Mick Antonio was born in Smythesdale, Victoria, 20 kilometers southwest of Ballarat, in 1920. He grew up with six sisters and three brothers. As a boy soprano, he sang in school choirs, but at 15, he switched to hillbilly music and yodeling after teaching himself guitar. Mick enlisted in the army in 1940 and was discharged in 1946, during which he participated in Army entertainment shows. In 1947, he moved to Sydney and auditioned for EMI, but they required him to tour before recording, which was not feasible due to his young family. He returned with his family to Victoria and settled in Ballarat.
Mick represented Ballarat in "Top Town" contests and won the Roy Rodgers Hillbilly Contest of Victoria. He was placed second in Australia's Amateur Hour the following year and became a semi-finalist in "Swallow Parade" in 1954. In 1956, he won the Hillbilly Championship of the Midlands of Victoria and was again a semi-finalist in Australia's Amateur Hour in 1958. From mid-1957 to 1958, he hosted his own sponsored session on Radio 3CV, raising £2,000 through popularity votes for charity. Mick performed concerts across Central Victoria, where he composed many of his songs. He recorded on the Planet, W&G, and Crest International labels. His song ''Can I Sleep In Your Barn'' was added to the Various Artists album 'Country & Western, Volume 3' released in 1967. In 2008, he was inducted into the Hands of Fame in Tamworth. Mick Antonio died in 2009.
'Yodelling Album' 1960 Planet
'Mick Antonio' 1964 W&G
ALBUMS
'Love Knot In My Lariat' 1977 Crest International
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