Mario Millo
Encyclopedia
Mario Daniel Millo is an Australian musician and composer from Sydney, he was a member of symphonic rock
Symphonic rock
Symphonic rock is a sub-genre of progressive rock. Since early in progressive rock's history, the term has been used sometimes to distinguish more classically influenced progressive rock from the more psychedelic and experimental forms of progressive rock....

 group Sebastian Hardie
Sebastian Hardie
Sebastian Hardie were Australia's first symphonic rock band. They formed in Sydney in 1967 as Sebastian Hardie Blues Band but dropped the 'Blues Band' reference when they became pop-oriented. By 1973 they developed a more progressive rock style, and later performed as Windchase, but disbanded in 1977...

 from 1973 to their disbandment in 1977. Their debut album, Four Moments
Four Moments
Four Moments is the debut studio album by the Australian symphonic rock band Sebastian Hardie and was released in August 1975 by Polydor Records. It was their most commercially successful release and peaked at #13 on the Australian album charts. The single from the album was the instrumental...

(1975) peaked at No. 13 on the Australian Kent Music Report
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...

 Albums Chart. He has had a solo career and composed film and television soundtracks and scores. In 1978, he worked with Jon English
Jon English
Jonathan James "Jon" English is an Australian rock singer, musician, actor and writer. English emigrated to Australia with his parents in 1961...

 on the soundtrack for the television series, Against the Wind
Against the Wind (TV series)
Against the Wind was a 1978 Australian television mini-series.It is a historical drama portraying both the British rule of Ireland, and the development of New South Wales and Australia...

and its related single, "Six Ribbons". Both album and single peaked in the Top 10 on the relevant Kent Music Report charts. The series had international release, known as Mot alla vindar (1980) in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...

n countries where the album and single reached No. 1 in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 and No. 4 in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

. Millo's compositions have won Australian film industry awards for, The Lighthorsemen
The Lighthorsemen (film)
The Lighthorsemen is a 1987 Australian feature film about the men of a World War I light horse unit involved in the 1917 Battle of Beersheeba...

(1987) and television awards for, Brides of Christ
Brides of Christ
Brides of Christ was an Australian television miniseries produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1991.The series takes place behind the walls of a Sydney convent school and deals with the struggles of both the Roman Catholic nuns and the young students to adapt to the many social...

(1991) and Changi
Changi (television)
Changi is a critically acclaimed six-part Australian television miniseries broadcast by ABC TV in 2001. It originally aired from 14 October 2001 to 18 November 2001.-Overview:...

(2001). Brides of Christ won an Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) Music Award in 1992
ARIA Music Awards of 1992
The Sixth Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 6 March 1992 at the World Congress Centre in Melbourne. Hosts were international guest, Julian Lennon and local Richard Wilkins, they were assisted by presenters, Spinal Tap, Rod Stewart and Mick Jones to distribute 24...

 for 'Best Original Soundtrack Album' - Millo was nominated for the same award in 1997
ARIA Music Awards of 1997
The eleventh Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 22 September 1997 at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney. The event was hosted by Australian actor–comedian Paul McDermott, with presenters Elle McFeast, Kylie Minogue, Ben Folds and The Presidents of the United...

 for G.P. and in 2002
ARIA Music Awards of 2002
The 16th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 15 October 2002 at the Sydney SuperDome.-ARIA Awards:...

 for Changi.

Biography

Mario Daniel Millo was born in May 1955, to Italian parents, and was raised in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He was taught to play mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...

 at age five by his father, he learned 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...

 at eight and fronted his first band, The Menu, at Mitchell High School, Blacktown
Blacktown, New South Wales
Blacktown is a suburb in the City of Blacktown, in Western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Blacktown is located 34 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of City of Blacktown.Blacktown is the largest...

, when 12. The Menu had Millo on guitar and vocals, Mark Friedland on drums, Vince Moult on bass guitar and Brian Nicholls on organ. The band won the 1969 2SM
2SM
2SM is an Australian radio station, licensed to and serving Sydney, New South Wales, broadcasting on 1269 kilohertz on the AM band. It is owned and operated by Broadcast Operations Group...

 Pepsi Pop Poll or 'Battle of the Bands' held at the Sydney Stadium. As a result they signed a contract with a Sydney agency, and, renamed as The Clik, released a single, "La De Da" on Festival Records in November 1969. Their second single, "Mary Mary" was issued in March 1970, they were hired by Coca-cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...

 and, as The Fantasy, promoted orange-flavoured Fanta
Fanta
Fanta is a global brand of fruit-flavored carbonated soft drinks from the Coca-Cola Company. There are over 90 flavors worldwide. The drink debuted in Germany in 1941 and originally sold only in Europe.-History:...

 in a series of TV ads, "Fancy Nancy". The Fantasy toured Australia and New Zealand, but disbanded in 1971. Millo travelled around Europe for six months and returned to Australia in early 1972 to reform The Clik with a new line-up of Garry Adams on lead guitar, Doug Bligh on drums (both ex-Galadriel), and Phil Cogan on bass guitar. Justin McCoy replaced Adams on lead guitar, however The Clik separated in October 1973.

Millo joined the Sydney-based pop group Sebastian Hardie
Sebastian Hardie
Sebastian Hardie were Australia's first symphonic rock band. They formed in Sydney in 1967 as Sebastian Hardie Blues Band but dropped the 'Blues Band' reference when they became pop-oriented. By 1973 they developed a more progressive rock style, and later performed as Windchase, but disbanded in 1977...

 to replace their founding lead guitarist, Graham Ford after they had released a debut single, "All Right Now". With Millo, Sebastian Hardie included Alex Plavsic on drums and his brother Peter Plavsic on bass guitar. They released a second single, "Day After Day" in April 1974. By that stage, Tovio Pilt had joined on keyboards, Millo had taken on lead vocals, and Sebastian Hardie began playing more original progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...

 material. They became Australia's first symphonic rock
Symphonic rock
Symphonic rock is a sub-genre of progressive rock. Since early in progressive rock's history, the term has been used sometimes to distinguish more classically influenced progressive rock from the more psychedelic and experimental forms of progressive rock....

 group and released their debut album, Four Moments
Four Moments
Four Moments is the debut studio album by the Australian symphonic rock band Sebastian Hardie and was released in August 1975 by Polydor Records. It was their most commercially successful release and peaked at #13 on the Australian album charts. The single from the album was the instrumental...

in August 1975. The album, produced by former member, Jon English
Jon English
Jonathan James "Jon" English is an Australian rock singer, musician, actor and writer. English emigrated to Australia with his parents in 1961...

, peaked at No. 13 on the Kent Music Report
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...

 Albums Chart. "Rosanna", written by Millo, appeared on the related Singles Chart. The band released a second album, Windchase in February 1976 which had less chart success, the group split in June. After a court case over use of the name Sebastian Hardie, Millo's new group was called Windchase with Pilt joined by Bligh (ex-The Cheks) on drums and Doug Nethercote on bass guitar. Windchase released Symphinity, in June 1977, which had a heavier jazz-fusion sound but did not chart. The group disbanded in October and Millo began his solo career.

Millo and English worked on the soundtrack for the 1978 TV series Against the Wind
Against the Wind (TV series)
Against the Wind was a 1978 Australian television mini-series.It is a historical drama portraying both the British rule of Ireland, and the development of New South Wales and Australia...

– English also had a starring role in the period drama. The album reached No. 10 and its associated single "Six Ribbons" peaked at No. 5. Against the Wind was screened in the United Kingdom and through Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...

, where it was translated as Mot alla vindar (1980). Both the album, its title track and "Six Ribbons" peaked at No. 1 on the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 albums and singles charts respectively. "Six Ribbons" and the album, peaked at No. 4 on the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 charts. Millo and English toured Scandinavia in 1980 using English's backing band, Baxter Funt.

Millo recorded the track, "Rebecca" for the various artists' Australian Guitar Album released in 1979, it was issued as a shared single with Harvey James
Harvey James
Harvey William James was an Australian rock guitarist. He was a member of the bands Mississippi, Ariel, Sherbet and The Party Boys...

' "Let It Go". Millo's debut solo album Epic III appeared in November on Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...

, he engineered and produced the album using Jackie Orszaczky
Jackie Orszaczky
Jackie Orszaczky was a Hungarian-Australian musician, arranger, and record producer, playing mainly bass guitar, but also various other instruments.-Work:...

 on bass guitar and Mark Kennedy on drums. "Life in Our Hands" had been issued as a single in August but neither album nor single had any chart success. Millo followed with his second solo albums, Human Games in March 1983. His third solo album, Oceans of the Mind, was released in 2002. Millo provided electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, lead vocals and Hammond organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...

; he wrote all the tracks and produced the album for Red Moon Music. His band members were Jeff Camilleri on bass guitar and backing vocals and Robbie Siracusa on drums and percussion. Guest musicians were David Hirschfelder
David Hirschfelder
David Hirschfelder is an Australian film score composer and performer.Hirschfelder was born and raised in Ballarat, Victoria....

 on Nord synthesiser and Dave Wilkins and Jess Millo on backing vocals.

In 1984, Millo released the original soundtrack for World Safari II: The Final Adventure
World Safari
World Safari is a documentary film released in 1977 made from footage of Alby Mangels and John Field's six year journey around 56 countries and four continents in the 1970s...

, a film documentary by Alby Mangels
Alby Mangels
Albertus Zwier "Alby" Mangels is a Dutch-born Australian adventurer and documentary film-maker widely remembered for his "World Safari" adventure travel films .-Early life:...

. He followed with the soundtrack of television mini-series, A Fortunate Life in 1986. Millo developed a successful career in television and film soundtrack composition and production, winning six industry awards for work in The Lighthorsemen
The Lighthorsemen (film)
The Lighthorsemen is a 1987 Australian feature film about the men of a World War I light horse unit involved in the 1917 Battle of Beersheeba...

(1987), G.P. (1989), Brides of Christ
Brides of Christ
Brides of Christ was an Australian television miniseries produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1991.The series takes place behind the walls of a Sydney convent school and deals with the struggles of both the Roman Catholic nuns and the young students to adapt to the many social...

(1991, two awards), See How They Run (1999) and Changi
Changi (television)
Changi is a critically acclaimed six-part Australian television miniseries broadcast by ABC TV in 2001. It originally aired from 14 October 2001 to 18 November 2001.-Overview:...

(2001). Brides of Christ won an Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) Music Award in 1992
ARIA Music Awards of 1992
The Sixth Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 6 March 1992 at the World Congress Centre in Melbourne. Hosts were international guest, Julian Lennon and local Richard Wilkins, they were assisted by presenters, Spinal Tap, Rod Stewart and Mick Jones to distribute 24...

 for 'Best Original Soundtrack Album' - Millo was nominated for the same award in 1997
ARIA Music Awards of 1997
The eleventh Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 22 September 1997 at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney. The event was hosted by Australian actor–comedian Paul McDermott, with presenters Elle McFeast, Kylie Minogue, Ben Folds and The Presidents of the United...

 for G.P. and in 2002
ARIA Music Awards of 2002
The 16th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 15 October 2002 at the Sydney SuperDome.-ARIA Awards:...

 for Changi.

In 1994, Millo, Pilt and the Plavsic brothers briefly reformed Sebastian Hardie to perform at a progressive rock festival, ProgFest, in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, which was recorded and eventually released as Sebastian Hardie – Live in L.A. in 1997. They played material from Four Moments, Windchase, Symphinity, and Epic III. Another reunion occurred in 2003 when supporting the British art rock band, Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...

 on their Australian tour.

AFI Awards

The annual AFI Awards
Australian Film Institute Awards
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award, known as the AACTA Award , is an accolade presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts . The awards recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and television industry, including directors,...

 are presented by the Australian Film Institute
Australian Film Institute
The Australian Film Institute was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry...

.

|-
| 1988 || The Lighthorsemen
The Lighthorsemen (film)
The Lighthorsemen is a 1987 Australian feature film about the men of a World War I light horse unit involved in the 1917 Battle of Beersheeba...

|| Best Original Music Score
Australian Film Institute Award for Best Original Music Score
The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Original Music Score is an award in the annual Australian Film Institute Awards.-Previous winners:*1974/5 – Bruce Smeaton *1976 – Not awarded....

||

AGSC Awards

The annual AGSC Awards are presented by the Australian Guild of Screen Composers.

|-
| 1999 || See How They Run || Best Original Music in a Children's TV or Animation Series ||

APRA-AGSC Awards

The annual Screen Music Awards
APRA Awards
The APRA Music Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia and New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually....

 are presented by Australasian Performing Right Association
Australasian Performing Right Association
The Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...

 (APRA) and Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC) for television and film scores and soundtracks.
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1992 || rowspan="2"| Brides of Christ
Brides of Christ
Brides of Christ was an Australian television miniseries produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1991.The series takes place behind the walls of a Sydney convent school and deals with the struggles of both the Roman Catholic nuns and the young students to adapt to the many social...

|| Best Film Score ||
|-
| Best Television Theme ||
|-
| 1996 || G. P.
G. P.
G.P. was an Australian television series produced by Roadshow, Coote & Carroll for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation between 1989 and 1996.The series was set around a general medical practice in an inner-city suburb...

|| Best Television Theme ||
|-
| 2002
APRA Awards of 2002
The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2002 are a series of awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Classical Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards were presented by APRA and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society . The Classical Music...

 || Changi || Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie ||

Studio albums

  • Epic III – (November 1979 Polydor Records
    Polydor Records
    Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...

    )
  • Human Games – (March 1983, EMI
    EMI
    The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...

     / Wheatley)
  • Oceans of the Mind – (2002, Red Moon Music)

Soundtrack albums

  • World Safari II – (1984, Powderworks Records
    Powderworks Records
    Powderworks Records is a record label established in 1977. Its headquarters are based in Brisbane, Australia.It is the home of Midnight Oil. Aside from recording, it made the Australian pressings of stuff on other labels, such as RCA, Columbia & Mute Records from 1978 to 1987.-References:**...

     / BMG
    BMG
    Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...

    )
  • A Fortunate Life – (1986, Polydor Records)

External links

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