Mike Rutherford facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mike Rutherford
Rutherford playing with Genesis in 2022
Born	Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford (1950-10-02) 2 October 1950 (age 74) Chertsey, Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, England
Occupation	Musician songwriter
Years active	1967–present
Spouse(s)	Angie Rutherford ​ (m. 1976)​
Children	3
Musical career
Genres	Progressive rock art rock pop rock soft rock
Instruments	Guitar bass
Labels	Charisma Atlantic WEA Passport (US)

Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford (born 2 October 1950) is a famous English musician. He plays guitar and bass. He also writes songs. He is best known for helping start the rock band Genesis. He and keyboardist Tony Banks are the only members who have been in Genesis since the beginning.

At first, Mike played bass guitar and sang backup for Genesis. He also played rhythm guitar, often using a special twelve-string guitar. After Steve Hackett left the band in 1977, Mike became the main lead guitarist. This started with their album ...And Then There Were Three... in 1978.

Mike helped write many of Genesis's popular songs. He wrote the words for hits like "Follow You Follow Me" and "Turn It On Again". Other famous songs he wrote lyrics for include "Land of Confusion" and "Throwing It All Away". In 2010, he joined the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Genesis.

Mike also made music on his own. In the early 1980s, he released two solo albums. In 1985, he started another successful band called Mike + the Mechanics. This band had many hit songs and was popular for live shows. Mike + the Mechanics won an Ivor Novello Award for their 1988 song "The Living Years". They also won two Grammy awards.

Early Life and School Days

Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford was born on October 2, 1950. He was born in Chertsey, Surrey, England. His father was a Royal Navy Captain. His mother's name was Anne. Mike has an older sister named Nicolette.

Mike got his first guitar when he was 8 years old. The next year, he played in his first band called The Chesters. He went to a school called The Leas. Then, in 1964, he moved to Charterhouse School, a private school in Godalming, Surrey.

At Charterhouse, Mike helped form a school band called Anon in 1965. He had to leave the band for a short time because his teacher banned him from playing guitar. After the ban was lifted, he played with another band called Climax. Then he rejoined Anon.

When the singer and bass player of Anon left, Mike started playing bass and singing lead. Anon played one last show in December 1966. After that, Mike and Anthony Phillips started writing songs together. In 1967, they formed Genesis with other Charterhouse students. These were keyboardist Tony Banks, singer Peter Gabriel, and drummer Chris Stewart. Mike did not enjoy his time at Charterhouse and was expelled for small rule-breaking incidents.

Mike's Unique Playing Style

Rutherford performing in 2007

Mike Rutherford's way of playing music is special. This is because he often changed instruments in Genesis. He would switch between bass and guitar. Sometimes he would even change his role between instruments.

Some music critics have praised his bass and guitar playing. However, Mike himself has said his playing is just "average." He believes he is a songwriter first and foremost.

Bass Guitar Techniques

Mike's bass guitar playing often used a pick. He also set his bass to have a high-pitched sound. He sometimes used a harsh, horn-like distortion. This helped his bass sound different from the other instruments.

In the mid-1970s, he started playing a fretless bass guitar. He used this especially for slower, more emotional songs. He also tried playing an 8-string bass guitar.

Rhythm Guitar and Songwriting

Mike's rhythm guitar playing often featured electric and acoustic 12-string guitars. An early Genesis sound was Mike's 12-string guitar playing mixed with Anthony Phillips or Steve Hackett. Sometimes Tony Banks would also play a 12-string guitar part.

As a rhythm guitarist and songwriter, Mike likes simple, melodic chords. He also uses single notes in a row. You can hear this in Genesis songs like "Follow You Follow Me" and "Turn It On On Again". It's also in the Mike + the Mechanics song "The Living Years".

Lead Guitar Role

Mike became the main lead guitarist for Genesis in 1977. This happened after Steve Hackett left the band. Before this, Mike sometimes played lead guitar if it fit the song best. An example is the electric sitar parts on Selling England by the Pound.

After Hackett left, Genesis decided not to get a new guitarist. Mike felt confident enough to play both lead guitar and bass. As a lead player, he likes long, melodic sounds. He bends notes to create emotional, almost singing lines. This leads to solos that are easy to remember or create a special mood. He doesn't focus on showing off difficult techniques.

Using Bass Pedals

After Anthony Phillips left, Genesis played for a time without a dedicated guitarist. Mike had to play all the guitar parts. He used bass pedals to play the bass at the same time. Mike liked this setup.

Even after Steve Hackett joined, Mike kept using bass pedals in live shows and in the studio. He often played a 12-string guitar and bass pedals at the same time. This let him cover both rhythm and bass parts. He first used a Dewtron "Mister Bassman" bass pedal synthesizer. By 1976, he used Moog Taurus bass pedals.

Mike's bass guitar, 12-string guitar, and bass pedal playing often appear in different parts of one Genesis song. Good examples are "Supper's Ready" and "Firth of Fifth". Sometimes, his bass pedals create a steady background sound for a song, like "Afterglow."

Special Instruments

In the early 1970s, Mike often used a special double-necked instrument. It was custom-built from a Rickenbacker 12-string guitar and a 4001 bass. Rickenbacker later made similar models. Mike had the guitar neck on top, which was different from Rickenbacker's standard design.

Later, he had a custom Shergold double-neck made. This guitar could be taken apart. Each neck could be played alone. Or, the 12-string half could be swapped for a 6-string half when needed.

In Genesis live shows after 1977, Mike would share parts with touring musician Daryl Stuermer. Daryl usually played all of Hackett's original guitar parts. Mike would focus on bass, 12-string guitar, and pedals. But for most songs from the post-Hackett era, Daryl played bass, and Mike moved to guitar.

Mike also played other instruments for Genesis. He sometimes played cello on their early 1970s records. In 1981, he played the drums for live performances of the song "Who Dunnit?".

Mike's Work with Genesis

According to Anthony Phillips, Mike did not write much for Genesis's first album, From Genesis to Revelation. But with their second album, Trespass, he became a very active songwriter.

Genesis usually wrote songs together as a group. Mike's well-known contributions include the electrical parts of "The Musical Box". He also wrote the music for the first half of "The Cinema Show". He wrote the words for "Follow You Follow Me" and "Turn It On Again". Mike also wrote a few Genesis songs by himself, like the song "Your Own Special Way".

Solo Music and Mike + the Mechanics

When Genesis took breaks, Mike recorded two solo albums. These were Smallcreep's Day and Acting Very Strange. However, he was not happy with his solo work. In 1984, he decided he would not record solo albums again. He felt he was most creative when working with others.

Because of this, he formed the band Mike + The Mechanics in 1985. This was during a break from Genesis.

Mike + The Mechanics had many big hits. These include "All I Need Is a Miracle", "Word of Mouth", and "The Living Years". Other hits were "Silent Running" and "Over My Shoulder".

To help promote "The Living Years," Mike and the record company suggested the song was about Mike's relationship with his father. His father had passed away during Genesis's Invisible Touch Tour. However, in 2004, Mike shared that the lyrics were actually written by B. A. Robertson. The song was based entirely on Robertson's relationship with his own father.

Mike also worked with other artists. He collaborated with Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins on the Against All Odds movie soundtrack. He contributed the song "Making A Big Mistake" to it.

In 2004, Mike played at the Strat Pack Concert. He performed with famous guitarists like Brian May and David Gilmour. This concert celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster electric guitar. Mike also performed at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony on August 12, 2012. He was a guest member of Ed Sheeran's band. They played the Pink Floyd song "Wish You Were Here".

Instruments Mike Uses

Performing in Toronto, 3 June 1977 Rutherford with his Shergold double-neck bass

Early in his career, Mike mainly played Rickenbacker and Shergold basses. He helped create the idea for the M-Series Steinberger guitar. He used this guitar a lot in the 1980s and during The Invisible Touch Tour with Genesis. He also had a special double-neck Strata guitar built for the Mama tour. It had a six-string guitar and a four-string bass in one custom body.

In the early years of Genesis, he used a Dewtron Mister Bassman. Starting in 1976, he began using Moog Taurus bass pedal synthesizers.

For live tours in the early 1970s, Mike often used a custom-built Rickenbacker double-neck. This instrument combined a 12-string semi-hollow-body guitar with a 4-string bass. This guitar is now on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum. For The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and part of the Trick of the Tail tours, he used a Rickenbacker 12-string solid-body guitar. He also used a 6-string Micro-Frets Signature Baritone. This guitar was set up with 6-string short-scale bass strings.

Later, he switched to another 12-string solid body/6-string bass combination. This was built from scratch. All these double-neck guitars were made by a luthier named Dick Knight. A custom Shergold double-neck was also made. It had parts for 4, 6, and 12-string guitars. The need to retune guitars for early Genesis songs led to Peter Gabriel's famous stories and introductions during concerts.

For the 2007 tour with Genesis, Mike continued to use double-neck instruments. This was for songs that needed quick changes between bass and 12-string guitars. His current double-neck model is a Gibson 12-string guitar with a Yamaha TRB-4P bass. When playing guitar on later songs, he prefers Eric Clapton signature model Fender Stratocasters. For bass, from 1992 onwards, Mike mostly plays Yamaha basses from the TRB series. During The Last Domino? Tour in 2022, Mike started using Squier Bullet Stratocasters. He bought a pair while under lockdown in Cape Town.

Mike's Personal Life

Mike Rutherford currently spends his time in Loxwood, West Sussex, England. He also spends time in Cape Town, South Africa. He lives with his wife, Angie. They were married on November 13, 1976. They have three children: Kate (born 1977), Tom (born 1980), and Harry (born 1986).

The family enjoys horse sports like polo and dressage. They also raise horses.

In 2009, Philip Beresford, who creates the Sunday Times Rich List, estimated Mike's wealth. He believed Mike had about £30 million. This came from past tours, future tour earnings, and the Genesis music catalog. It also included other smaller business assets and money he had saved.

Mike's Book

In 2014, Mike Rutherford published a book about his life. It is called The Living Years: The First Genesis Memoir. The first book about Mike Rutherford's solo career was called Silent Runner. It was written by journalist Mario Giammetti and published in Italy in 2011.

Mike's Music Recordings

With Genesis

With Mike + The Mechanics

Solo Albums

Solo Singles

See also

In Spanish: Mike Rutherford para niños