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TONY BIOGRAPHY

Tony - Portrait 10.jpg

Tony King is an accomplished musician composer and singer/songwriter. He is also a Producer and Film composer.

Below is a brief summary over 3 decades of Musical History:

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2023 - Winner of Best Soundtrack for Black Canvas - Cannes World Film Festival

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2022 - Winner of Best Lyrics for "The Map" Australian Songwriters Awards

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2022 - Finalist for best song "The Map" in UK Songwriting awards

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2021- Tony wins Songwriter of the Year 2020

 at the APRA & ASA Australian  Songwriting Awards.  

Winner of Best Lyrics and Best Comedy song. Finalist for Best Ballad.

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2020 - Finalist in UK songwriting Awards

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2020 - Semi- Finalist in USA songwriting Awards

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2017 – Finalist Johnny Dennis Awards

 

2017 Release of new album "Silhouette"

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2017 - Finalist in International Songwriting Awards Best Lyrics for "The Red White and Blue"

 

2017 – Finalist in USA Songwriting Competition for The Trump Song

 

2016 – Now and Then - Art Exhibition of Oil paintings at SoArt Gallery, Narooma, Australia

 

2015 – Dreamers Art Exhibition of Oil paintings at Gauge Gallery, Glebe, Sydney, Australia

 

2015 – Finalist is UK Song writing Awards for Until I’ve shown you Paris

 

2014- Billy’s Dream Awarded Winner of the Best Lyrics at The International Songwriting Awards (Judged by Tom Waits, Bernie Taupin and Shirley Manson.


2013 – With the extra assistance of Crowd Funding Tony and Nina commissioned film maker, Matt Mahurin to produce a video of BILLY’S DREAM.

 

2012 – SPIN Beautifully Mad’s latest Album was written and recorded and produced with Nina Vox.

 

2010 Composed Music for a film project called PACHACUTI   


Between 2011- 2013 Tony and Nina (aka Kris Ralph) as Beautifully Mad perform on Heron Island in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

2009 Tony is Awarded AUSTRALIAN SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR  by The Australian Songwriters Association

Awarded best song  in an unprecedented 3 categories:

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BILLY'S DREAM for BEST LYRICS

WHEN WE'RE OLD for BEST SONG in the OPEN CATEGORY

WHEN WE'RE OLD for BEST SONG in the FOLK/ACOUSTIC CATEGORY

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2009 – “THE SHAPE OF YOU” by Nina Vox was produced by Tony at TSS Studios in Sydney.

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2008 Theatre Star and Cabaret Performer, Tyran Parke engaged Tony to record and Produce his debut CD "SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE". Tyran has received much acclaim for this album and is now co-writing songs with legendary US composers for his upcoming album.

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In  2008 Tony was invited to perform guitar with the brilliant Chanteuse, Camille O'Sullivan from Ireland. Her Show "The Dark Angel" played to sell out audiences at The Studio @ The Sydney Opera House. Jacques Brel,
Tom Waits, Nick Cave and many authors of human frailty performed brilliantly by Camille and the band.

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In early 2007 Tony recorded, mixed, performed on and produced Kaye Tuckerman's debut album "SIREN".  A brilliant debut for Kaye, recorded @ TSS @ Fox Studios in Sydney then mixed @ Moonlight Cactus Studios, Sydney

 

Tony released a series of compositions made exclusively from the sounds of wine, wine glasses, bottles, barrels, corks popping and called it The Wine Music. It was the most requested piece of music on ABC Classical FM radio and received much press

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Tony and Kris successfully launched THE WINE MUSIC in the USA and then in Europe in June/ July 2007.

It is a truly Unique Idea and Tony's musical compositions are enchanting. Tony is using 100% of proceeds from sales of The Wine Music to build wells in Ethiopia in a project called "WINE INTO WATER" 

In 2006 won SONG OF THE YEAR The song "Genius of Love”, in the Australian Songwriters Association Awards. Tony co-wrote the song with Louise Perryman, Kris Ralph and Bill Risby for Louise's solo album.

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2004 Tony produced an album of original songs with Kris Ralph entitled "Beautifully Mad". It was recorded at The TSS @ Fox Studios with some of Australia's finest musicians.

The album cover features Kris Ralph's artwork.

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2002 Tony is invited to Ireland to co-write an Album Gypsy’s Kiss with Andrew Strong (of The Commitments)  Tony toured Scandinavia with Andrew’s band in April 2002 … The Gypsy’s Kiss Tour, in conjunction with the release of Andrew’s latest album of the same name. The platinum Album reached the top twenty in Denmark and Sweden.

 

2001 –2003 Tony continued to produce and co-write with Andrew Strong in Ireland and back at home co-wrote and produced an Album ”The Dream” with local artist Elizabeth Geyer.

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1997 - Full of the Moon, Tony & Kris’ second Album of original songs was recorded, mixed and produced tracks at Moonlight Cactus Studio in Sydney.

The Album was reviewed by Drum Media:

“Hauntingly Beautiful...Together they have combined their talents to produce a stunning array of diverse songs. The Album smiles with an infectious and eclectic energy. It’s fun, it’s catchy and it has a confident mix of elements taking in melodic pop, folk funk and Jazz tunes. Richly textured lyrics, coupled with balanced arrangements make “Full of the Moon” well worth a listen.

 

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In 1997 Tony composed the score for the Feature film WANTED.

 

Burbank Animation Studios chose Tony to score their series of nine Animated Films beginning with The Secret of Camelot, Mulan, The Three Little Pigs, The Littlest Mermaid and Moses The Prince of Egypt. More projects for Burbank, D4 THE TROJAN DOG and SILENT NIGHT, and THE CANTERVILLE GHOST  based on a story by Oscar Wilde and the classic Anna and The King.

All of which have been screened internationally animated film score .

 

CLOSE CONTACT A Tele-movie score written and composed by Tony has been screened locally and internationally on Channel 7.

 

In 1996, Jazz legend Kerrie Biddell records “Is that Jazz “

for her album, The Singer.

 

1995-96 Tony worked with Phil Scott, George Washington, and co-wrote with Gullifer Smith (A Touch of Paradise)

 

1994 Tony and Kris established Moonlight Cactus Music Studio.

The Comedy Tracks In The Suburbs and In The Mulga, were both voted Number 1 Most popular Song on Ian McNamara’s Australia All Over Radio Program for 1995.

1992- Moonlight Cactus Album was released and sold out of it’s first pressing by word of mouth.

 

In 1991 Tony won an ARIA Award for writing the highest selling single "Read my lips"

 

In 1988-89 Tony produced an album of his original songs, the result was a beautifully recorded, soulful piece titled, After The Tone.

 

In 1987, Tony began writing a series of the longest running Australian Political radio satire How Green Was My Cactus (For which he was nominated for an AWGIE for Best Radio Comedy).  Tony continued to be a free lance writer for the series for 33 years.

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