Guitar; Vocals
Born in Port Fairy, a small fishing town in Victoria, in 1959, Marco was named after his great-grandfather. Marco senior was born on, and shipwrecked by, the sailing ship Marco Polo during a crossing from Scotland to Australia in 1885.
Life in a small fishing town is not easy for anyone,
so young Marco turned to music to escape the drudgery of everyday life.
He started playing harmonica with a friend who played guitar, but soon
decided to take up guitar himself. He didn't study formally, preferring
instead to simply practice by himself, trying to emulate the styles of
the likes of B. B. King, Freddie King, Johnny Winter, and Eric Clapton.
Working in a factory by day to support his young family, and playing the blues by night, taught Marco to write songs about his life and his feelings. Deciding his life lay in his music, Marco quit the factory job and followed his heart.
After being offered a chance to play at the Ballarat Blues Festival in 1991, Marco found himself in need of a band. Having played with Barry Galbraith before, Marco approached him with the intention of simply playing at the festival.
Barry suggested that Marco also ask his brother Graeme, and while neither of them knew it at the time, the formation of Blue Heat was then inevitible.
Copyright © 1996 Craig Smith
(galap@mira.net)
Last Changed 13 September 1996