Biography
Musical instruments & OCD.
Mike is a formidable multi-instrumentalist. As well as being a much recorded Singer he plays Piano, Guitar, Bass and Drums.
His main instrument is piano, but playing gigs at night gave him his daytimes to learn and practice
other instruments. He also has fun with Banjos and Ukuleles. Playing with musical instruments has been an intense Obsessive Compulsive Disorder that he’s quite happy about.
“I didn’t want to be a virtuoso on any particular instrument, but I’ve worked real hard on the four that I do play. I just wanted to play them well enough to get enough work to eat. And I thoroughly enjoyed doing that.”
“I had a different musical education, It was audibly instilled in me by my
parents who were jazz aficionados.
For nine months in my mother’s womb, I heard my parents’ substantial
record collection.
I heard the best Jazz Musicians, Singers and Bands of the day and they also
played gospel singers, and classical composers. I heard all this up until I owned my own transistor radio, then the teenage music of the day ruled.
“I was taken to piano lessons when I was six and that was when I realised that I could reproduce on a piano, some of what I had heard on recordings. Later, a friend of my father’s – Glenn Shorrock – lent me a guitar. I quickly connected with that guitar.
“Through my piano lessons I learned that I had the musical version of Dyslexia. Fortunately, it forced me to commit what I wanted to play to memory. Memory then became working knowledge.
“When I came of working age, I already knew and could sing a lot of songs, and I could quickly learn new ones. It was only natural that I became a professional musician… my first and only job to this day. (Actually that’s not entirely true – my first job was pumping gas at my Dad’s
roadhouse.)
“My first professional band was ‘The Harts’, of which I am an original member. My father got me this gig. The Harts started out as ‘Bobby Gardiner and the Pirates’ and were the resident band at the KT Club in Adelaide. I then moved to Melbourne to play with ‘The Vibrants’…
actually, one night Geoff Skewes and Rick Kent drove from Melbourne to Adelaide and kidnapped me to become one of The Vibrants. I went along and had a great adventure. The Vibrants performed at Pinocchio’s – said to be the first Rock Club in Australia – owned and managed by Garry Spry, manager of ‘The Twilights’, ‘The Groove’ and Kush among many others.
“Then I was asked to tour with ‘Johnny Young and Kompany’ who had hits with ‘Step Back’, ‘Cara-Lyn’ and ‘Let It Be Me’, before Johnny went on to become the face of Young Talent Time. I saw a great deal of the Victorian countryside with Kompany and also toured interstate. One
night, our tour manager hadn’t organised accommodation and we ended up sleeping on benches inside Brisbane’s famous ‘Cloudland Ballroom’.
“When I decided to travel overseas, Piano Bars were where the work was and I could play a lot of the jazz standards I knew as the venues weren’t genre-specific. Moving to London was a great learning ground. There were heaps of jobs in London recording studios and watching the
locals work was highly educational.
“I did a lot of work in Mayfair Studios, which was owned by John Hudson (who went on to engineer Coldplay, Tina Turner and countless others). Since being back in Oz, I’ve been a working musician, composer and producer and run my own recording studio Hi Tech Music.
“I’ve received Master classes from some of the world’s best. In terms of composition it came from Brian May who conducted the ABC Orchestra and wrote the scores for many movies including ‘Mad Max’. On reconnecting with John Hudson, I convinced him to come out of retirement and give me audio engineering classes. I’ve also been writing songs for years… I’ve got a bin full of throw-outs to prove it. Composing is something you’ve just got to keep doing - constantly.
"Music was the best thing that happened to both my personal and working life, it’s taken me around the world and connected me with people I love. I am extremely grateful for the gift”
“I’m not one to rest on my laurels. I’d rather be recognised for what I’m doing now. But I’m
lucky to have had the chance to work with some world class musicians and singers. Music is the
best thing that ever happened to both my personal and working life. It’s taken me around the
world and connected me with people I love. I am extremely grateful for the gift.”
Mike is a songwriter, composer, musical director and producer of other artists. His recordings were all produced, engineered, played and sung by him in his own professional studio.
Extra special thanks go to Paul Blakey at 12 th & Vine Post Mastering. The best, most patient and helpful mastering service… anywhere!