Mark Fisher, one half of Matt Bianco’s line-up since 1985, has died at the age of 57. The news was announced via the band’s Facebook and Twitter accounts on 12 December.
It is with deep sadness that we have to inform you all that Mark Fisher passed away this morning. Words fail us.
— Matt Bianco (@MattBiancoBand) December 12, 2016
The son of trumpeter Tony Fisher, who played on The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Mark began his career in soul and funk bands Alibi and Second Image in the early 1980s. After a spell as a session musician, during which time he played keyboards on stage for Wham! and Womack & Womack, Fisher released his own single Love Situation with singer Dotty Green in 1985, reaching number 59 in the UK chart. Later that year he joined Matt Bianco after the band’s original line-up disintegrated following the success of their first album. As a duo with singer Mark Reilly, Matt Bianco enjoyed success with the albums Matt Bianco (1986, #26) and Indigo (1988, #23); Fisher played on some of the band’s biggest hits including Yeh Yeh (1985, #13), Don’t Blame It On That Girl and Wap Bam Boogie, the latter two hitting #11 as a double A-side in 1988.
Following the release of The Best of Matt Bianco in 1990, the duo continued to record and perform together, releasing Samba In Your Casa in 1991 before leaving major label Warners in favour of recording on a freelance basis. Over the next decade another five Matt Bianco albums were released, the band continuing to enjoy success in Japan although the records were not issued in the UK. After a brief hiatus in 2003 when Reilly reunited with singer Basia and keyboardist Danny White from the band’s 1984 line-up, Fisher returned to Matt Bianco for further albums HiFi Bossanova (2009) and Hideaway (2012). No further details of Fisher’s passing have been released.
