Michael Snow

Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Michael Snow began a lengthy, eclectic path in music during the mid-1960s British rock era before relocating to Nashville. Born in Liverpool, England, to Irish immigrant parents and raised in that city, he took part in the early-1960s Merseybeat scene led by the Beatles. He entered the Barons, a local ensemble that secured a Parlophone Records deal—the same imprint that housed the Beatles—in 1962. Two years later Snow headed to London and became a member of West Five, an act that landed on HMV Records and issued its debut single, a cover of the Rolling Stones number “Congratulations” penned by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Neither that release nor the two singles that followed registered on the charts, prompting the group’s dissolution.

He next entered the show band the Blue Aces, another HMV act, remaining with them for six months before striking out as a freelance pianist and musical director for touring American R&B artists that included Ben E. King, Edwin Starr, and Doris Troy. Snow also collaborated with the British outfit the Checkmates; together with several ex-members of West Five, that unit evolved into the soul-pop band Ferris Wheel, which placed two albums on record—Can’t Break the Habit (1967) via Pye Records and Ferris Wheel (1970) via Polydor (issued in the U.S. on Uni). Although Snow performed on the later LP, he had already exited the lineup by the time of its release. He subsequently formed Rockin’ Horse alongside Billy Kinsley, formerly of the Merseybeats, and Liverpool vocalist Jimmy Campbell; the trio delivered the 1970 Philips album Yes It Is in the U.K.

When the trio failed to build further momentum, Snow shifted into publishing, accepting a managerial post at the Robert Stigwood Organization (RSO) while continuing to write songs and serve as a session player. His most notable songwriting success arrived in spring 1971 with “Rosetta,” cut by Georgie Fame and Alan Price; the track climbed to number 11 in Britain and earned him the Ivor Novello Award. Session credits accumulated with Badfinger, Lulu, and Dusty Springfield, and his ties to the Beatles circle resurfaced through work on the George Harrison-produced Doris Troy album issued by Apple and through his contribution as one of 45 voices in the choir on John Lennon’s “Power to the People.” He then embarked on a 60-date piano stint with Chuck Berry and later served as pianist and orchestra conductor for former Zombies frontman Colin Blunstone’s first solo tour, an association that extended to Blunstone’s 1972 album Ennismore.

Snow relocated to the United States in 1973 and established himself in Nashville, where he engaged in songwriting, production, and publishing. His compositions found homes with Julie Andrews, Earl Scruggs, and Ray Stevens; he helmed sessions for Chain of Command, the Hots, Orsa Lia, and the Smashers; and he oversaw the publishing catalog of Bobby Russell. In 1986 he launched a commercial jingle firm whose clients encompassed McDonald’s. That same year he began an ongoing partnership with Dennis Locorriere of Dr. Hook and started his own imprint, Irish Eyes Music. In 1990 he co-wrote and co-produced guitarist Ray Flacke’s instrumental solo set Untitled Island, released on Intersound.

During the 1990s Snow, prompted by his Irish roots, gravitated toward Celtic music. He fronted the contemporary Celtic ensemble Ceolta Nua and contributed bodhran, accordion, and banjo to recordings by Michael Card, Cathryn Craig, Adie Grey, Robert Earl Keen, Jr., Gloria Loring, and Lesley Schatz. He also supplied songs that appeared on Brian Willoughby of the Strawbs’ Black and White, Gloria Loring’s Turn the Page, and Dr. Hook’s Love Songs. In 2000 Snow issued his first solo album, Here Comes the Skelly, on his own Irish Eye Records; the project inaugurated a trilogy reflecting his upbringing as a child of Irish immigrants in Liverpool. The Rats and the Rosary arrived in 2001, and the cycle concluded with Never Say No to a Jar in 2003.