Mike Stevens (musician)

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Mike Stevens

Michael William "Mike" Stevens (born January 26, 1957 in Wisbech , Cambridgeshire , England ) is a British musician , producer and songwriter . He gained particular fame as the music director of Take That in the 1990s . He has also been a member of 10cc since 2002 .

Life

Stevens grew up in Cambridgeshire, England, and began his musical training early on with clarinet and piano lessons, supported by his father, a professional drummer. He graduated from the Birmingham School of Music with a degree in music with a focus on composition and conducting, as well as clarinet, euphonium and piano. Stevens also plays the guitar, saxophone and keyboard professionally, and is also active as a (background) singer.

Career

As a saxophonist, Stevens was at the beginning of his career with his RCA / Novus albums Light Up The Night and Set The Spirit Free in the top 20 of the US jazz / crossover charts. He supported The Temptations , Bill Withers and Dionne Warwick on their tours and played on albums by Tina Turner , Tom Jones , Mica Paris and Barry White .

Stevens achieved international fame through his collaboration with the English band Take That , which he has accompanied on every tour since 1992 with a variety of instruments and as music director (1992–93, 1993–94, 1994, 1995, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2017). He also took over the supervision of individual appearances such as the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics (at the same time for Annie Lennox ). Lead singer and songwriter Gary Barlow also worked with the Take That team (musicians and technicians) outside of the band projects and engaged Stevens for both his solo tours (1998-99, 1999, 2012-13, 2014) and various charity campaigns (2009 : Children In Need Rocks the Royal Albert Hall ; 2011: CIN Rocks Manchester , GB40 , GB in Concert ; 2013: CIN ROCKS 2013 ; among others) and other projects such as the Diamond Jubilee Concert for Queen Elizabeth (2012).

Stevens has also worked as music director for Mika , Will Young , James Morrison , Bill Withers , Anastasia , Sugababes , Jeff Lynne , Geri Halliwell , Donny Osmond and, since 2002, Annie Lennox , with whom he has also toured various times and the albums Songs of Mass Destruction ( 2007). He also produced her albums A Christmas Cornucopia (2010) and Nostalgia (2014) as well as the single "Shining Light" from her album Annie Lennox - The Collection (2009). Nostalgia was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2014 . He has also overseen tours for Cheryl Cole , The Saturdays , Steps and The Wanted .

Since 2002 he has been an official member of the British band 10cc, with whom he went on tour as a keyboardist and saxophonist since 1999.

Discography

  • 1988: Light Up the Night
  • 1990: Set the Spirit Free
  • 1992: Blowing Up a Storm
  • 1995: Joy
  • 1995: The World Is Only Air

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Andy Gregory (ed.): International who's who in popular music , 4th. Edition, Europa, London 2002, ISBN 1857431618 , p. 485 (accessed January 23, 2015).
  2. ↑ Mike Stevens . BBC Online. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  3. ^ Matt Frost: Royal Appointment — Mike Stevens: Musical Director For The Queen's Jubilee Concert . SOS Publications Group. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  4. ^ Take That Progress Tour . Roland. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  5. ↑ Jeff Smith: Mr Blue Sky thinking: How Radio 2 persuaded Jeff Lynne's ELO to play Hyde Park . BBC Online. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  6. ↑ 10cc biography . 10cc. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  7. ^ A b c Eugene Chadbourne: Mike Stevens biography . All music. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
personal data
SURNAME Stevens, Mike
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Stevens, Michael William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British musician, producer and songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH January 26, 1957
PLACE OF BIRTH Wisbech , Cambridgeshire , England