Mark Ronald Holden (born 27 April 1954) is an Australian singer, actor, TV personality, record producer, songwriter, and barrister.
[1][2] In the 1980s he worked as a songwriter in Los Angeles providing material recorded by Meat Loaf, Joe Cocker, Gladys Knight, Bob Welch and Steve Jones.
[3] His father's family were involved with the Holden and Sloggetts Travelling Circus; although Ron became an architect and Helen was a teacher.
[4] In 1972, Holden was encouraged by a neighbour to audition for Adelaide Tonight, a local television show hosted by Ernie Sigley.
Holden attended an open audition along Tynte Street, North Adelaide, singing an original song and "I'll Walk with God", where he was successful and performed on the show a number of times.
[5] In 1974, Holden entered Showcase '74, a television talent show on Network 9 where he sang original folky songs.
Mark recorded "Scintillating Lady" which he co-wrote with Roger Atkins, and was due to launch his American career with a performance of the song live on CBS; however, just before the performance, his wisdom teeth needed removing and he sang the song though pain and a swollen mouth.
[1] He formed a company called Multimedia with Anthony Curtis and Dan Wilson and over the next decade co-wrote two top ten hits on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for the Temptations, "Lady Soul" (June 1986) and "Look What You Started" (1987).
[8][9] There were also hits with Tracie Spencer, Joey Lawrence, Will Downing, a #1 dance hit with Kathy Sledge, and over 50 cover recordings of his songs from artists as varied as Belinda Carlisle, Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, The Manhattans, Donny Osmond, José Feliciano, Fleetwood Mac, David Hasselhoff, Scarlett and Black and Branford Marsalis.
He also developed and produced artists including model and actress Milla Jovovich (The 5th Element), for EMI Records Group, New York.
This led to her debut album; a US Top Ten Post Modern hit, it won critical raves including a 3-star review in Rolling Stone magazine.
[10] Jeremy Jackson, the actor who played David Hasselhoff's son on Baywatch, was signed to Mark Holden's production company and had two hits in Europe including "You Can Run" which was Top 5 in the Netherlands.
Amid the rising violence in Los Angeles in the early 1990s, Holden and his partner Anna decided to move back to Australia in September 1996.
The pair listened to a number of demos before visiting a Russian restaurant in Carnegie where they met a 15-year-old Vanessa Amorosi.
[11] At the APRA Music Awards of 2001, Amorosi's "Shine" won Most Performed Australian Work, in which Holden co-wrote.
[12] Strom and Holden formed MarJac Productions and wrote songs and helped launch careers of Delta Goodrem, Nikki Webster and Sophie Monk.
In 1999, Holden performed his show "100 Years of Australian Music" at the School of Arts Café in Queanbeyan and hosted the Silver Jubilee edition of Countdown.
Holden executive-produced the "Final 12" cast CD for Australian Idol which went double platinum and included the song "Rise Up" which he co-wrote with Vanessa Amorosi and peaked at number 1 on the ARIA Charts.
Credited to Joel Turner and the Modern Day Poets, their first single "These Kids" reached #1 on the ARIA Charts and achieved double platinum status.
By late 2005, Amorosi ended her 7-year contract with MarJac and signed with Ralph Carr Management, Sony BMG were in dispute with Holden regarding Delta Goodrem and Turner had requested to cease his contract with MarJac, involving Holden in a legal dispute to being 2006.
Holden's radio career includes co-hosting The Drive Home with Cal Wilson while regular host Akmal Saleh was sick.
From 2010 to 2011 he was a fill-in presenter of the weekday afternoon show on South Australia's 891 ABC Adelaide, where his focus has been on musical discussion.
In early 2012 he was fill-in presenter for the nationwide ABC Local network show Nightlife with Tony Delroy.
Holden recorded a soundtrack with his family, including his daughter Katie singing and his son Cain co-writing "Rambling Man".
He saw this as an opportunity to promote Holden Brothers Travelling Circus and Network Seven agreed to air the show in December, although this never occurred.