Session Work
Michael began his journey into music over five decades ago with an appreciation of his mothers taste in the current music of the fifties. This led to a love of swing music and rhythms, back then it was Brooke Benton, Diana Washington and Glenn Miller even...then came Danny and the Juniors in 1958... The seed was sown, rock and roll that had a swing!
But it was fifty four years ago, Michael acquired his first drum.. an Eric Delaney plastic snare drum on a folding stand with a pop up cymbal arm, this was in a school band and everyone was talking about Frank Ifields number one hit and The Ventures, a surf band from America. So the journey began into getting his first drum set, joining a shadows tribute band, constantly trying to learn the instrument without any help, all there was then was to watch listen and learn!
All through the sixties Michael was touring with bands, gigging constantly and sometimes living out of a small Ford Anglia van. The late sixties brought an opportunity to do his very first recording session at Strawberry studios in Stockport for a young Graham Gouldman who went on to ask Michael to work on several sessions. This later led to joining Lol Creme, Kevin Godley and Eric Stuart in the band known as Hotlegs... this quickly became the band we know as 10 cc..
The seventies and eighties brought many working bands for Michael including Dougie James Soul Train, Souled as Seen, Screaming Beavers, Kicks, The Bill Baileys, Tony Auton Band and The Method along with many more too. This also included several years around jazz clubs, playing with many top jazz players like Aaron Liddard, Munch Manship and many others.
Mid nineties included Diane Shaw, The Tangent, Flixton band and New Mills band touring with Connie Lush band 2014, The Bogtrotters, George Borowski, Pete Framptons Escape committee, Midnight Johhny blues band and Lisa Mills from Alabama.
and many more too numerous to mention..
Michael is still a student of Dave Hassell.
Michaels teaching career began in 1995 until today. Also teaching for Yamaha music schools and now teaching in primary education and recently in a Disley special school.
