Mark Williams (born 21 August 1954) is a New Zealand singer with

Recording Industry Association of New Zealand Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mus ...

(RIANZ) number one hit singles, " Yesterday Was Just the Beginning of My Life" (1975) and a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

's "

It Doesn't Matter Anymore "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" is a pop ballad written by Paul Anka and recorded by Buddy Holly in 1958. The song was issued in January 1959, less than a month before Holly's death. "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" reached number 13 as a posthumous hit ...

" (1977) before he relocated to Australia later that year. His single, "

Show No Mercy ''Show No Mercy'' is the debut studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer, released in December 1983, by Metal Blade Records. Brian Slagel signed the band to the label after watching them perform the song "Phantom of the Opera" by Iron M ...

" (1990) was a top ten hit in both countries. He has undertaken extensive touring in support of numerous Australian bands and worked in television. In 2006 he became the vocalist for the reformed New Zealand band,

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

Biography

1954–1973: Early years

Williams was born in Dargaville, in the Northland region of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. At the age of 16 he formed a band called 'Face' with classmates. In September 1970, The Face went on to win the Northland heat of the National Battle of the Bands competition, and finishing third overall in the national grand final held in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

. In 1971, Face headed to Auckland where they got a gig at the Otahuhu Community Centre paying $20 a week. Lew Pryme of

Impact Records Impact Records was an American record label founded in 1989 by Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers. It was once a subsidiary of MCA Records. Today, its back catalog remains part of Universal Music Group. Acts on the label are and/or have included: Sas ...

was one of the judges in the competition and became their manager. The band were signed to Zodiac Records and released the single "Hangin' Around"/"Mr Postman". A national tour followed. In 1973, Lew convinced Williams to leave Face and join a new television show called 'Free Ride'. When the television show "Happen Inn" finished in 1973, a new show emerged. It was called "Free Ride" and was hosted by Ray Columbus. Lew convinced Williams to leave the Face and pursue a solo career at the time the new show was being launched. Williams was well suited for the television role, which allowed him to perform in front of a national audience, gaining exposure. Late in 1974, Williams was signed to

EMI Music EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

by Alan Galbraith.

1974–1977: New Zealand fame

Late in 1974, Williams released his debut solo single, "Celebration"/"

Let Love Come Between Us "Let Love Come Between Us" is a song written by Joe Sobotka and Johnny Wyker and performed by James & Bobby Purify. The song was featured on their 1968 album, ''The Pure Sound of The Purifys - James & Bobby''. The song was produced by Papa Don ...

", but failed to chart. In May 1975, Williams released a song written by Vanda & Young titled " Yesterday Was Just the Beginning of My Life". The song peaked at number 1 on the New Zealand Charts for 3 weeks. The fame stunned the young singer and Williams said “I didn't feel like I was ready for anything. There was constant touring, television, and recording, it was full on.“ Williams' debut self-titled album was released in June and peaked at number 2. The album was certified gold. In November 1975, Williams released " Sweet Wine" which peaked at number 7 on the charts. Early in 1976, Lew Pryme took Williams on a promotional visit to Australia. Upon their return to New Zealand, Pryme and Williams parted company. Williams' second album "

Sweet Trials ''Sweet Trials'' is the second studio album by New Zealand-born singer Mark Williams. It was released in March 1976. The album peaked at number 14 on the Official New Zealand Music Chart. Reception Suedo Nim from Victoria University of Wellin ...

" was released in March 1976 and peaked at number 14. "

If It Rains "If It Rains" is a song written by Kiki Dee and recorded by New Zealand-born singer songwriter, Mark Williams. The song was released in April 1976 as the second and final single from his second studio album, '' Sweet Trials'' (1976). The song pe ...

" was released and peaked at number 25. Late in 1976 the single "Taking It All in Stride" was released and peaked at number 14. Williams' third album, "

Taking It All In Stride ''Taking It All In Stride'' is the third studio album by New Zealand-born singer Mark Williams. It was released in June 1977. The album peaked at number 14 on the Official New Zealand Music Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te ...

" was released in June 1977 and was certified gold. It contained the single "

" which peaked at number one, giving Williams his second chart topper. "

A House for Sale "A House for Sale" is a song written by Carl Hampton and Homer Banks and recorded by New Zealand-born singer songwriter, Mark Williams. The song was released in August 1977 as the third and final single from his third studio album An al ...

" was released as the third and final single late in 1977, peaking at number 13.

1978–1989: Australia and ''Life After Dark''

By the end of 1977, Williams left New Zealand for Australia. Williams had found being a 'star' in New Zealand was not all fun. He said “The reaction was either absolute adoration or total disgust. Complete opposites. I was very scared of what it created. That’s one of the reasons I left New Zealand, because it was just too scary.” Record producer Alan Galbraith became the new manager of Williams who signed with CBS Records in Australia. He released the album ''

Life After Dark ''Life After Dark'' is the fourth studio album by New Zealand-born singer Mark Williams. The album was his first on the CBS Records CBS Records may refer to: * CBS Records or CBS/Sony, former name of Sony Music, a global record company * CBS Re ...

'' in 1979, which failed to chart. During the 1980s, Williams established himself as a session singer in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

singing many radio and TV commercials and become a favoured back up vocalist on albums by major Australian talent including; Eurogliders' '' Absolutely'', The Church's '' Heyday'',

Renée Geyer Renée Rebecca Geyer (born 11 September 1953) is an Australian singer who has long been regarded as one of the finest exponents of jazz, soul and R&B idioms. She had commercial success as a solo artist in Australia, with "It's a Man's Man's Worl ...

's '' Live at the Basement'' and Jenny Morris's '' Body and Soul''. In 1985, Williams formed a band called 'Boy Rocking' with Harry Brus and Mark Punch. The group were signed to CBS and released two singles without success. In 1987, Williams recorded the "

Home and Away ''Home and Away'' (often abbreviated as ''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip ...

" theme song with

Karen Boddington Karen Boddington and Mark Williams formed the Australian vocal duet that sang the original theme tune for the TV soap ''Home and Away''. Mark Williams has performed with several other groups, while Karen Boddington was a vocalist for Almighty ...

, which was released as a single in 1988. In 1988, Williams toured with Ian Moss on the hugely successful 'Matchbook' tour.

1990–2005: Australian fame and ''Mark Williams ZNZ''

In 1989, Williams attempted to re-launch his music career and signed to

Albert Productions Albert Productions, a division of music publishing and recording company Albert Music, is one of Australia's longest established independent record labels to specialise in rock and roll music. The label was founded in 1963 by Ted Albert, whose ...

. He began working on new material with Harry Vanda and George Young of The Easybeats. In May 1990, Williams released "

" which peaked within the top ten in Australia and New Zealand. "Show No Mercy" was certified

ARIA In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...

platinum certification in Australia, and was chosen to launch the 1990 New South Wales Rugby League

grand final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Sy ...

. The second single "

Fix of Love ''Fix of Love'' is a song written and produced by Vanda & Young Vanda & Young were an Australian songwriting and producing duo composed of Harry Vanda and George Young. They performed as members of 1960s Australian rock group the Easybeats w ...

" peaked at number 28 in Australia and Williams released his fifth studio album, ''

Mark Williams ZNZ ''Mark Williams ZNZ'' is the fifth studio album by New Zealand singer Mark Williams. It was his first album in over ten years. The album spawned the most-successful single of his career in Australia, " Show No Mercy". The album was released in ...

'' in August 1990. Williams recorded and released his sixth studio album, ''Mind over Matter'' in 1992, with none of the three singles released making the top 50. In 1993, Williams recorded a cover of " Time After Time" with

Tara Morice Tara Morice (born 23 June 1964) is an Australian actress. Background Born in Hobart, Tasmania, Morice also lived in Sydney, Alice Springs and Adelaide as a child. She is a fifth-generation Australian and is of English, Irish, Scottish, Latvia ...

for the ''Strictly Ballroom'' soundtrack. In 1999,

released another greatest hits compilation titled, '' The Very Best Of''. Between 1999 and 2000, Williams worked as a vocal coach on the Australian ''

Popstars ''Popstars'' is an international reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Realit ...

'' series on the

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...

, including the female pop group Bardot.

2006–present: Dragon and ROCKONZ Hall of Fame

In 2006, Williams was asked by

Todd Hunter Todd Stuart Hunter NOTE: Requires user to input song title, e.g. POLITICS (born 22 June 1951) is a New Zealand musician and composer known for his involvement in the band Dragon. Their best known songs are "April Sun in Cuba", "Are You Old Enou ...

of the New Zealand rock band

to join. In a 2013 interview, Williams recalls “Todd

unter Unter (German, 'under', 'below' or 'among') may refer to: * Unter (playing card), the Jack card in German and Swiss-suited playing cards * Unter Null, stage name of Erica Dunham, an American musician See also * * Über (disambiguation), the a ...

gave me a call out of the blue, flew me over, sat me at the kitchen table and said ‘Hey, wanna join a rock and roll band?’”. Williams said he agreed instantly. Since 2006, The band has toured Australia and New Zealand and has released four studio albums and two extended plays. In 2010, Williams was inducted into the ROCKONZ Hall of Fame.

Discography

Studio albums

Soundtracks

Live albums

Compilations

Singles

Awards

New Zealand Music Awards

The New Zealand Music Awards are an annual awards night celebrating excellence in

New Zealand music The music of New Zealand has been influenced by a number of traditions, including Māori music, the music introduced by European settlers during the nineteenth century, and a variety of styles imported during the twentieth century, including b ...

and have been presented annually since 1965. ! , - , rowspan="3" , 1975 , , Mark Williams , , Artist of the Year , , , , rowspan="8" , , - , Mark Williams , , Male artist of the Year , , , - , Alan Galbraith for "Yesterday Was Just the Beginning of My Life" by Mark Williams , , Producer of the Year , , , - , rowspan="5" , 1976 , , Mark Williams , , Male artist of the Year , , , - , ''Sweet Trials'' , , Album of the Year , , , - , David Frazer for "Taking It All in Stride" by Mark Williams , , Arranger of the Year , , , - , Peter Hitchcock for "Taking It All in Stride" by Mark Williams , , Engineer of the Year , , , - , Alan Galbraith for "Taking It All in Stride" by Mark Williams , , Producer of the Year , , , -

ROCKONZ Hall of Fame

! , - , 2010 , , Mark Williams , , ROCKONZ Hall of Fame, , , , , -

Variety Artists Club of New Zealand

The Variety Artists Club of New Zealand (VAC) is a non-for-profit organisation and show business club. It was founded in 1966 and became an incorporated society in 1972. Each year the VAC presents prestigious awards to those involved with the entertainment industry. ! , - , 1975 , , Mark Williams , , Golden Microphone for Performer of the Year, , , , , -

External links

AudioCulture profile

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Mark Dragon (band) Living people 1954 births 20th-century New Zealand male singers People from Dargaville CBS Records artists