Cipollina was born in
San Rafael, California, in 1954. His older brother,
John Cipollina (1943–1989) was the guitarist for
Quicksilver Messenger Service. Cipollina was in the band Soundhole, based in the
San Francisco Bay Area. Their biggest competition was
Clover. In 1979, members of Soundhole and Clover joined forces to form
Huey Lewis and the News. The News' sound draws upon early pop, R&B, doo-wop, blue-eyed soul and new wave. Cipollina was fired from Huey Lewis and the News in 1995 due to suffering from drug addiction. From 2002 to 2004, Mario was a member of Quicksilver Gold, a tribute band to Quicksilver Messenger Service. In 2007, Cipollina joined the News on stage for a state fair in California. == References ==