for his work as the frontman and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
of rock band Hunters & Collectors
Hunters & Collectors
Hunters & Collectors were an Australian rock music band formed in Melbourne in 1981, fronted by singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Seymour, they developed a blend of pub rock and art-funk...
. Seymour has successfully pursued a solo career, releasing a number of albums of his own, gaining fame as a nominee for two ARIA Awards.
Early years
Born in Benalla, VictoriaBenalla, Victoria
Benalla is a city of just over 9,000 people located just off the Hume Freeway in north-eastern Victoria, Australia, about southwest of Wangaratta. Its Local Government Area is the Rural City of Benalla.- Overview :...
in 1956, Seymour moved to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
with his family in 1972 and has spent many years in the St Kilda
St Kilda, Victoria
St Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
area. He is the brother of Crowded House
Crowded House
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia and led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn. Finn is the primary songwriter and creative director of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand , Australia and the United States...
bass player
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Nick Seymour
Nick Seymour
Nick Seymour is a musician, painter, and record producer. He is best known for being the bass guitarist in the Australasian rock group Crowded House and brother to Mark Seymour of another successful group; Hunters and Collectors.- Biography :Born in Benalla, Victoria, Australia, Seymour studied...
. He has two sisters, Hilary and Helen.
Career
In 1981, Seymour formed the band Hunters & CollectorsHunters & Collectors
Hunters & Collectors were an Australian rock music band formed in Melbourne in 1981, fronted by singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Seymour, they developed a blend of pub rock and art-funk...
in Melbourne, Australia, playing guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and handling vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
.
In 1997, whilst still officially part of Hunters & Collectors he released his debut solo album King Without a Clue
King Without a Clue
-Track listing:# "Last Ditch Cabaret" – 4:52# "You Don't Have to Cry Anymore" – 3:56# "The Ghost of Vainglory" – 4:48# "King Without a Clue" – 3:46# "Look What She's Done to You" – 4:25# "Home Again" – 4:04# "Deathwish" – 4:09# "Cry Wolf" – 3:37...
, which earned him a nomination in the ARIA Awards for Best Male Artist, as well as Best Debut Single with Last Ditch Cabaret
Last Ditch Cabaret
"Last Ditch Cabaret" is a 1997 song by Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Seymour released ahead of his debut solo album, King Without a Clue. Seymour was nominated at the ARIA Music Awards of 1997 for 'Best Male Artist' and 'Breakthrough Artist – Single' for the song....
. In 1998, Hunters & Collectors officially split up.
Seymour later released a live DVD/CD in 2001 entitled One Eyed Man, Embedded in 2004, and 2005's Daytime & the Dark. His fourth solo studio album, titled Westgate was released in June 2007.
Seymour continues to tour, focusing on mostly small acoustic performances. In 2008, Thirteen Tonne Theory, a memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
detailing his experiences with Hunters and Collectors, was published by Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
.
He wrote the anthem "Holy Grail
Holy Grail (song)
Holy Grail is a song performed by the Australian band Hunters & Collectors on their 1992 album Cut. With lyrics referring to popular Holy Grail mythology, the song is an anthemic single inspired by Napoleon's march to Russia in 1812, but also referencing the Hunters and Collectors' flagging...
", which although not intended to be about sport, became synonymous with the AFL Grand Final
AFL Grand Final
The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match, traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia to determine the Australian Football League premiership champions for that year...
and adopted by Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
for broadcasts of AFL matches, and also with Queensland's first Sheffield Shield cricket win in 1995. Seymour has performed at several AFL Grand Finals.
Solo
- 1997 - King Without a ClueKing Without a Clue-Track listing:# "Last Ditch Cabaret" – 4:52# "You Don't Have to Cry Anymore" – 3:56# "The Ghost of Vainglory" – 4:48# "King Without a Clue" – 3:46# "Look What She's Done to You" – 4:25# "Home Again" – 4:04# "Deathwish" – 4:09# "Cry Wolf" – 3:37...
- 2001 - One Eyed ManOne Eyed ManOne Eyed Man is the second solo album by Mark Seymour, released in 2001. It won the 2001 Aria Music Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album. Seymour said the album's title was inspired by an incident during a 1998 Hunters and Collectors tour when he was mugged in Sydney's Kings Cross nightclub...
- 2001 - Ballad Of The One Eyed Man - Live at The Basement
- 2004 - EmbeddedEmbedded (album)Embedded is the third solo album by Mark Seymour, released in 2004. It had as its theme issues of life in the Australian suburbs, touching on issues of alcoholism and corporate careers. The album had a favorable reception in reviews in The Australian and The Age, receiving three out of five...
- 2005 - Daytime and the DarkDaytime and the DarkDaytime and the Dark is the fourth solo album by Mark Seymour. It contained acoustic versions of songs, most of which had appeared first on albums by Seymour's band Hunters & Collectors, and was released in 2005...
- 2007 - WestgateWestgate (Mark Seymour album)Westgate is the fifth solo album by Mark Seymour, released in 2007. The album was described as centred on "everyday heroes", with the title track recounting the tale of a real-life worker who was on duty when Melbourne's West Gate Bridge collapsed on October 15, 1970, killing 35 construction workers...
- 2007 - TitanicTitanic (album)Titanic is the sixth solo studio album by Mark Seymour. It was the second in the Liberation Blue series of acoustic versions of songs by Seymour's band Hunters & Collectors...
- 2007 - From Bondi To Bedlam - Live at the Gershwin Room
- 2011 - UndertowUndertow (Mark Seymour album)Undertow is an album by Mark Seymour and the Undertow, which was released on May 27, 2011. It is the first post-Hunters & Collectors album by Seymour that is credited to a band.-Track listing:...