Michael Stephen Levine (born 1 June 1949) is the bassist and keyboardist for the Canadian hard rock band
Triumph
The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...
.
Early life
Levine was born in
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
. He attended
Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate Institute
Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate Institute (equally known to as Sir John A. Macdonald CI, SJAM, Macdonald Collegiate or Mac , originally known as O'Sullivan Secondary School,http://www.metropolicyarchive.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/HSS-1146450- ...
in
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to:
People
* Scarborough (surname)
* Earl of Scarbrough
Places Australia
* Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth
* Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong
* Scarborough, Queensland, su ...
.
Career
In 1970 Levine helped to bring back together the band
Motherlode, which had broken up after releasing one hit single and a couple of less popular recordings. They toured around northern and western Ontario before disbanding once again.
Levine played bass in the Toronto blues band Abernathy Shagnaster's Wash and Wear Band with guitarist Fred Keeler, keyboardists Peter Young and drummer Gil Moore. After the band's first single was recorded, Keeler and Young left; Levine and Moore recruited guitarist Rik Emmett, and the three founded the heavy metal band Triumph in 1974.
Although he did not sing lead on any of Triumph's music, Levine contributed backing vocals, bass, keyboard work, as well as songwriting. He also produced much of the band's early work, and performed on all of the band's ten studio albums.
Live, he also contributed much onstage banter with the audience, often smoking a large cigar during performances as well as wearing local sports team jerseys (especially
NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
teams). On 1 October 1985, responding to a challenge by corporate sponsors, Levine travelled across Canada, visiting eight radio stations from Halifax to Vancouver in one day to promote Triumph's double album ''Stages''.
After Triumph disbanded in 1993 Levine continued to merchandise the band's recordings and songs; he then went into business and began living part-time in Jamaica.
"Regrouped Triumph tests the waters"
''The Globe and Mail'', PERRY LEFKO, 5 June 2008
Levine also serves on the Board of Directors and Advisory Board for the Musicians' Rights Organization Canada.
Levine was also a contestant on the Christmas Eve 1996 episode of Wheel of Fortune The Wheel of Fortune or ''Rota Fortunae'' has been a concept and metaphor since ancient times referring to the capricious nature of Fate. Wheel of Fortune may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Art
* ''The Wheel of Fortune'' (Burne-Jo ...
.
References
External links
Official triumph website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levine, Mike
1949 births
Living people
Canadian rock bass guitarists
Canadian rock keyboardists
Canadian record producers
Canadian heavy metal bass guitarists
Musicians from Toronto
Triumph (band)
Motherlode (band) members
20th-century Canadian keyboardists