Australian producer and guitarist Mark Moffatt died on Friday, September 6, 2024, at the age of 74 in Nashville, Tennessee, after dedicating his life to music. He had battled pancreatic cancer for more than a year.
Mark Moffatt: From “(I’m) Stranded” to Nashville – the journey of a musician and producer
According to a statement from his team, Mark Moffatt has contributed more tracks to the Australian Performing Rights Association (APRA) Top 30 Songs of All Time list than any other producer.
He was an experienced engineer, songwriter and musician in Nashville, but was particularly devoted to developing the careers of artists from his native Australia. Perhaps the most famous of these was Keith Urban, who has credited Moffatt with helping him jumpstart his career from Australian celebrity to mainstream country music success in the US after moving to Nashville.
During the last two decades of his life, Mark Moffatt worked to bridge international divides from the vantage point of the Americana Music Association (AMA). He was a founding member of the Americana Music Foundation and served three terms as Chairman of the AMA Board of Directors, striving to find common ground between music in the United States and international markets.
Mark Moffatt’s musical career
Mark Moffatt remembers it was a Tuesday night. The young record producer had returned home after a stint in London and was working in his mate Bruce Window’s recording studio in West End, on the south side of the Brisbane River. Not many rock bands were being recorded; the studio’s main business was advertising jingles.
Although much of his career was in the country genre, Mark Moffatt also worked with rock musicians throughout his life. He formed a band called Kilo with Australian rock singer John “Sawanee” Swan, and together they were finishing an album at the time of Moffatt’s death.
Mark Moffatt leaves behind his wife Lindsey, stepdaughter Dana and son Geordie, two granddaughters and extended family. A service will be held in his honour; details to be announced.
