Marc Hunter
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| Marc Hunter | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Marc Alexander Hunter |
| Born | September 7, 1953 |
| Origin | Raurimu, New Zealand |
| Died | July 17, 1998 (aged 44) |
| Genre(s) | Rock |
| Instrument(s) | Voice |
| Years active | 1973 - 1997 |
| Associated acts | Dragon, The Party Boys |
Marc Hunter (born Marc Alexander Hunter[1] Taumarunui, New Zealand, September 7, 1953 - died Sydney, Australia, July 17, 1998) was a rock and pop singer best known as the lead vocalist with Dragon, a band formed by his older brother Todd in Auckland, New Zealand in 1973. Marc joined in 1974 and Dragon recorded two albums of progressive rock for Vertigo Records. The band moved to Sydney in 1975. After suffering the heroin-related death of drummer Neil Storey, Dragon became a pop-rock act and went on to become one of Australia's biggest-selling bands, scoring a number of hit singles and successful albums, most notably 1978's O Zambezi. In the meantime, Hunter developed a serious heroin addiction. Recklessly outspoken and volatile on-stage, during the band's 1978 US tour supporting Johnny Winter he called the audience "faggots" at a show in Texas. The following year, he was fired from the band[2].
Hunter bounced back immediately with his 1979 solo album Fiji Bitter spawning the hit single "Island Nights". Two years later the album Big City Talk and single of the same name were also hits and in 1982 Dragon reformed for a tour, deciding to stay together when the single "Rain" became a hit. The 1984 album Body and the Beat was a massive hit across Australia and New Zealand and the title track of Hunter's solo album Communication (1985) was also a moderate hit. During a break between Dragon tours, Hunter joined The Party Boys for a sold-out national tour, recording the album You Need Professional Help.
Dragon split-up once again in 1988 but the break was short-lived and the band was touring again by mid-1989. Hunter and the band continued a mid-level career throughout the '90s with something of an AOR sound but the singer's years of hard living caught up with him and he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1997 and could no longer perform or tour. For the last few months of his life, Hunter underwent various forms of treatment including several alternative medicine remedies but none was successful and he died in Sydney on July 17, 1998.
[edit] Discography
with Dragon
- Universal Radio (1974)
- Scented Gardens for the Blind (1975)
- Sunshine (1977)
- Running Free (1977)
- O Zambezi (1979)
- Dragon's Greatest Hits Vol 1 (1979)
- Body and the Beat (1984)
- Live One (1985)
- Dreams of Ordinary Men (1986)
- Bondi Road (1989)
- So Far: Their Classic Collection (1990)
- Incarnations (1995)
solo
- Fiji Bitter (1979)
- Big City Talk (1981)
- Communication (1985)
- Night and Day (1990)
- Talk to Strangers (1994)
with The Party Boys
- You Need Professional Help (1985)
- The Party Boys Rage Album (1985)
[edit] References
- ^ Australasian Performing Right Association: http://www.apra.com.au/cms/worksearch/worksearch.srvlt?action=workSearch
- ^ Simmonds, Jeremy Number One in Heaven - The Heroes Who Died for Rock N Roll 2006 ISBN 978 0 141 02287 1
