Michael J McEvoy

Michael J McEvoy (born August 29, 1961, in Camden County, New Jersey) is an American screen composer, orchestrator and multi-instrumentalist. He began studying music as a child but his music education developed quickly after his family relocated to London, England in 1973. McEvoy attended the William Ellis Boys Grammar School in London and was a member of the London Schools Symphony Orchestra, attending the Centre for Young Musicians Saturday music school studying Viola and Piano. McEvoy went to the Leeds College of Music but eventually left to perform with saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith, in his band Big Chief.

He worked as an apprentice studio engineer at Matrix Studio in London where he met legendary African percussionist, Reebop Kwaku Baah (Jimmy Cliff, Traffic, Can) who became a musical mentor. He became an experienced session musician, writer and arranger, working with producer Adam Kidron on a range of projects including albums by Delta 5, Orange Juice, Scritti Politti, and Ian Dury. In 1988 he met the No.1 Pop group Curiosity Killed The Cat and joined the group for their second album Getahead as a co-writer and keyboard player. In 1989 he scored his first feature film, Vroom, (Dir. Beeban Kidron starring Clive Owen and David Thewlis, 1989) followed by Bearskin in 1990 featuring Tom Waits.

He was signed to Sony Music Publishing as a songwriter from 1990–1994 during which time he wrote songs with Soul II Soul for their album Volume II: 1990 New Decade and soul diva Teena Marie ("Since Day One" on Ivory). He was Musical Director on tours with Soul II Soul and Steve Winwood, playing keyboards, hammond and guitar. During this period he recorded extensively in the studio, arranging strings on several Soul II Soul tracks, co-producing the James Taylor Quartet album 'Supernatural Feeling' and playing keyboards and guitar on the hit record by Mark Morrison, Return of the Mack (1995). His involvement with Steve Winwood began when Winwood decided to reform Traffic in 1994. One of the original musicians in the group, bass player Rosko Gee, recommended McEvoy who he had worked with previously.

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