Martin Armiger, a musician turned record producer, academic, and film and TV composer, based in Australia has died. He was 70.
Born in the U.K. as John Martin Armiger, he relocated to Australia with his family as a teenager. He is known for Australian film classics Yahoo Serious’ “Young Einstein,” and the Alex Proyas-directed “Dark City,” on which he was music producer and arranger.
Armiger kicked off his music career as a singer, songwriter and guitarist for legendary Melbourne based rock band The Sports. In 1972, he started his screen profession composing music for a short film called “Drac.” From 1984, Martin was musical director for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation series “Sweet and Sour,” a 20-episode, weekly pop music, drama TV series. He provided backing vocals, lead guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, drums and lyrics and produced the soundtrack album.
His other screen credits include the feature film “Thank God He Met Lizzie,” the television series “The Secret Life of Us,” mini-series “Come In Spinner” and “Bodysurfers,” “Police Rescue,” and the documentary “Cane Toads.”
He was also the head of screen music at the Australian Film Television and Radio School for 14 years. There he lobbied to make sure music was a key discipline taught at the school, In 2017, he was honoured with the inaugural APRA / AGSC Distinguished Service to the Australian Screen Award.
“It is hard to put into the words the extraordinary contribution that Martin made to the school and to the industry. His skill and generosity shaped the careers of so many students. His incredible intelligence, his musical genius, his kindness, his wit and his daring, disrupting mind influenced so many of us and will be so missed,” said Nell Greenwood, AFTRS director of curriculum and student registrar. “AFTRS staff and students send their condolences to Martin’s family and his many friends.”
