Mike Hurst (born Michael John Longhurst Pickworth, 19 September 1942) is an English musician and record producer.

Biography

A singer, songwriter and guitarist from the age of 13, Mike Hurst was encouraged by rock singer

Eddie Cochran Ray Edward Cochran (; October 3, 1938 – April 17, 1960) was an American rock and roll musician. Cochran's songs, such as "Twenty Flight Rock", "Summertime Blues", "C'mon Everybody" and " Somethin' Else", captured teenage frustration and desire ...

after auditioning for Jack Good's television show '' Oh Boy!'' but in 1960, after failing to secure a recording contract, Hurst moved away from music and began to work in insurance. Later, though, after his mother answered an advertisement in ''

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...

'', on his behalf, for a singer for a pop/folk group, Hurst won an audition. He joined

Dusty Dusty may refer to: Places in the United States * Dusty, New Mexico, an unincorporated community * Dusty, Washington, an unincorporated community * Dusty Glacier, Washington People * Dusty (given name) * Dusty (nickname) * Slim Dusty, Austra ...

and

Tom Springfield Tom Springfield (born Dionysius Patrick O'Brien, 2 July 1934 – 27 July 2022) was an English musician, songwriter and record producer who was prominent in the 1960s folk and pop music scene. He was the older brother of singer Dusty Springfiel ...

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in February 1962. After entering the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

with "Breakaway", they scored a hit single in the United States with "

Silver Threads and Golden Needles "Silver Threads and Golden Needles" is a country song written by Dick Reynolds and Jack Rhodes. It was first recorded by Wanda Jackson in 1956. The original lyrics, as performed by Jackson, contain a verse not usually included in later versions, w ...

", becoming the first UK vocal group to make the US Top 20. UK chart success continued in 1963 with " Island of Dreams" and " Say I Won't Be There". They were voted the top British group by readers of the '' NME'' in 1962. The Springfields' final performance was in ''

Sunday Night at the London Palladium ''Tonight at the London Palladium'' is a British television variety show that is hosted from the London Palladium theatre in the West End. Originally produced by ATV for the ITV network from 1955 to 1969, it went by its original name ''Sunday ...

'', the biggest television programme of the day, where they were presented with a trophy by compere

Bruce Forsyth Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson (22 February 1928 – 18 August 2017) was a British entertainer and presenter whose career spanned more than 70 years. Forsyth came to national attention from the late 1950s through the ITV series '' Sunday Nig ...

. The group disbanded in October 1963. In 1964, Hurst formed a band called the Methods, featuring

Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Page is prolific in creating guitar riffs. His style involves various alternative ...

and then

Albert Lee Albert William Lee (born 21 December 1943) is an English guitarist known for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique. Lee has worked, both in the studio and on tour, with many famous musicians from a wide range of genres. He has also mai ...

on guitar as well as Tony Ashton on keyboards. After leaving the band Hurst began producing for

Andrew Loog Oldham Andrew Loog Oldham (born 29 January 1944) is an English record producer, talent manager, impresario and author. He was manager and producer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 to 1967, and was noted for his flamboyant style. Early life Loog Oldha ...

( Tony Rivers and the Castaways) and

Mickie Most Michael Peter Hayes (20 June 1938 – 30 May 2003), known as Mickie Most, was an English record producer behind scores of hit singles for acts such as the Animals, Herman's Hermits, the Nashville Teens, Donovan, Lulu, Suzi Quatro, Hot Ch ...

. In September 1965, he oversaw

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's first recording session, at Decca when he recorded "The Wizard". In 1965, after a brief collaboration with Bolan, he discovered singer-songwriter

Cat Stevens Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou; ), commonly known by his stage names Cat Stevens, Yusuf, and Yusuf / Cat Stevens, is a British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His musical style consists of folk, pop, rock, and, later i ...

, and signed him to the new Deram record label (an imprint of

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in We ...

) and produced his first five hit singles including " Matthew and Son" and "

I'm Gonna Get Me a Gun "I'm Gonna Get Me A Gun" is a song that Cat Stevens wrote, composed, and recorded in 1967, and was produced by Mike Hurst of Decca Records's recently added Deram Records label. It was released as a 45 in the UK, reaching number 6 in the UK Singl ...

". During this time he also produced recordings and hits for

P. P. Arnold Patricia Ann Cole (born October 3, 1946), known professionally as P. P. Arnold, is an American soul singer. Arnold began her career as an Ikette with the Ike & Tina Turner Revue in 1965. The following year she relocated to London to pursue a solo ...

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"),

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(" Curly"),

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(" Mighty Quinn"),

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("Time Seller"), Neil MacArthur (a pseudonym for Colin Blunstone), Warm Sounds,

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and Alan Bown. In 1969, Hurst formed an orchestra and recorded covers of popular songs and themes of the day. In 1970 and 1971, he produced for Australian band

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...

, and recorded two albums for

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...

, using sidemen such as Tony Ashton,

B. J. Cole Brian John Cole is an English pedal steel guitarist, who has long been active as a session and solo musician. Coming to prominence in the early 1970s with the band Cochise, Cole has played in many styles, ranging from mainstream pop and rock to ...

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, Rod Argent and

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. In 1973, he formed his own production company, Solid Gold, and wrote and produced for the band

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, achieving US chart success with the singles "Touch Me" and a cover of

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" Wild Thing". The same year he signed Showaddywaddy to

Bell Records Bell Records was an American record label founded in 1952 in New York City by Arthur Shimkin, the owner of the children's record label Golden Records, and initially a unit of Pocket Books, after the rights to the name were acquired from Benny ...

and produced a string of UK hit singles for them. These included " Under the Moon of Love", " Three Steps to Heaven" and " When". Following his success with Showaddywaddy, he produced ''

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'' (1978), a disco album for

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, and early recordings by Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club. In 1978, he started managing

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, and produced his first hit "Hot Dog" the same year. In 1981, he formed a vocal group with

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and Mike de Albuquerque called Sundance and toured with

Dr Hook Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show (shortened to Dr. Hook in 1975) is an American rock band, formed in Union City, New Jersey. The band had commercial success in the 1970s with hit singles "Sylvia's Mother", " The Cover of 'Rolling Stone'" (both 1972) ...

appearing on the '' Parkinson'' and

Russell Harty Frederic Russell Harty (5 September 1934 – 8 June 1988) was an English television presenter of arts programmes and chat shows. Early life Harty was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, the son of greengrocer Fred Harty, who ran a fruit-and-vege ...

television shows. In 1984, he became head of Lamborghini Records, famous for discovering

Samantha Fox Samantha Karen Fox (born 15 April 1966) is an English pop singer and former glamour model from East London. She rose to public attention aged 16, when her mother entered her photographs in an amateur modelling contest run by ''The Sunday Peopl ...

. 21st century work includes production for

Belle & Sebastian Belle and Sebastian are a Scottish indie pop band formed in Glasgow in 1996. Led by Stuart Murdoch, the band has released eleven albums. They are often compared with acts such as The Smiths and Nick Drake. The name "Belle and Sebastian" comes ...

(2002), and his son's band, Jonas and Plunkett (2007). He also runs rock schools for youngsters through his Rockmaster company, and is a foremost lecturer on the history of English speaking popular music from the Middle Ages to the present day, appearing at schools, U3A groups etc. throughout the country. Hurst also appears with his new Springfields, including Andy Marlow and Alice Pitt-Carter. Hurst and wife Marjorie have seven children between them - Tim, Alexis, Caroline, Muffin, Bryony, Jonas and Adam - and 17 grandchildren.

References

External links

Official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hurst, Mike Living people 1942 births English record producers English songwriters English pop musicians People from Kilburn, London Musicians from London