Mickie Most
Encyclopedia
Mickie Most was an English record producer
, with a string of hit single
s with acts such as The Animals
, Arrows, Herman's Hermits
, Donovan
, Suzi Quatro
and the Jeff Beck Group often issued on his own RAK Records
label.
, Hampshire. The son of a regimental sergeant-major, he moved with his parents to the north London suburb of Harrow
in 1951. Most was influenced by skiffle
and early rock and roll
in his youth. Leaving school at 15, he worked as a singing waiter at London's The 2i's Coffee Bar where he made friends with future business partner Peter Grant, and formed a singing duo with Alex Wharton
(aka Alex Murray) who billed themselves as The Most Brothers. They recorded with Decca Records
a single "Takes A Whole Lotta Loving to Keep My Baby Happy" before disbanding. Wharton went on to produce the Moody Blues single "Go Now
". After changing his name to Mickie Most in 1959, he travelled to South Africa with his wife Christina, and formed a pop group, Mickie Most and the Playboys. The band scored 11 consecutive No. 1 singles there, mostly with cover versions of Ray Peterson
, Gene Vincent
, Buddy Holly
and Eddie Cochran
songs. Returning to London in 1962, Most appeared on package tours as well as recording "Mister Porter", a No. 45 hit in the UK Singles Chart
in July 1963.
. After spotting The Animals
at Newcastle
's Club A-Go-Go, he offered to produce their first single, "Baby Let Me Take You Home
", which reached No. 21 in the UK Singles Chart
. Their follow-up 1964 single, "The House of the Rising Sun
", became a worldwide hit. Most then won the "Producer of the Year" award at the 1964 Grammy Awards.
He had success with Herman's Hermits
after being approached by their manager Harvey Lisberg. Their first Most production, "I'm Into Something Good
", went to No. 1 in 1964, beginning a run of single and album sales (ten million over 12 months), the group for a time challenging The Beatles
in popularity in the United States. His down-to-earth handling of the band, his business acumen and knack for selecting hit singles established Most as one of the most successful producers in Britain and kept him in demand throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
In September 1964, with Most at the control board, Brenda Lee
recorded "Is It True" and "What'd I Say
." "Is It True" was released in England, and later in the US and became a hit, with gold record. "What'd I Say" became another hit throughout Europe, but was never released to the US. Most had equal success with other artists for whom he produced chart-topping albums and singles between 1965 and 1969, notably Donovan
with "Mellow Yellow
", "Jennifer Juniper
", "The Hurdy Gurdy Man
", and "Atlantis
" and Lulu
"To Sir, with Love
", "The Boat That I Row", "Boom Bang-a-Bang
" (which finished equal first in the 1969 Eurovision Song Contest
), "Me the Peaceful Heart", and "I'm a Tiger". Most also produced The Seekers
singles "Days of My Life" and "Love Is Kind, Love Is Wine", in 1968, and Nancy Sinatra
's "The Highway Song" in 1969. Most signed new artists such as singer-guitarist Terry Reid
.
Most's productions were backed by London based session musician
s including Big Jim Sullivan
and Jimmy Page
on guitar, John Paul Jones
on bass guitar and arrangement
s, and Nicky Hopkins
on piano. He produced Jeff Beck
's hits "Love is Blue" and "Hi Ho Silver Lining
" and the Jeff Beck Group albums Truth and Beck-Ola
. He teamed the Beck group with Donovan for the single "Barabajagal". Notably, Most produced the 1968 Donovan hit "Hurdy Gurdy Man".
By 1967, after commercial and critical failure of The Yardbirds
album Little Games
, he decided to steer clear of rock groups. The Yardbirds objected to his insistence that every song be cut to three minutes and that albums were an "afterthought" following the singles. His focused approach also led to a split with Donovan in late 1969. Although not every one of Donovan's better songs was produced by Most, Donovan never had a significant hit again after their split. Most and Donovan reunited in 1973 for the album Cosmic Wheels on which Most was credited under his real name Michael Peter Hayes.
and RAK Music Publishing were launched in 1969. RAK music publishing has the copyright of such classic popular songs as "You Sexy Thing
" composed by Hot Chocolate singer Errol Brown
and a half interest in the song "I Love Rock 'n' Roll
" written by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker of the band Arrows. Both acts were produced by Most.
With RAK Records, Most's success continued with folk singer Julie Felix
's hit "El Condor Pasa
". Felix was the first artist signed to the label. Most then produced Mary Hopkin
’s 1970 Eurovision Song Contest entry, "Knock, Knock Who's There?", followed by the single "Temma Harbour". In 1970, Most approached Suzi Quatro
for a recording contract after seeing her on stage at a Detroit dance hall with the band Cradle
(which also had Quatro’s sisters Arlene, Patti, and Nancy as members), while on a production assignment in Chicago. Quatro was among a growing roster of artists signed to RAK Records which included Alexis Korner
's CCS, Arrows, Smokie
(with Chris Norman)(originally spelt Smokey), Hot Chocolate, Angie Miller
, and Chris Spedding
. Hiring the songwriting production team of Nicky Chinn
and Mike Chapman, RAK scored several British number 1 singles with Suzi Quatro
("Can the Can
", "Devil Gate Drive
") and Mud
.
In 1976, Most produced Chris Spedding
's self-titled album, which was Spedding's first solo record. In 1980, Most discovered Kim Wilde
, who was doing backing vocals for her father Marty Wilde
at a Luton
recording session. After hearing her, Most signed Wilde and produced the single "Kids in America
" which reached number 2 in the UK, and number 25 on the US Billboard chart
.
(ITV) where his tough assessments of contestants foreshadowed the style of Simon Cowell
. He was producer of Revolver
, a program devoted to punk rock which was at odds with his 'studio factory' approach to pop music. Most asked Kate Bush
to appear as guest on the pilot episode. In the 1980s, the band Johnny Hates Jazz
, which featured Most's son Calvin Hayes, was also signed to RAK Records. RAK sold out to EMI
in 1983 but was revived in 1988. Most was one of the first producers to own the rights to his own records and RAK Studios, opened in 1976 in St John's Wood, remains active.
In 1995, Most's fortune was estimated at £50 million and he appeared in The Sunday Times annual Rich List among the Top 500 in England. His house in Totteridge Lane, London was claimed to be the largest private home in UK worth an estimated £4 million. His production work diminished after he was diagnosed with cancer in 2000.
. He was cremated at Golders Green
crematorium. He is survived by his wife Christina and their three children Calvin, Nathalie, and Cristalle. A blue plaque to commemorate his life, donated by the Heritage Foundation
/Musical Heritage, was unveiled on RAK Studios on 16 May 2004. The lunch and auction that followed raised £40,000 for research into mesothelioma.
Mickie also played with the Rolling Stones.
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, with a string of hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
s with acts such as The Animals
The Animals
The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...
, Arrows, Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits are an English beat band, formed in Manchester in 1963 as Herman & The Hermits. The group's record producer, Mickie Most , emphasized a simple, non-threatening, clean-cut image, although the band originally played R&B numbers...
, Donovan
Donovan
Donovan Donovan Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music...
, Suzi Quatro
Suzi Quatro
Susan Kay "Suzi" Quatro is an American singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor.She scored a string of hit singles in the 1970s that found greater success in Europe and Australia than in her homeland, and had a recurring role on the popular American sitcom Happy Days.-Music:Quatro began her...
and the Jeff Beck Group often issued on his own RAK Records
RAK Records
Rak Records was a British record label, founded by record producer Mickie Most in 1969. Rak was home of artists like Herman's Hermits, Suzi Quatro, Mud, Kenny, Hot Chocolate, Smokie, Arrows, Span, Racey and Kim Wilde. Rak Records were distributed via a licensing deal with EMI, which bought the...
label.
Early career
Most was born as Michael Peter Hayes in AldershotAldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
, Hampshire. The son of a regimental sergeant-major, he moved with his parents to the north London suburb of Harrow
Harrow, London
Harrow is an area in the London Borough of Harrow, northwest London, United Kingdom. It is a suburban area and is situated 12.2 miles northwest of Charing Cross...
in 1951. Most was influenced by skiffle
Skiffle
Skiffle is a type of popular music with jazz, blues, folk, roots and country influences, usually using homemade or improvised instruments. Originating as a term in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century, it became popular again in the UK in the 1950s, where it was mainly...
and early rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
in his youth. Leaving school at 15, he worked as a singing waiter at London's The 2i's Coffee Bar where he made friends with future business partner Peter Grant, and formed a singing duo with Alex Wharton
Alex Wharton
Alex Wharton , later also known as Alex Murray, was part of the singing duo the Most Brothers with Mickie Most, and later, co-manager and producer of the band, Moody Blues.-Singing and acting career:...
(aka Alex Murray) who billed themselves as The Most Brothers. They recorded with Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
a single "Takes A Whole Lotta Loving to Keep My Baby Happy" before disbanding. Wharton went on to produce the Moody Blues single "Go Now
Go Now (song)
"Go Now" is a 1964 song composed by Larry Banks and Milton Bennett. It was first recorded by Bessie Banks, and most successfully by The Moody Blues.-Bessie Banks:The song was first recorded by Larry Banks' former wife, Bessie Banks...
". After changing his name to Mickie Most in 1959, he travelled to South Africa with his wife Christina, and formed a pop group, Mickie Most and the Playboys. The band scored 11 consecutive No. 1 singles there, mostly with cover versions of Ray Peterson
Ray Peterson
Ray Peterson was an American pop music singer who was best remembered for singing "Tell Laura I Love Her" and "Corrine, Corrina" in the 1960s.-Career:...
, Gene Vincent
Gene Vincent
Vincent Eugene Craddock , known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rock and roll and rockabilly. His 1956 top ten hit with his Blue Caps, "Be-Bop-A-Lula", is considered a significant early example of rockabilly...
, Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
and Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran , was an American rock and roll pioneer who in his brief career had a small but lasting influence on rock music through his guitar playing. Cochran's rockabilly songs, such as "C'mon Everybody", "Somethin' Else", and "Summertime Blues", captured teenage frustration and desire in the...
songs. Returning to London in 1962, Most appeared on package tours as well as recording "Mister Porter", a No. 45 hit in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in July 1963.
Producer
Becoming tired of touring clubs, Most decided to concentrate on other aspects of the music industry. His first job was selling records in stores and displaying them on racks (later inspiration for his record label, RAK) before finding a niche with production for Columbia RecordsColumbia Graphophone Company
The Columbia Graphophone Company was one of the earliest gramophone companies in the United Kingdom. Under EMI, as Columbia Records, it became a very successful label in the 1950s and 1960s...
. After spotting The Animals
The Animals
The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...
at Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
's Club A-Go-Go, he offered to produce their first single, "Baby Let Me Take You Home
Baby Let Me Take You Home
"Baby Let Me Take You Home", a song credited to Bert Russell and Wes Farrell, was The Animals' debut single, released in 1964. In the UK, it reached #21 on the pop singles chart. In the U.S...
", which reached No. 21 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. Their follow-up 1964 single, "The House of the Rising Sun
The House of the Rising Sun
"The House of the Rising Sun" is a folk song from the United States. Also called "House of the Rising Sun" or occasionally "Rising Sun Blues", it tells of a life gone wrong in New Orleans...
", became a worldwide hit. Most then won the "Producer of the Year" award at the 1964 Grammy Awards.
He had success with Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits are an English beat band, formed in Manchester in 1963 as Herman & The Hermits. The group's record producer, Mickie Most , emphasized a simple, non-threatening, clean-cut image, although the band originally played R&B numbers...
after being approached by their manager Harvey Lisberg. Their first Most production, "I'm Into Something Good
I'm into Something Good
"I'm into Something Good" is a song composed by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and made famous by Herman's Hermits. The song was originally recorded by Cookies member Earl-Jean McCrea in 1964 and reached number 38 on the US pop singles chart...
", went to No. 1 in 1964, beginning a run of single and album sales (ten million over 12 months), the group for a time challenging The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
in popularity in the United States. His down-to-earth handling of the band, his business acumen and knack for selecting hit singles established Most as one of the most successful producers in Britain and kept him in demand throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
In September 1964, with Most at the control board, Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee
Brenda Mae Tarpley , known as Brenda Lee, is an American performer who sang rockabilly, pop and country music, and had 37 US chart hits during the 1960s, a number surpassed only by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Ray Charles and Connie Francis...
recorded "Is It True" and "What'd I Say
What'd I Say
According to Charles' autobiography, "What'd I Say" was accidental when he improvised it to fill time at the end of a concert in December 1958. He asserts that he never tested songs on audiences before recording them, but "What'd I Say" is an exception...
." "Is It True" was released in England, and later in the US and became a hit, with gold record. "What'd I Say" became another hit throughout Europe, but was never released to the US. Most had equal success with other artists for whom he produced chart-topping albums and singles between 1965 and 1969, notably Donovan
Donovan
Donovan Donovan Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music...
with "Mellow Yellow
Mellow Yellow
"Mellow Yellow" is a song and single release by Donovan. It reached #2 on the Billboard charts in the U.S. in 1966 and #8 in the UK in early 1967....
", "Jennifer Juniper
Jennifer Juniper
"Jennifer Juniper" is a song and single by Donovan, released in 1968. It charted in the UK and USA. It was written about Jenny Boyd, sister of Pattie Boyd, while they were all with The Beatles in Rishikesh. She married Mick Fleetwood and was, at one time, the sister-in-law of George Harrison and,...
", "The Hurdy Gurdy Man
The Hurdy Gurdy Man
The Hurdy Gurdy Man is the sixth studio album and seventh album overall from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the United States in October 1968 , but was not released in the UK because of a continuing contractual dispute that also prevented Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow...
", and "Atlantis
Atlantis (song)
"Atlantis" is a folk-pop song written and recorded by Scottish singer Donovan. It was released as a single in 1968 and became a worldwide success; most notably in Austria, the United States and Germany, and in Switzerland where it became a number-one success in 1969 . In South Africa it peaked at...
" and Lulu
Lulu (singer)
Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, OBE , best known by her stage name Lulu, is a Scottish singer, actress, and television personality who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s through to the present day...
"To Sir, with Love
To Sir, with Love (song)
"To Sir With Love" is the theme from the 1967 film To Sir, With Love. The song was written by Don Black and Mark London."To Sir With Love" was initially recorded by Lulu for the film of the same name...
", "The Boat That I Row", "Boom Bang-a-Bang
Boom Bang-a-Bang
"Boom Bang-a-Bang" was the United Kingdom entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 1969It was sung by Lulu, and was co-written by Alan Moorhouse and Peter Warne aka Michael Julien, the latter of who also wrote "Kiss Me, Honey Honey, Kiss Me" for Shirley Bassey....
" (which finished equal first in the 1969 Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
), "Me the Peaceful Heart", and "I'm a Tiger". Most also produced The Seekers
The Seekers
The Seekers are an Australian folk-influenced pop music group which were originally formed in 1962. They were the first Australian popular music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States...
singles "Days of My Life" and "Love Is Kind, Love Is Wine", in 1968, and Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sandra Sinatra is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of singer/actor Frank Sinatra, and remains best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"....
's "The Highway Song" in 1969. Most signed new artists such as singer-guitarist Terry Reid
Terry Reid
Terry Reid is an English rock vocalist and guitarist. He has performed with high profile musicians, as a supporting act, a session musician, and sideman.- History :...
.
Most's productions were backed by London based session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
s including Big Jim Sullivan
Big Jim Sullivan
Big Jim Sullivan is an English musician, whose career started in 1959. He is best known as a session guitarist. In the 1960s and 1970s, Sullivan was one of the most "in-demand" studio musicians in the UK, and performed in more than one thousand charting singles over his career...
and Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
on guitar, John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (musician)
John Paul Jones is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, mandolinist, and keyboardist for English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a solo career and has gained even more respect as both a musician and a...
on bass guitar and arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
s, and Nicky Hopkins
Nicky Hopkins
Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins was an English pianist and organist.He recorded and performed on noted British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as a session musician....
on piano. He produced Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
's hits "Love is Blue" and "Hi Ho Silver Lining
Hi Ho Silver Lining
"Hi Ho Silver Lining" is a rock song, written by American songwriters Scott English and Larry Weiss and first released as a single in March 1967 by The Attack, followed a few days later by Jeff Beck. Because the Beck version charted first, the song is most often associated with him...
" and the Jeff Beck Group albums Truth and Beck-Ola
Beck-Ola
- Side two :- 2006 reissue bonus tracks :- Personnel :* Jeff Beck — guitars* Rod Stewart — vocals* Nicky Hopkins — piano and organ* Ronnie Wood — bass* Tony Newman — drums- Additional personnel :* Micky Waller — drums on "Sweet Little Angel"...
. He teamed the Beck group with Donovan for the single "Barabajagal". Notably, Most produced the 1968 Donovan hit "Hurdy Gurdy Man".
By 1967, after commercial and critical failure of The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
album Little Games
Little Games
1992 Expanded editionAn expanded Little Games edition entitled Little Games Sessions and More, was released as a 2 disc set featuring additional sessions and alternate takes from the period, plus the singles "Ha Ha Said the Clown", "Ten Little Indians", and "Goodnight Sweet...
, he decided to steer clear of rock groups. The Yardbirds objected to his insistence that every song be cut to three minutes and that albums were an "afterthought" following the singles. His focused approach also led to a split with Donovan in late 1969. Although not every one of Donovan's better songs was produced by Most, Donovan never had a significant hit again after their split. Most and Donovan reunited in 1973 for the album Cosmic Wheels on which Most was credited under his real name Michael Peter Hayes.
RAK Records
Despite these setbacks, Most set up his own production office at 155 Oxford Street, sharing it with his business partner Peter Grant. It was through Most's association that Grant was asked to manage The Yardbirds. In 1968, Most and Grant set up RAK Management, but Grant's involvement with The Yardbirds, which soon evolved into Led Zeppelin, meant Most had control in late 1969. RAK RecordsRAK Records
Rak Records was a British record label, founded by record producer Mickie Most in 1969. Rak was home of artists like Herman's Hermits, Suzi Quatro, Mud, Kenny, Hot Chocolate, Smokie, Arrows, Span, Racey and Kim Wilde. Rak Records were distributed via a licensing deal with EMI, which bought the...
and RAK Music Publishing were launched in 1969. RAK music publishing has the copyright of such classic popular songs as "You Sexy Thing
You Sexy Thing
"You Sexy Thing" is a song recorded by the British group, Hot Chocolate. It was written by Hot Chocolate's lead singer Errol Brown, and produced by Mickie Most. It reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart in 1975, and number 3 in the US Pop charts a year later...
" composed by Hot Chocolate singer Errol Brown
Errol Brown
Errol Brown MBE is a singer and songwriter, best known as the frontman of Hot Chocolate. He has British citizenship by marriage to Ginette and they live in The Bahamas...
and a half interest in the song "I Love Rock 'n' Roll
I Love Rock 'n' Roll
"I Love Rock 'n Roll" is a rock song written in 1975 by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker of Arrows, who recorded the first released version. The song was later made famous by the hit version recorded by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts in 1981....
" written by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker of the band Arrows. Both acts were produced by Most.
With RAK Records, Most's success continued with folk singer Julie Felix
Julie Felix
Julie Ann Felix is a folk rock recording artist, who was notably produced by Mickie Most on his RAK Records label.-Career:...
's hit "El Condor Pasa
El Cóndor Pasa (song)
El Cóndor Pasa is a song from the zarzuela El Cóndor Pasa by the Peruvian composer Daniel Alomía Robles, written in 1913 and based on traditional Andean folk tunes....
". Felix was the first artist signed to the label. Most then produced Mary Hopkin
Mary Hopkin
Mary Hopkin , credited on some recordings as Mary Visconti, is a Welsh folk singer best known for her 1968 UK number one single "Those Were The Days". She was one of the first musicians to sign to The Beatles' Apple label....
’s 1970 Eurovision Song Contest entry, "Knock, Knock Who's There?", followed by the single "Temma Harbour". In 1970, Most approached Suzi Quatro
Suzi Quatro
Susan Kay "Suzi" Quatro is an American singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor.She scored a string of hit singles in the 1970s that found greater success in Europe and Australia than in her homeland, and had a recurring role on the popular American sitcom Happy Days.-Music:Quatro began her...
for a recording contract after seeing her on stage at a Detroit dance hall with the band Cradle
Cradle
Cradle may refer to:Mechanical devices:*Bassinet, a small bed, often on rockers, in which babies and small children sleep* Ship cradle, supports a ship that is dry docked...
(which also had Quatro’s sisters Arlene, Patti, and Nancy as members), while on a production assignment in Chicago. Quatro was among a growing roster of artists signed to RAK Records which included Alexis Korner
Alexis Korner
Alexis Korner was a blues musician and radio broadcaster, who has sometimes been referred to as "a Founding Father of British Blues"...
's CCS, Arrows, Smokie
Smokie (band)
Smokie is an English rock band from Bradford, Yorkshire who found success in Europe in the 1970s.-Early years:Originally called The Yen, then The Sphynx and later Essence, the band was formed in 1964 at St. Bede's Grammar School in Heaton, Bradford as The Yen. The Yen's first gig was at Birkenshaw...
(with Chris Norman)(originally spelt Smokey), Hot Chocolate, Angie Miller
Angie Miller
Angie Miller is a recording artist who was produced by Mickie Most in the early 1970s on his RAK Records label. She had singles with the songs "Born To Be Loved By You" and "Stardust In Your Eyes," and released an album "A Woman's mind." According to a 2006 article in the Coventry Telegraph, Angie...
, and Chris Spedding
Chris Spedding
Chris Spedding is an English rock and roll and jazz guitarist, best known for his session work. Allmusic states - "Spedding is one of the UK's most versatile session guitarists, and has had a long career on two continents that saw him tackle nearly every style of rock and roll, as well as...
. Hiring the songwriting production team of Nicky Chinn
Nicky Chinn
Nicky Chinn born Nicholas Barry Chinn, 16 May 1945, London, UK) is a British songwriter and record producer. Together with Mike Chapman he had a long string of hit singles in the UK and US in the 1970s and early 1980s, including several number-one records...
and Mike Chapman, RAK scored several British number 1 singles with Suzi Quatro
Suzi Quatro
Susan Kay "Suzi" Quatro is an American singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor.She scored a string of hit singles in the 1970s that found greater success in Europe and Australia than in her homeland, and had a recurring role on the popular American sitcom Happy Days.-Music:Quatro began her...
("Can the Can
Can the Can
"Can the Can" was a popular single by Suzi Quatro and the name of her debut album in Australia ....
", "Devil Gate Drive
Devil Gate Drive
"Devil Gate Drive" is a popular song by Suzi Quatro. Written and produced by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, "Devil Gate Drive" was Quatro's second number one single in the UK, spending two weeks at the top of the chart in February 1974...
") and Mud
Mud (band)
Mud were an English glam rock band, formed in February 1968, best remembered for their single "Tiger Feet", which was the UK's best-selling single of 1974...
.
In 1976, Most produced Chris Spedding
Chris Spedding
Chris Spedding is an English rock and roll and jazz guitarist, best known for his session work. Allmusic states - "Spedding is one of the UK's most versatile session guitarists, and has had a long career on two continents that saw him tackle nearly every style of rock and roll, as well as...
's self-titled album, which was Spedding's first solo record. In 1980, Most discovered Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde is an English pop singer, author and television presenter who burst onto the music scene in 1981 with the number 2 UK Singles Chart new wave classic "Kids in America". In 1987 she had a major hit in the United States when her version of The Supremes' classic "You Keep Me Hangin' On"...
, who was doing backing vocals for her father Marty Wilde
Marty Wilde
Marty Wilde is an English singer and songwriter. He was among the first generation of British pop stars to emulate American rock and roll, and is the father of pop singers Ricky Wilde, Kim Wilde and Roxanne Wilde.-Career:Wilde was performing under the name Reg Patterson at London's Condor Club in...
at a Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
recording session. After hearing her, Most signed Wilde and produced the single "Kids in America
Kids in America (song)
"Kids in America" is a New Wave song by British singer Kim Wilde, released in the United Kingdom as her debut single in January 1981, and in the US in 1982. It has famously been covered by many artists from different genres.-Background:...
" which reached number 2 in the UK, and number 25 on the US Billboard chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
.
Later career
Most was a panellist on the television talent show New FacesNew Faces
New Faces was a British television talent show popular in the 1970s and 1980s, presented originally by Derek Hobson. It was produced by ATV Network Limited for the ITV Network. The first run of the show was from 29 September 1973 to 2 April 1978 and was recorded at the ATV Centre, Birmingham...
(ITV) where his tough assessments of contestants foreshadowed the style of Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
. He was producer of Revolver
Revolver (TV series)
Revolver was a British music TV series on ITV that ran for one series only, of eight episodes, in 1978.It was produced by ATV. The series producer was Mickie Most, who was inspired to make the programme after he saw an interview with Top of the Pops producer Robin Nash, in which he boasted that...
, a program devoted to punk rock which was at odds with his 'studio factory' approach to pop music. Most asked Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
to appear as guest on the pilot episode. In the 1980s, the band Johnny Hates Jazz
Johnny Hates Jazz
Johnny Hates Jazz is an Anglo-American Pop/Rock band, formed in 1986 by Clark Datchler , Mike Nocito , and Calvin Hayes...
, which featured Most's son Calvin Hayes, was also signed to RAK Records. RAK sold out to EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
in 1983 but was revived in 1988. Most was one of the first producers to own the rights to his own records and RAK Studios, opened in 1976 in St John's Wood, remains active.
In 1995, Most's fortune was estimated at £50 million and he appeared in The Sunday Times annual Rich List among the Top 500 in England. His house in Totteridge Lane, London was claimed to be the largest private home in UK worth an estimated £4 million. His production work diminished after he was diagnosed with cancer in 2000.
Death
On 30 May 2003, Most died at home aged 64 from peritoneal mesotheliomaPeritoneal mesothelioma
Peritoneal mesothelioma is the name given to the cancer that attacks the lining of the abdomen. This type of cancer affects the lining that protects the contents of the abdomen and which also provides a lubricating fluid to enable the organs to move and work properly.The peritoneum is made of two...
. He was cremated at Golders Green
Golders Green
Golders Green is an area in the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. Although having some earlier history, it is essentially a 19th century suburban development situated about 5.3 miles north west of Charing Cross and centred on the crossroads of Golders Green Road and Finchley Road.In the...
crematorium. He is survived by his wife Christina and their three children Calvin, Nathalie, and Cristalle. A blue plaque to commemorate his life, donated by the Heritage Foundation
Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong...
/Musical Heritage, was unveiled on RAK Studios on 16 May 2004. The lunch and auction that followed raised £40,000 for research into mesothelioma.
Compilation albums
- Best of Mickie Most and His Playboys (1994)
- To Sir With Love: The Complete Mickie Most Recordings (2005) EMI
Mickie also played with the Rolling Stones.