Mic Conway
| Mic Conway | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 February 1951 |
| Origin | Melbourne, Australia |
| Genres | Jug band, ragtime, vaudeville |
| Occupation(s) | Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, entertainer |
| Instruments | Vocals, harmonica, ukulele, Musical saw, tenor guitar, washboard, jug |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Associated acts | The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band, The National Junk Band, Mic Conway and Robbie Long, The Wiggles |
| Website |
www |
Mic Conway (born 15 February 1951) is an Australian vocalist and with his brother, Jim Conway, was a co-founder of the 1970s humour, theatre and rock group, The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band.[1][2][3]
Conway also was a founding member of Soapbox Circus and Circus Oz.
Conway plays an assortment of oddball instruments, and performs magic, juggling, tap dancing and fire eating.
Biography
Conway, along with his brother Jim, attended Camberwell High School. There they formed the Jelly Bean Jug Band which would later become The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band. Captain Matchbox would later find success in the 1970s where the group produced seven records, two of which reached gold status. Also in the 1970s, he joined the Pram Factory Theatre and created the Soapbox Circus with Matchbox where he served as the ringmaster, musician, juggler and acrobat. The act would become Circus Oz in 1978.[4]
Conway was a member of the Conway Brothers Hiccups Orchestra from 1984–1988 and toured the UK in 1986 appearing at the Edinburgh Festival, the Capitol Music Festival and the Newcastle Festival. In 1988, the Conway Brothers appeared at the Houston International Festival, World Expo 88 and the Perth festival.
He reinvented himself as a children's performer in the 1990s, appearing on shows such as Humphrey B. Bear (on which he was known as 'Magic Mic'), Play School, Mr. Squiggle and ABC 4 Kids,[5] and Conway received an ARIA(Australian Recording Industry Association) award in 1994. Conway was a regular part of The Wiggles where he provided the voice of Wags the Dog for the TV series in the 1990s and 2000s, co-wrote songs, and made appearances on various videos, including the group's feature movie.[6]
He also had a band, Mic Conway's National Junk Band.[5]
References
- General
- McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Whammo Homepage". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on April 5, 2004. Retrieved 4 January 2010. Note: Archived [on-line] copy has limited functionality.
- Spencer, Chris; Zbig Nowara; Paul McHenry (2002) [1987]. The Who's Who of Australian Rock. Noble Park, Vic.: Five Mile Press. ISBN 1-86503-891-1.[7] Note: [on-line] version established at White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd in 2007 and was expanded from the 2002 edition.
- Specific
- ↑ McFarlane (1999). Encyclopedia entry for 'Captain Matchbox' at the Wayback Machine (archived August 29, 2004). Retrieved 31 January 2010.
- ↑ Spencer et al, (2007) CAPTAIN MATCHBOX WHOOPEE BAND entry. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
- ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until Australian Recording Industry Association(ARIA) created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
- ↑ "Mic Conway". Camberwell High School Ex-Students Society. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
- 1 2 "Mic and Jim Conway", abc.net.au, 1 June 2004. Retrieved 17 November 2012
- ↑ "Mic Conway". Mic Conway. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
- ↑ "Who's who of Australian rock / compiled by Chris Spencer, Zbig Nowara & Paul McHenry". catalogue. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 4 January 2010.