Mike Berry | |
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Born | Michael Hubert Bourne 24 September 1942 Northampton, England |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1960–present |
Website | mikeberry |
Mike Berry (born Michael Hubert Bourne; 24 September 1942) [1] is an English singer and actor. He is known for his top ten hits "Don't You Think It's Time" (1963) and "The Sunshine of Your Smile" (1980) in a singing career spanning nearly 60 years. He became an actor in the 1970s, and was best known for his appearances as Mr. Spooner in the British sitcom Are You Being Served? in the early 1980s.
Berry was born in Northampton. His parents grew up in Rhodesia but met in England and his mother was an amateur actress and singer. Six months after his birth his mother moved with him to North Wales for two years. The family then moved to Stoke Newington where he attended William Patten Primary School and passed his eleven plus exam, winning a scholarship to Hackney Downs Grocers' School. He left the school aged 16 without qualifications to become an apprentice compositor. [1] [2]
Berry was a fan of skiffle and rock and roll music as a teenager and he formed his own skiffle group called The Rebels and then introduced electric guitars as Kenny Lord and the Statesmen. Joe Meek became their recording manager and producer, and he signed up a group called the Stormers as his new back-up band, naming the new group Mike Berry and the Outlaws. [1] [2]
He had three hits in the 1960s on the UK Singles Chart; his most successful being "Don't You Think It's Time", reaching No. 6 in January 1963. His "Tribute to Buddy Holly" is also noted for having been banned by the BBC for being "morbid." [3] The hit singles were all produced by Joe Meek. [4] In 1972, his album Drift Away was released on York FYK 409. It contained "Drift Away", the first version of the song to be released, as well as "Take Me Home Country Roads". [5]
In the mid-1970s, Berry returned to the charts in the Netherlands and Belgium, as pirate radio station Radio Mi Amigo and Radio Veronica played his new record material, released on Dutch record label Pink Elephant Records. "Don't Be Cruel" made No. 14 on the Dutch Nationale Hitparade in May 1975. [6] His next record, a remake of his 1960 debut song "Tribute to Buddy Holly", hit No. 2 in October of that same year. [6] In 1977, "I'm a Rocker", released on Flemish record label Scramble Records (owned by Radio Mi Amigo DJ Norbert), failed to chart.
In 1980, he had a chart success in the UK, with "The Sunshine of Your Smile", a cover of a romantic song which was produced by Chas Hodges; [4] this had originally been written before the First World War and recorded by Jessie Broughton in about 1915. In 1985, his song "Everyone's a Wally" was included as the B-side to the video game by Mikro-Gen of the same name. His most recent CD was About Time Too!, recorded in Nashville, Tennessee with the Crickets and released on the UK label Rollercoaster Records, Berry's label of choice since their reissue of Joe Meek productions and new material from the 1990s. In 1988, Berry co-wrote "This Is the Kiss" with Mel Simpson which was chosen to be among the final eight songs in A Song for Europe (the UK selection vehicle for the Eurovision Song Contest) performed by Two-Che. The song placed second with 73,785 televotes.[ citation needed ]
In 2016, Berry auditioned for the fifth series of The Voice but was not successful. [7] The following year, in 2017, he went on a UK tour with The Solid Gold Rock'n'Roll Show, which featured Eden Kane, Marty Wilde, Mark Wynter, and the Wildcats. [8] In 2019, he toured again with The Solid Gold Rock'n'Roll Show, alongside Marty Wilde, Charlie Gracie, Nancy Ann Lee (Little Miss Sixties) and the Wildcats. [9]
In the 1970s, Berry developed a career as an actor and he appeared in many television commercials. In 1979, he was cast as the father (Mr. Peters) of the two children in the TV version of the Worzel Gummidge books, along with Jon Pertwee and Una Stubbs. [4] In 1981, he replaced Trevor Bannister's character (Mr. Lucas) in the British sitcom Are You Being Served? and stayed until the end of the show's run in 1985. Since the death of Nicholas Smith in December 2015, he has been the lone surviving actor from the show who played a major recurring character. Berry also starred in a series of commercials for Blue Riband in the 1980s. [10] His most recent film work was acting in Julie and the Cadillacs (1999).
His brother was drag performer and activist Bette Bourne (1939-2024).
Robert George "Joe" Meek was an English record producer and songwriter considered one of the most influential sound engineers of all time, being one of the first to develop ideas such as the recording studio as an instrument, and becoming one of the first producers to be recognised for his individual identity as an artist. Meek pioneered space age and experimental pop music, and assisted in the development of recording practices like overdubbing, sampling and reverberation.
Richard Berry Jr. was an American singer, songwriter and musician, who performed with many Los Angeles doo-wop and close harmony groups in the 1950s, including the Flairs and the Robins.
The Hollies are an English rock and pop band formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Singer Allan Clarke and rhythm guitarist/singer Graham Nash founded the band as a Merseybeat-type group in Manchester, although some of the band members came from towns further north, in east Lancashire. Nash left the group in 1968 to co-form Crosby, Stills & Nash, though he has reunited with the Hollies on occasion. As well as Clarke and Nash other members have included lead guitarist Tony Hicks, rhythm guitarist Terry Sylvester, bassists Eric Haydock and Bernie Calvert, and drummers Don Rathbone and Bobby Elliott.
Charles Nicholas Hodges was an English musician and singer who was the lead vocalist of musical duo Chas & Dave.
Johnny Kidd & the Pirates were an English rock band led by singer/songwriter Johnny Kidd. Their musical journey spanned from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s, during which they achieved considerable success with hit songs like "Shakin' All Over" and "Please Don't Touch".
"Rave On", also written "Rave On!", is a song written by Sonny West, Bill Tilghman and Norman Petty in 1958. It was first recorded by West for Atlantic Records, which released his version in February 1958. Buddy Holly recorded the song later the same year, and his version became a hit, one of six of his recordings that charted in 1958. Holly is instantly recognizable as the artist: the record begins with a drawn-out "Well…" as stylized by Holly's distinctive hiccup ("A-weh-uh-heh-uh-ell…").
The Outlaws were an English instrumental band that recorded in the early 1960s. One-time members included Chas Hodges (1943–2018), Bobby Graham (1940–2009), Ritchie Blackmore, Mick Underwood (1945-2024), Reg Hawkins, Billy Kuy, Don Groom, Roger Mingaye, Ken Lundgren and Harvey Hinsley.
Harold Allan Clarke is an English rock singer, who was one of the founding members and the original lead singer of the Hollies. He achieved international hit singles with the group and is credited as co-writer on several of their best-known songs, including "On a Carousel", "Carrie Anne", "Jennifer Eccles" and "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress". He retired from performing in 1999, but returned to the music industry in 2019. Clarke was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.
Heinz Burt was a German-born British rock and roll bassist and singer who performed under the stage name Heinz. He was also known as a member of the instrumental group the Tornados.
Would You Believe? is the fourth UK album by the Hollies, released in 1966.
Geoffrey Goddard was an English songwriter, singer and instrumentalist. Working for Joe Meek in the early 1960s, he wrote songs for Heinz, Mike Berry, Gerry Temple, the Tornados, Kenny Hollywood, the Outlaws, Freddie Starr, Screaming Lord Sutch, the Ramblers and John Leyton. His song for Leyton, "Johnny Remember Me", reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart.
"Heartbeat" is a rockabilly song originally recorded by Bob Montgomery and credited to Norman Petty. It was recorded most famously by Buddy Holly in 1958. The B-side of the single was "Well... All Right". "Heartbeat" reached the UK top 10 twice: once in 1975 for Showaddywaddy at number seven and again in 1992 for Nick Berry, recorded as the theme to the television series Heartbeat, which reached number two.
"I'll Be on My Way" is a song written by Paul McCartney, credited to Lennon–McCartney, first released on 26 April 1963 by Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas as the B-side of their hit debut single "Do You Want to Know a Secret", a song also written by Lennon–McCartney. The single reached number two in the UK charts while "From Me to You" by the Beatles occupied the number 1 position. The Beatles recorded a version of the song on 4 April 1963 for BBC radio, first released on the 1994 compilation album Live at the BBC.
Robert Lee Parker was an American blues-rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for his 1961 song "Watch Your Step", a single for the V-Tone record label which reached the Billboard Hot 100; the song was performed by, and influenced, the Beatles among others.
Glenda Collins is an English pop music singer, primarily active in the 1960s. She recorded a string of singles which were produced by Joe Meek, and was the only female singer he regularly worked with.
DiFosco "Dee" T. Ervin Jr., better known as Big Dee Irwin, was an American R&B singer and songwriter whose biggest hit was a version of "Swinging on a Star" in 1963, recorded as a duet with Little Eva.
"Tribute to Buddy Holly" is a song written by Geoff Goddard, first recorded by Mike Berry and the Outlaws as a single, which was released in September 1961 on His Master's Voice records. His first chart success, it reached number 24 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1961. The song was banned by the BBC for being too "morbid", regarding the death of 1950s rock and roll singer Buddy Holly, who died in a plane crash on 3 February 1959.
"Just Like Eddie" is a song by recording artist Heinz. The song was his second solo release after leaving the band The Tornados.
Charles William Harris, better known by his stage name of Wee Willie Harris, was an English rock and roll singer. He is best known for his energetic stage shows and TV performances starting in the 1950s, when he was known as "Britain's wild man of rock 'n' roll".
"The Sunshine of Your Smile" is a British popular song published in London in 1913 just before the First World War by Francis, Day and Hunter. The lyrics were by Leonard Cooke and the music by Lilian Ray. It became a top ten hit on the UK Singles Chart in 1980, sung by Mike Berry.