MARK SEYMOUR

Mark Jeremy Seymour was born on 26 July 1956 in Benalla to Frank and Paula Seymour. He has two older sisters, Hilary and Helen, and a younger brother, Nick (born 1958) – later bass guitarist for Crowded House. His mother encouraged all four children to learn musical instruments and sing. He initially learned piano but switched to guitar as a teenager. Seymour and his family moved to Melbourne in 1972, he graduated from University of Melbourne in 1978 and was qualified to teach. He later lived in the St Kilda area.

By 1980 Seymour, on lead guitar, was a member of The Jetsonnes, a post-punk pop group formed in Melbourne, with John Archer on bass guitar; Doug Falconer on drums; Margot O'Neill on lead vocals; and Ray Tosti-Gueira on guitar. Clinton Walker described the group as "lighter, bouncier (rather than funkier) and more infectious than other like-minded bands such as Models". In June 1980, record label Missing Link issued a double A-sided single "Newspaper" by the Jetsonnes and "Miniskirts in Moscow" by International Exiles. The Jetsonnes, Models, and International Exiles were "the first bands to rise out of Melbourne's hothouse punk, new wave explosion playing an exuberant brand of neo-pop".

In 1981, Seymour formed Hunters & Collectors from the remnants of The Jetsonnes with Archer, Falconer, and Tosti-Gueira. According to musicologist, Ian McFarlane, this was "a far more radical and unremitting concept" and Seymour, with his "blue labourer's singlet, bulging biceps, introspective angst and impassioned vocals" became the "thinking woman's sex symbol". Between 1981 and 1998, The Hunters and Collectors released nine studio albums and were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2005. In 1992, Seymour released his debut single, "Hey Boys" with Paul Kelly from the Garbo (soundtrack). The song peaked at #71 on the ARIA Charts.

Seymour wrote the Hunters and Collector's song "Holy Grail", which although not intended to be about sport, has been widely used in television broadcasts of Australian Football League matches, especially the AFL Grand Final. It was also used by the Queensland cricket team in the years leading up to its first Sheffield Shield win in 1995. Seymour has performed at several AFL Grand Finals.

In May 1997, whilst still officially part of Hunters and Collectors, Seymour released his first solo single, "Last Ditch Cabaret". The song peaked at #85 on the ARIA Charts. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1997, the song earned him two nominations: Best Male Artist and Breakthrough Single. "The Ghost Of Vainglory" and "Home Again" followed and Seymour released his debut studio album 'King Without A Clue' in September 1997. The album peaked at #53 on the ARIA charts and earned Seymour another nomination for Best Male Artist at the ARIA Music Awards of 1998.

In March 2001, Seymour released his second studio album, 'One Eyed Man', which peaked at #61 on the ARIA Charts and won Best Adult Contemporary Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 2001. In April 2004, Seymour released 'Embedded'. The album did not chart. In September 2005, Seymour released 'Daytime And the Dark', an album, featuring acoustic versions of mostly Hunters and Collectors songs. The album peaked at #99 on the ARIA Charts. In September 2007, Seymour released 'Titanic', a second album of acoustic versions of mostly Hunters and Collectors songs.

In 2011, Seymour formed and began recording and with a band again. The band, titled Mark Seymour and The Undertow released 'Undertow' in May 2011. In 2013, Mark Seymour and The Undertow released 'Seventh Heaven Club', an album which paid homage to love songs, featuring tracks by Bob Dylan, Dave Dobbyn, Otis Redding, Neil Young, Tom Petty and Lucinda Williams. Mark Seymour and The Undertow released the album 'Roll Back The Stone' on March 24, 2015. It was recorded live at Melbourne's Bakehouse Studios and featured 24 tracks from Seymour's back catalogue, stretching back to 1985, reinterpreted by The Undertow. In 2020, Seymour released his tenth studio album (and fourth as Mark Seymour and The Undertow), titled 'Slow Dawn'. In 2023, he collaborated with synthwave group September '87, providing lyrics and lead vocals to their track ''Room Service''. In 2024, Seymour's eleventh studio album The Boxer was released.

SINGLES
"Hey Boys" (#71) [with Paul Kelly] 1992 Picture This Records
"Last Ditch Cabaret" (#85) 1997 Mushroom
"The Ghost of Vainglory" 1997 Mushroom
"Home Again" 1998 Mushroom
"You Don't Have to Cry Anymore" 1998 Mushroom
"Do You Know Me?" 2001 Mushroom
"The Ballad of the One Eyed Man" 2001 Mushroom
"A Shoulder to Cry On" 2004 Liberation
"Westgate" 2007 Promising Records
"The Whole World Is Dreaming" 2020 Bloodlines
"The Whole World Is Dreaming" (live) [featuring Missy Higgins] 2021 
"Even When I'm Sleeping" 2023

ALBUMS
'King Without a Clue' (#53) 1997 Mushroom
'One Eyed Man' (#67) 2001 Mushroom
'Embedded' 2004 Liberation
'Daytime and the Dark' (#99) 2005 Liberation Blue
'Westgate' 2007 Liberation Blue
'Titanic' 2007 Liberation Blue
'Undertow' (#51) (credited to Mark Seymour & The Undertow) 2011 Liberation Blue
'Seventh Heaven Club' (credited to Mark Seymour & The Undertow) 2013 Liberation Blue 
'Mayday' (#43) (credited to Mark Seymour & The Undertow) 2015 Liberation Blue
'Slow Dawn' (credited to Mark Seymour & The Undertow) 2020 Bloodlines
'The Boxer' (#41) (credited to Mark Seymour & The Undertow) 2024 Bloodlines

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Seymour