Mike Harrison

Born in Carlisle, Cumbria, England, vocalist and pianist Mike Harrison launched his professional path during the early 1960s by singing with the local group the Ramrods. He entered the V.I.P.s in 1965, an ensemble that became Art three years later and then transformed into Spooky Tooth in 1968. Across these successive lineups his singular vocal presence remained prominent, especially on the Spooky Tooth tracks “Sunshine Help Me” and “Better by You, Better Than Me.”

Following the group’s breakup he issued the solo album Mike Harrison, backed by the Carlisle-based Junkyard Angels. That unit was directed by former V.I.P.s guitarist Frank Kenyon and also comprised Ian Herbert on guitar and vocals, bassist Peter Batley, and drummer Ken Iverson. Harrison’s robust delivery—blending elements of Joe Cocker and Steve Winwood—raised the level of the recording, even though the sessions revealed limited rapport between the frontman and his supporting players.

Smokestack Lightning found him working productively with Muscle Shoals session players that included keyboardist Barry Beckett and bassist David Hood, both of whom subsequently became members of Traffic. In 1972 Harrison rejoined a reconstituted Spooky Tooth that again featured Ian Herbert, yet he departed once more in 1974. The understated Rainbow Rider appeared prior to his partnership with Chris Stainton, the pianist previously associated with Joe Cocker.

After a period residing in Canada, Harrison took warehouse employment and withdrew entirely from music, a regrettable outcome given his standing as one of Britain’s most compelling blues-inflected heavy-rock vocalists. In 1999, however, he participated in another Spooky Tooth reunion that produced a fresh album, and he also collaborated with Mike Maslen and Dave Williams on Late Starter, a collection of seldom-heard cover material. Harrison passed away in March 2018 at age 72.