T. Rex (A Celebration of Marc and Mickey)
Encyclopedia
Mickey Finn's T-Rex was formed in 1998 by former T. Rex member Mickey Finn
. Mickey Finn's T-Rex have been regularly touring Worldwide since 1997 despite the loss of Mickey Finn in 2003.
, Jack Green and Paul Fenton were invited by Mick Gray (ex-T. Rex Road Manager and Manager at the Cambridge Corn Exchange
) to a 20th/50th Anniversary celebration of the life of Marc Bolan
at the Cambridge Corn Exchange. Prior to this Mick Gray and Mick O'Halloran
had visited Mickey Finn at his home to persuade him to attend the Cambridge bash. This idea was the brainchild of Mick Gray to celebrate Marc's 50th birthday. Other artists appearing included John's Children
and Rolan Bolan the houseband was T.Rextasy with Danielz. Bill Legend
was invited to appear but declined to appear. Finn, Fenton and Green were overwhelmed with the support at that gig, so they decided to form "T.Rex - The Band" . In fact, already two weeks before, 15 September Mickey discussed the possibilities of re-form T. Rex at a party given by the P.R.S at Olympic Studios in London. The original line-up of the band was Mickey Finn
(congas), Paul Fenton (drums
) Jack Green (guitar
and vocals
), Dave Major (keyboards
), Tony Allday (bass
). One year later Rob Benson, a lifelong fan of T. Rex, went to see the reformed band in Northampton
's Chicago Rock cafe in 1998. He met the band afterward and was asked to send an audition tape after claiming to be able to sing like Marc Bolan. The band'S manager decided that 'the voice' was essential to the T. Rex sound and, after hearing Rob's tape, invited him to a further audition. He was then asked to be lead vocalist. The band renamed from "T.Rex - The Band" to "Mickey Finn's T-Rex". Now Fenton and Finn and Newby were able to get the legal rights for "T-Rex" trade mark. Guitarist Jack Green (who played with Bolan 1973/4) left and was replaced in 1999 by the founding member of Smokie
, Alan Silson. The current guitarist is the founding member of Saxon
, Graham Oliver
.
. In 2002, the band released an album
called Renaissance
and a live DVD
titled Back In Business. In January 2008 the band released Classic Hits on Spectra Records which they recently signed with.
founder of Saxon.
As a result of a massive Bolan fan petition - "No Bolan, No T. Rex" - they changed their name back to "Mickey Finn's T-Rex" for a short period of time, then again going as "T-Rex (The Music of Marc and Mickey)".
The band singer Rob Bebnson left the band in Jan 2010. He was replaced by Jay Spargo in May 2010.
Mickey Finn (musician)
Mickey Finn or occasionally Micky Finn , was the percussionist and sideman to Marc Bolan in his band Tyrannosaurus Rex , and later, the 1970s glam rock group, T.Rex...
. Mickey Finn's T-Rex have been regularly touring Worldwide since 1997 despite the loss of Mickey Finn in 2003.
Formation
In September 1997, former T. Rex members Mickey FinnMickey Finn (musician)
Mickey Finn or occasionally Micky Finn , was the percussionist and sideman to Marc Bolan in his band Tyrannosaurus Rex , and later, the 1970s glam rock group, T.Rex...
, Jack Green and Paul Fenton were invited by Mick Gray (ex-T. Rex Road Manager and Manager at the Cambridge Corn Exchange
Cambridge Corn Exchange
The Cambridge Corn Exchange is a concert venue in Cambridge, England. It is also used as an examination hall for students at Cambridge University.-Building the venue:...
) to a 20th/50th Anniversary celebration of the life of Marc Bolan
Marc Bolan
Marc Bolan was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist and poet. He is best known as the founder, frontman, lead singer & guitarist for T. Rex, but also a successful solo artist...
at the Cambridge Corn Exchange. Prior to this Mick Gray and Mick O'Halloran
Mick O'Halloran
Michael Raphael O'Halloran was an Australian Labor Party politician, serving in the Australian Senate and as opposition leader in the Parliament of South Australia....
had visited Mickey Finn at his home to persuade him to attend the Cambridge bash. This idea was the brainchild of Mick Gray to celebrate Marc's 50th birthday. Other artists appearing included John's Children
John's Children
John's Children were a 1960s pop art/mod rock band from Leatherhead, England that briefly featured future T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan. John's Children were known for their outrageous live performances and were booted off a tour with The Who in Germany in 1967 when they upstaged the headliners...
and Rolan Bolan the houseband was T.Rextasy with Danielz. Bill Legend
Bill Legend
Bill Legend was the drummer for glam rock band T.Rex during their most successful period....
was invited to appear but declined to appear. Finn, Fenton and Green were overwhelmed with the support at that gig, so they decided to form "T.Rex - The Band" . In fact, already two weeks before, 15 September Mickey discussed the possibilities of re-form T. Rex at a party given by the P.R.S at Olympic Studios in London. The original line-up of the band was Mickey Finn
Mickey Finn (musician)
Mickey Finn or occasionally Micky Finn , was the percussionist and sideman to Marc Bolan in his band Tyrannosaurus Rex , and later, the 1970s glam rock group, T.Rex...
(congas), Paul Fenton (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
) Jack Green (guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
and vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
), Dave Major (keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
), Tony Allday (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
). One year later Rob Benson, a lifelong fan of T. Rex, went to see the reformed band in Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
's Chicago Rock cafe in 1998. He met the band afterward and was asked to send an audition tape after claiming to be able to sing like Marc Bolan. The band'S manager decided that 'the voice' was essential to the T. Rex sound and, after hearing Rob's tape, invited him to a further audition. He was then asked to be lead vocalist. The band renamed from "T.Rex - The Band" to "Mickey Finn's T-Rex". Now Fenton and Finn and Newby were able to get the legal rights for "T-Rex" trade mark. Guitarist Jack Green (who played with Bolan 1973/4) left and was replaced in 1999 by the founding member of 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...
, Alan Silson. The current guitarist is the founding member of Saxon
Saxon (band)
Saxon are an English heavy metal band, formed in 1976 in Barnsley, Yorkshire. As front-runners of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they had 8 UK Top 40 albums in the 1980s including 4 UK Top 10 albums. Saxon also had numerous singles in the Top 20 singles chart...
, Graham Oliver
Graham Oliver
Graham Oliver is an English guitarist.-Career:He played with the heavy metal band Saxon from 1977 to 1994. After leaving the band he initially reformed his old band Son of a Bitch with former Saxon bassist Steve Dawson and drummer Pete Gill...
.
Early Touring and Albums
With a more complete sound the band started a tour of Germany in 1999. Shortly afterwards they embarked on a full scale tour of JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. In 2002, the band released an album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
called Renaissance
Renaissance (Mickey Finn's T. Rex album)
Renaissance is a 2002 live album by Mickey Finn's T. Rex. The band plays songs made popular by the original T. Rex during the late 1960s and 1970s.-Track listing:# "Ride a White Swan"# "I Love To Boogie"# "Telegram Sam"# "Metal Guru"# "New York City"...
and a live DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
titled Back In Business. In January 2008 the band released Classic Hits on Spectra Records which they recently signed with.
Finn's Death
Mickey Finn died in January, 2003. The future of the band was then unsure but they decided to continue on without him as it was Mickey's wish. The band changed their name to T. Rex (A Celebration of Marc and Mickey) in 2003 after the death of founding member Mickey Finn. In July 2008, after some British fans made a petition for them to stop using this name, the band decided to revert their name back to Mickey Finn's T-Rex, with the blessing from Mickey's family for using his name. They also hired Graham OliverGraham Oliver
Graham Oliver is an English guitarist.-Career:He played with the heavy metal band Saxon from 1977 to 1994. After leaving the band he initially reformed his old band Son of a Bitch with former Saxon bassist Steve Dawson and drummer Pete Gill...
founder of Saxon.
Recent events
The band continues to tour Europe today, with a much heavier sound than T. Rex had originally. They play all of the classic T. Rex songs from the 1970s. The only member now in the group that had any connection to T. Rex is drummer Paul Fenton. Teri Sullivan joined the band on August 1 as a background vocalist.As a result of a massive Bolan fan petition - "No Bolan, No T. Rex" - they changed their name back to "Mickey Finn's T-Rex" for a short period of time, then again going as "T-Rex (The Music of Marc and Mickey)".
The band singer Rob Bebnson left the band in Jan 2010. He was replaced by Jay Spargo in May 2010.
Current members
- Paul Fenton – drums (1997–present) with T.Rex (1973-1977)
- Tony Allday – bass guitar (1997-present)
- Dave Major – keyboards, vocals (1997–present)
- Graham OliverGraham OliverGraham Oliver is an English guitarist.-Career:He played with the heavy metal band Saxon from 1977 to 1994. After leaving the band he initially reformed his old band Son of a Bitch with former Saxon bassist Steve Dawson and drummer Pete Gill...
– guitars (2003–present) - Jay Spargo – lead vocals (2010–present)
- Linda Dawson - backing vocal (2002-present)
Former members
- Mickey FinnMickey Finn (musician)Mickey Finn or occasionally Micky Finn , was the percussionist and sideman to Marc Bolan in his band Tyrannosaurus Rex , and later, the 1970s glam rock group, T.Rex...
- bongos, congas, drums, vocals (1998-2003) with T.Rex (1969-1974) - Jack Green – guitars (1998–1999) with T.Rex (1973-1974)
- Alan Silson - guitars (2000-2003)
- Rob Benson - lead vocals (1999-2010)
Discography
- RenaissanceRenaissance (Mickey Finn's T. Rex album)Renaissance is a 2002 live album by Mickey Finn's T. Rex. The band plays songs made popular by the original T. Rex during the late 1960s and 1970s.-Track listing:# "Ride a White Swan"# "I Love To Boogie"# "Telegram Sam"# "Metal Guru"# "New York City"...
(2002) - Back In Business (2008)
- Classic Hits (2009)