Mauro Magellan was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1954. The family immigrated to the United States in 1957.
Mauro has been illustrating books, playing and recording music for well over 45 years.
Perhaps Mauro is best known as the drummer with The Georgia Satellites, whose song “Keep Your Hands To Yourself”
and “Hippy Hippy Shake” (Cocktail starring Tom Cruise). He toured 17 years after the Sats with Dan Baird & Homemade
Sin, lead singer of the Satellites all over the world.
Mauro has illustrated numerous books for major publications such as Pelican Press, Long Street Press, The Globe
Peqout Press, and John Wiley and Sons. He’s also written and illustrated four children’s books published by Humantics,
Ltd. and Eifrig Publishing. Mauro is currently playing in a Madison based band Generation Jones. A band with an
impressive pedigree!
Mauro lives in a 130 year old farm house on 25 acres in Monroe, Wisconsin with his wife Tracy. Together they have two
wonderful daughters Rachel, and Julia. They also have a granddaughter, Leah. His hobbies include day dreaming,
gardening, woodworking, and collecting vintage drum sets.
Before he joined the Satellites (that’s what they were called back in 1983), He was bouncing around Atlanta playing in country bands
until Keith Christopher called him to join the Brains. He did. They had a great time touring the US but no money.
After about a year Jeff Glixman, the Sat’s producer, gave him a call and asked if he would join the band…they were going places.
(They all say that). But they were my favorite Atlanta band so he said, “yes”.
They played every Monday night at Hedgens. The bar was a dive bar packed with people and sin. He has so many fond memories of
that place. They played outside the city and state but nobody ever liked us.
Fast forward to 1986 they got a record deal with a real record company. None of them believed the album would be released but by some freak of nature it was. He was playing with the Hell Hounds (Rick and Rick) and working at the Art store on Peachtree Street when he
got a call from the vice president of Elektra Records; in his Londoner accent he said, ”Mauro, quit your job, it’s a great record.” That
morning he quited his job.
They shot videos and toured the world. One video shoot however, changed his life. He met Tracy, his wife. She’s actually in the video
with big hair and all. He showed it to his kids and all they could talk about was her “big Hair” The 80s_ what can I say! The video by
the way was, “Myth of Love.”
He looks back on those days with a smile on my face. Sure there were some bad times but for him, the good time way out-weighed they
bad. “I had the time of my life!”
Clubs & Organizations:
Recording Academy Grammy® Voting Member Chicago Chapter
MAMAs Madison Area Musicians Association – Madison, WI
WAMIs Wisconsin Area Musicians Industry – Milwaukee, WI
Musician’s Union Atlanta – GA
Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG-AFTRA) – Los Angeles, CA
Music Producer for Domestic and International Artists
