Biography
British producer Mickie Most established the RAK label during the 1970s and earned recognition for introducing the Animals along with the Nashville Teens, while his studio work also encompassed Donovan, Lulu and Jeff Beck. Born Michael Hayes in Aldershot, he relocated with his family to North London, where the rising British rock & roll movement captured his attention as a teenager. There he developed friendships with Terry Dene and Wee Willie Harris before launching the Most Brothers alongside Alex Murray, the future producer of the Moody Blues. Commercial breakthrough remained out of reach, prompting him in 1959 to wed a South African woman and relocate to her homeland. In South Africa he fronted a rock ensemble that specialized in renditions of American hits; although the venture never elevated him to global prominence, it acquainted him with studio techniques and yielded eleven straight number-one singles on the South African charts.
Back in Britain by 1962 amid an R&B upheaval, Most encountered the Animals performing in a Newcastle venue and chose them as his next project. The resulting singles “Baby, Let Me Take You Home” and “House of the Rising Sun” propelled the latter track to international success, launching both the band and Most’s reputation. Additional productions followed, among them “I’m Into Something Good” for Herman’s Hermits and “Tobacco Road” for the Nashville Teens, before he oversaw Donovan’s widely praised 1966 album Sunshine Superman. Having guided Jeff Beck through late-1960s sessions, Most launched RAK in 1969. The imprint avoided critically lauded artists yet consistently delivered commercial singles, largely through the efforts of staff songwriters Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, who briefly elevated Suzi Quatro and Mud. Throughout the 1970s he collaborated with the English funk outfit Hot Chocolate, guiding them to their sole pair of Top Ten placements. His visibility declined sharply in the 1980s after he sold RAK and turned his attention to administering the publishing holdings accumulated across decades of production work. On June 30, 2003, Mickie Most died of cancer at age 64 in his London residence.
Back in Britain by 1962 amid an R&B upheaval, Most encountered the Animals performing in a Newcastle venue and chose them as his next project. The resulting singles “Baby, Let Me Take You Home” and “House of the Rising Sun” propelled the latter track to international success, launching both the band and Most’s reputation. Additional productions followed, among them “I’m Into Something Good” for Herman’s Hermits and “Tobacco Road” for the Nashville Teens, before he oversaw Donovan’s widely praised 1966 album Sunshine Superman. Having guided Jeff Beck through late-1960s sessions, Most launched RAK in 1969. The imprint avoided critically lauded artists yet consistently delivered commercial singles, largely through the efforts of staff songwriters Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, who briefly elevated Suzi Quatro and Mud. Throughout the 1970s he collaborated with the English funk outfit Hot Chocolate, guiding them to their sole pair of Top Ten placements. His visibility declined sharply in the 1980s after he sold RAK and turned his attention to administering the publishing holdings accumulated across decades of production work. On June 30, 2003, Mickie Most died of cancer at age 64 in his London residence.