Mark Lizotte

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Biography

Johnny Diesel (born Mark Denis Lizotte , 31 May 1966, Fall River, Massachusetts , United States) is an Australian musician , who has released material as leader of Johnny Diesel & the Injectors , under his Name at birth|birth name , or by the epithet Diesel . Two of his albums reached #1 on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) ARIA Charts|Albums Charts , Hepfidelity in 1992 and The Lobbyist in 1993.

Since 1987, Diesel has played on several albums by his brother-in-law and rock music|rock singer , Jimmy Barnes . Although better known as a singer-songwriter and guitar ist, Diesel is also competent on bass guitar , Drum kit|drums , Percussion instrument|percussion and Keyboard instrument|keyboards ; and has also record producer|produced an album by Richard Clapton and one by Vika and Linda|Vika and Linda Bull . He has won five ARIA Music Awards with three for 'Best Male Artist' in ARIA Music Awards of 1993|1993 , ARIA Music Awards of 1994|1994 and ARIA Music Awards of 1995|1995 .

Early years

Diesel was born in 1966 in Fall River, Massachusetts , United States, and emigrated to Australia with his family, in November 1971. His father, Henry Bertram Lizotte (born 19 June 1929), and his mother, Theresa Rita ( Married and maiden names|née Morin, born 18 January 1930) were parents of Jeannine, Bruce, Michael, Laura, Donna, Brian and Mark (later known as Johnny Diesel). They settled in Perth, Western Australia , where he later had a job pouring petrol& mdash;an experience that provided inspiration for his music. Henry was a professional saxophonist performing in the US and Australia, Diesel and his siblings were surrounded by music from an early age. While his siblings became teachers, Diesel eventually settled on electric guitar as his main instrument. He later recalled a time in Year Eight#Australia|Year 8 ( circa|c. 1980) at Scarborough Senior High School when he decided on a musical career: "I was trying to get my head around algebra and suddenly I thought: 'Hang on, I don't have to do this. I can play music as a job!'".

In his mid-teens, Diesel (as Mark Lizotte) performed with The Kind and Close Action.Spencer et al, (2007) entry. Retrieved 4 December 2009.Spencer et al, (2007) entry. Retrieved 4 December 2009. The Kind had Diesel with Denise DeMarchi, Suze DeMarchi , Dean Denton, Gary Dunn, John Sherrit (musician)|John 'Yak' Sherrit and Boyd Wilson. Close Action included Diesel on guitar, Bernie Bremond on saxophone, John Heussenstamm on guitar and Sherrit on drum kit|drums . In 1983 he joined Innocent Bystanders , a Perth Pub rock (Australia)|pub rock band,Spencer et al, (2007) entry. Retrieved 4 December 2009. and they released a single, "Lebanon" in 1984 with the line-up of Diesel, John "Tatt" Dalzell on bass guitar , Brett Keyser on vocals, Cliff Kinneen on keyboard instrument|keyboards and Sherrit on drums. Innocent Bystanders travelled to Sydney to record their second single, "Dangerous", released in July 1986. They had attracted the attention of hard rock ers, The Angels (Australian band)|The Angels , and went on to record another single and an album, ''Don't Go Looking Back , which was released later in 1986, however Diesel had already left the band.

Johnny Diesel & the Injectors (1986–1991)

By June 1986, Diesel was back in Perth and had split from Innocent Bystanders, taking Bremond, Dalzell and Sherritt, and they formed Johnny Diesel & the Injectors with George Dalstrom as a second guitarist.Spencer et al, (2007) entry. Retrieved 4 December 2009. According to music journalism|music journalist , Ed Nimmervoll , the name Johnny Diesel was either from Lizotte's days as a petrol dispenser or from a corruption of John Dalzell's name being misapplied to him as the lead singer. Dalstrom left by the end of 1986. The band played a mixture of R& B , blues music|blues and Southern rock ; they developed a local following in Perth but decided to relocate to Sydney in 1987.

Johnny Diesel & the Injectors moved to Sydney in September after taking up band manager|management by Brent Eccles , drummer for The Angels. The group began playing support shows for The Choirboys (band)|The Choirboys and The Radiators (Australian band)|The Radiators . They came to the attention of Jane Barnes, wife of hard rocker, Jimmy Barnes (ex- Cold Chisel ), and through her recommendation, Diesel was hired to work on Barnes' third solo album, Freight Train Heart . When Barnes took to the road to tour the album in November, Diesel was retained as lead guitarist, while Johnny Diesel & the Injectors were the opening act. It was the beginning of a long relationship between Diesel and Barnes, Diesel married Jep (Jane Barnes' sister) in 1989 and the musicians became brother-in-law|brothers-in-law .

Diesel's band signed with Chrysalis Records and their eponym ous debut album, Johnny Diesel and the Injectors (Diesel album)|Johnny Diesel & the Injectors , was recorded in Memphis, Tennessee with producer Terry Manning from August 1988 and released in March 1989. The album reached #2 on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) ARIA Charts|Albums Charts . The first single "Don't Need Love" was issued ahead of the album in October 1988 and peaked at #10 on the ARIA Singles Charts. The second single, "Soul Revival", appeared in February 1989 and reached #9, while the third single, "Cry in Shame" also peaked at #10 in April. In all, five singles were released from Johnny Diesel & the Injectors , while "Looking for Love" was also a Top 40 hit, the final single "Since I Fell For You" was a chart failure asi peaked only #83.

While touring United Kingdom in mid-1989, they broadcast a live performance on 14 May by BBC Radio 1 for the Tommy Vance|Tommy Vance Sessions , produced by Tony Wilson the recording was released as a four-track extended play|EP , Live In London EP|Live in London , in August and peaked into the ARIA top 30.

At the ARIA Music Awards early in ARIA Music Awards of 1990|1990 , Johnny Diesel & the Injectors won the award for 'Highest Selling Album' (with more than 280,000 copies sold). Diesel appeared on Barnes' live album , Barnestorming in 1989 and worked with Barnes on his studio album, Two Fires , during 1990. In the meantime, the only recording from Johnny Diesel & the Injectors for the year was a cover version|cover of Percy Mayfield 's " Please Send Me Someone to Love " for the soundtrack to the Kylie Minogue film The Delinquents (1989 film)|The Delinquents . The single reached #11 on the ARIA singles chart Diesel decided to go solo and disbanded the group in early 1991.

Diesel (1991–1998)

In August 1991, as Johnny Diesel, his solo career was launched with the single "Love Junk", which peaked into the top 20. Diesel toured Australia with Barnes during the second half of the year. He had signed with EMI Music Australia and his second single, "Come to Me", was released in November under the epithet Diesel& mdash;subsequent releases saw him billed as Diesel until 1998& mdash;which reached #8 on the singles charts. November also saw the release of Barnes' next album, Soul Deep (Jimmy Barnes album)|Soul Deep , with Diesel on guitar and also singing a duet for the Sam Cooke cover " Bring It On Home to Me ". Diesel left his management team of Eccles and John Woodruff . He undertook his solo Rock 'n' Soul Tour, early in 1992, with Kane Baker on drums, Leslie Barlow on backing vocals , Matthew Branton on guitar, Jim Hilbun on bass guitar (ex-The Angels) and Roger Mason on keyboards ( Models (band)|Models ).Spencer et al, (2007) entry. Retrieved 5 December 2009.

His next release, "Tip of My Tongue", appeared in February 1992, which became his highest charting single when it reached #4. It was followed a month later by his debut solo album, Hepfidelity (Diesel album)|Hepfidelity , produced by Don Gehman and Manning, it was recorded in Los Angeles and Memphis. The album peaked at #1 on the ARIA charts and went on to sell more than 200,000 copies. A further two singles were issued, "Man Alive", in May, which reached the top 20, and "One More Time" in August, which did not peak into the top 50. Diesel won ARIA awards for 'Best Album' and 'Best Male Artist' in ARIA Music Awards of 1993|1993 from four nominations.

The Lobbyist (Diesel album)|The Lobbyist was a mix of new songs, re-workings of some Hepfidelity tracks and a couple of covers. Released in August 1993, it also hit #1 on the Australian charts, and Diesel won an ARIA award for 'Best Male Artist' again, in ARIA Music Awards of 1994|1994 . The album spawned three singles, "Miss Your Water" in July peaked at #12 but neither, "Masterplan" in October nor "I've Been Loving You Too Long" in January 1994, reached the top 40.

In May 1994, the EP Still Got a Long Way to Go was released, it had a duet with Barnes from his June album Flesh and Wood , however this did not chart in Top 50, only making #57. Diesel's next album, Solid State Rhyme (Diesel album)|Solid State Rhyme , appeared in November and featured the singles "All Come Together" (top 20), "Fifteen Feet of Snow" (top 30) and "Get it On". Solid State Rhyme was record producer|co-produced by Diesel and Craig Porteils& mdash;it was another commercial success which peaked at #10. He won the ARIA award for 'Best Male Artist' in ARIA Music Awards of 1995|1995 & mdash;for the third consecutive time.

Early in 1996, Diesel recorded the album Short Cool Ones (Diesel album)|Short Cool Ones with Melbourne blues music ian Chris Wilson (blues musician)|Chris Wilson as Wilson Diesel and was released in February.Spencer et al, (2007) entry. Retrieved 5 December 2009. The project also featured drummer Angus Diggs, bass player Dean Addison and Bob Woolf on keyboards. Diesel supplied guitar, backing vocals and production skills on Richard Clapton 's Angeltown , released in May. Following record production, guitar, backing vocals and song writing work on Vika and Linda 's Princess Tabu album, released in October, Diesel went on hiatus. A greatest hits compilation Rewind - The Best Of (Diesel album)|Rewind - The Best Of also appeared in October. By year's end, he had moved to New York City , with his young family.

To this point in his career, Diesel has sold over 800,000 records in Australia and won nine awards.

Comeback to present

In June 1998, Diesel signed with Mammoth Records under his Name at birth|birth name , Mark Lizotte. He returned briefly to Australia in November to perform at the Mushroom 25 Live concert alongside Wilson, Barnes and Vika and Linda. He made a comeback to the Australian charts with his September 1999 album, Soul Lost Companion , which reached the top 20 and spawned the singles, "Dig" (top 20) and "Satellite". He returned to live in Australia in 2002, and released his next album Hear (Diesel album)|Hear , under the Diesel moniker , in October.

On 10 October 2004, Andrew Denton interviewed Barnes on the ABC Television|ABC TV program Enough Rope , Diesel then performed with Barnes and his children, Eliza Jane, Jackie Barnes|Jackie and Elly May. Around the same time, Diesel released Singled Out (Diesel album)|Singled Out . An entirely acoustic music|acoustic overview of his career, it earned an ARIA nomination. Over the same period, he also worked with Barnes on his Double Happiness (album)|Double Happiness , including a duet on the track "Got You as a Friend" and providing musical backing including guitar, drums, bass guitar, percussion and keyboards on various tracks.

In 2006, Diesel released Coathanger Antennae , an album recorded in two months. Of it, he said "We approached it like the The Rolling Stones|Stones or the Beatles used to do where we'd just put down a few takes live and then picked the ones that we all felt good about", emphasising the focus on live recording rather than studio polishing., accessed 19 December 2006 Days Like These appeared in September 2008.

Diesel made guest appearances on the Australian leg of the 2009 Zappa Plays Zappa|Zappa Plays Zappa Tour by Dweezil Zappa , playing guitar and vocals after Ray White 's departure from Zappa's group. http://www.zappaplayszappa.com/tourlog/index.php – Dweezil Zappa's Tour Blog

Diesel hss contibuted music to the 6 part "Bikies Wars: Brothers In Arms" drama series on Channel Ten. The first episode went to air on Tuesday 15 May 2012. Diesel's real name 'Mark Lizotte' is listed in the credits.

Discography

Albums

Johnny Diesel and The Injectors (1989) (#2 Australia)

Live in London EP (1989) (#27 Australia)

Hepfidelity (1992) (#1 Australia)

The Lobbyist (1993) (#1 Australia)

Solid State Rhyme (1994)(#10 Australia)

Short Cool Ones (1996) (Chris Wilson & Johnny Diesel) (#18 Australia)

Rewind – The Best Of (1996)

Soul Lost Companion (1999) (released as Mark Lizotte ) (#18 Australia)

Hear (Diesel album)|Hear (2002)

Singled Out (Diesel album)|Singled Out (2004) (#78 Australia)

Coathanger Antennae (2006) (#23 Australia)

Days Like These (2008) (#17 Australia)

Saturday Suffering Fools (2009) (#50 Australia)

The 4 Corners Live (2009)

Greatest Hits Live (2011)

Under the Influence (2011) (#57 Australia)

Singles

as JOHNNY DIESEL & THE INJECTORS

"Don't Need Love" (1988) (#10 in Australia (AMR #11))

"Soul Revival" (1989) (#9 in Australia (AMR #8))

"Cry In Shame" (1989) (#10 in Australia (AMR #8))

"Lookin' for Love" (1989) (#28 in Australia (AMR #29))

"Since I Fell for You" (1989) (#83 in Australia)

"Please Send Me Someone to Love" (1990) (#11 in Australia)

as JOHNNY DIESEL

"Love Junk" (1991) (#19 in Australia)

as DIESEL

"Come to Me" (1991) (#8 in Australia)

"Tip of My Tongue" (1992) (#4 in Australia)

"Man Alive" (1992) (#20 in Australia)

"One More Time" (1992) (#59 in Australia)

"Never Miss Your Water" (1993) (#12 in Australia)

"Masterplan" (1993) (#42 in Australia)

"I've Been Loving You Too Long" (1994) (#41 in Australia)

"Still Got a Long Way to Go" (1994) (with Jimmy Barnes) (#57 in Australia)

"All Come Together" (1994) (#17 in Australia)

"15 Feet of Snow" (1995) (#29 in Australia)

"Get It On" (1995) (#75 in Australia)

as WILSON/DIESEL

"I Can't Stand the Rain" (1996) - duet with Chris Wilson (blues musician)|Chris Wilson

as MARK LIZOTTE

"Dig" (1999) (#18 in Australia)

as DIESEL

"Crazytown" (2006) (#39 in Australia)

"Saviour" (2006)

"Steal My Sunshine" (2007 - promo CD single)

"Days Like These" (2008 - promo CD single)

DVDs

''The First Fifteen '89-'04 Live (2004)

Diesel + Strings: Live at the Vanguard (2006)

The 4 Corners Live (2009)

Awards

ARIA Music Awards|ARIA Award for Best Male Artist (1992, 1993, 1995)

ARIA Award for Best Album & ndash; Hepfidelity (1992)

Copyright Citations

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1. Johnny Diesel

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