Mark Holden: In January this year, it was announced Dream Dealers, the label owned and operated by prominent Australian singer, songwriter, producer and television personality Mark Holden, is set to release five albums through MGM in 2026.
The second of these releases is ‘Live at the George Ballroom’ by Mark Holden. Release Date April 24th, 2026.
Download Link is available here https://s.disco.ac/zlefsadeunql
Tracks on the album include a selection of Mark’s celebrated songs, including new arrangements for ‘Never Gonna Fall In Love Again’, ‘Shine’ (originally performed by Vanessa Amorosi), and ‘Lady Soul’, a track Holden originally wrote for The Temptations.
This album was made in 2005, 5 years before Mark’s battle with thyroid cancer, and he required surgery around his vocal cords. It was the last time his ‘old voice’ was recorded.
Mark is thrilled that these tracks will be made available for the first time on all streaming platforms and that all the performances are finally uploaded to YouTube.
Mark Holden Live at the George Ballroom – YouTube
The project was conceived and produced by Dr Drew Thompson.
Mark put together the best team in Australia to perform, record and film 10 songs in one day at St. Kilda’s iconic George Ballroom.
The celebrated Ernie Rose oversaw the audio. Matthew Romanis from the Australian Idol live audition crew oversaw the filming. The late Pierre Baroni oversaw the vision direction.
The production was in the hands of the absolute A team.
Mark laments ‘It was my great joy to cast the players, an absolute A team. With the best sound in the best room with the best musicians, this was one of the most fulfilling days of my life. It unfolded like a dream’
Mark chose Jeff Burstin as the musical director and guitar player. Their top-shelf preparation effortlessly led the band to capture the whole project in one day.
The professionalism of the players was such that you showed the song to them once, ran it through once, and then recorded. That was the process. Just the way Mark envisaged it.
The band comprised legendary feel drummer, Gary Young. National treasures, the late Steve Hadley on double bass and Bruce Haymes on keys. George Butrumlis was a masterclass on accordion and mandolin, with the perfection of Helen Mountfort on cello. They added the best singing voices, including Steve Wade, Joe Creighton, and Gary Pinto.
In addition, Joel Turner beatboxed on a couple of tunes and ended up in a harmonica jam with Mike Rudd on one song. Mike and Bill Putt, Spectrum, Mark’s musical heroes, joined Mark on a song as did his oldest friend, Ross Ryan. One of the other highlights of the George Ballroom session is the Holdens [ Mick, Dallas, Mark Holden and Roger Treble] performing two Tex Morton songs. ( A Tribute to Tex Morton was released digitally on January 16 this year through Dream Dealers.
The day was made even more memorable for Mark, a family man at heart, when his wife, Anna, and his daughter, Katie, dropped in and were captured on camera for a few moments.
ABOUT MARK HOLDEN:
Teen idol, international hit songwriter, hit record producer, hit publisher, Australian Idol Judge, author, barrister, Mark Holden turned 70 in 2024.
He made his name as the carnation-carrying pop star on Countdown in the 1970s recording a string of Top 10 hits on E.M.I. Australia, including ‘Never Gonna Fall in Love Again’, ‘I Wanna Make You My Lady ‘and ‘Last Romance.’ He played Dr Greg Mason on the international hit soapie ‘The Young Doctors’ and was the first pop star in the world to wear Joseph’s Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.
In the 1980s, Mark wrote three Top Ten Billboard Black Singles, including two with The Temptations. His song ‘Lady Soul’ is on the ‘Motown Greatest Hits: Hitsville USA’ album.’
Hits around the world included a #1 on Billboard’s Dance chart with ‘Take Me Back to Love Again’ by Kathy Sledge, hits with David Hasselhoff in Germany, and over 50 covers, including songs on Belinda Carlisle’s five million-selling smash album Heaven is a Place on Earth, Donny Osmond, Branford Marsalis and Fleetwood Mac.
In 1999, he formed the production, publishing and management company Marjac Productions with Jack Strom and launched Vanessa Amorosi. Four hit singles co-written by Mark followed, including ‘Shine’, which received the APRA Award for the #1 most performed work in Australia for 2001. Vanessa’s album ‘The Power’ was #1 on the ARIA album chart and the #4 ARIA album of the year 2000.
She was the first Australian female artist to achieve this milestone with a debut album and was certified 4x platinum by ARIA. It stayed on the ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart for 62 weeks.
Mark’s song Absolutely Everybody’ was #7 in the UK, #2 in Ireland, Top Five Germany (Gold), Austria (Gold) and Switzerland; and Top Ten in 21 European and Asian countries.
Vanessa’s album ‘The Power’ went gold in Germany with 4 hit singles, including the #5 German Single ‘Shine’.
In 2000, Marjac Productions signed with Sony Australia to consult for the Delta Goodrem project, which reached #1 in Australia and the Top 5 in the UK.
From 2003- 2007, Mark was a judge on the ratings juggernaut Australian Idol and produced the double-platinum-selling Australian Idol Cast Album and the #1 ARIA single Rise Up, which he also co-wrote.
In 2005, Mark’s record label and publishing company Dream Dealers had a #1 ARIA single with ‘These Kids’ by Joel Turner and the Modern Day Poets.
In 2008 Mark was fired from Australian Idol which led to the sliding doors experience of him becoming a member of the Victorian Bar in 2009 and practicing as a barrister for the next 14 years before retiring in 2023.
While at the Victorian Bar, Mark found time to pay homage to his family, The Holden Brothers Travelling Circus. He was invited to guest star as Bobo the Clown [of Dancing With The Stars infamy] with the original members of Circus Oz in their show ‘The Classics’ at the Melba Speigeltent in 2014.
In May 2017, he released his first book, My Idol Years.
In 2018 he premiered his one-man show; ‘The Greatest Show On Earth” at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival to rave reviews “what follows is an hour and a half of magic … his personal triumph, no, make that, a Touchdown. ” Anna Vlach The Adelaide Advertiser.
In 2021, Mark and Dream Dealers co-produced an album of the works of Gunditjmara elder Richard J Frankland (SBS Elder in Residence) with his company, Koorreen Enterprises, and released six tracks and videos through 2025. Richard’s album ‘Discovering Leerpeen Mara’ will be released in June 2026.
In 2023 Dream Dealers resigned Joel Turner and released his track Mullet featuring Macca the Rapper and in October 2024 is releasing These Kids 20th Anniversary Remix with a retooled groove and remix by Kiwi DJ Jonathan Schnell featuring a new rap by DubLT:
In 2024, Mark was invited to become a special board member of 3KND, Melbourne’s first Indigenous-owned and managed AM radio station.
Mark has written his second book ‘The Ngeering’ which is a fictionalised version of his family circus history set in colonial Victoria. He is presently working with Elders and stakeholders to acknowledge the cultural ownership of the stories told in his manuscript.
‘The Ngeering’ has been submitted to the Yoorrook Justice Commission pending that process.
Mark is part of an industry advocacy group, #genuinearticle, that is fighting for Australian musicians’ and performers’ rights to payment for the broadcast of their performances on records on radio and TV at a rate comparable to the rest of the world.
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