Mickey Finn (musician)
| Mickey Finn | |
|---|---|
Finn performing with T.Rex in the Musikhalle Hamburg, January 1972
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Michael Norman Finn |
| Born |
3 June 1947 Thornton Heath, Surrey, England United Kingdom |
| Died | 11 January 2003 (aged 55) Croydon, Surrey, UK |
| Genres | Psychedelic folk, glam rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Bongos, congas, drums, bass, vocals |
| Years active | 1969–2003 |
| Labels | Fly Records/Reprise, EMI, Casablanca, Demon Music Group, Track |
| Associated acts |
T.Rex Hapshash and the Coloured Coat Mickey Finn's T. Rex The Blow Monkeys The Soup Dragons |
Mickey Finn or occasionally Micky Finn (especially on Beat Club), (born Michael Norman Finn, 3 June 1947 – 11 January 2003) was the percussionist and sideman to Marc Bolan in his band Tyrannosaurus Rex (on one album, A Beard of Stars), and later, the 1970s glam rock group, T.Rex. Often confused with other musicians by the same name, Michael Norman Finn (apart from T. Rex) only toured as a sideman in the 1960s with Hapshash and the Coloured Coat. After Bolan and T.Rex's demise, he worked as a session musician for The Blow Monkeys and The Soup Dragons.
Finn was born in Thornton Heath, Surrey, England. After he joined T.Rex in late 1969, it was rumoured that Bolan had hired Finn for his good looks, and because he admired his motorcycle, rather than for his musical ability. Finn was unable to recreate the complex rhythmical patterns of his predecessor, Steve Peregrin Took, and was effectively hired as much for a visual foil for Bolan as for his drumming. The BBC news commented on this, saying "Marc Bolan was supposed to have said of Finn: 'He can't sing... but he looks superb.'"
Mickey Finn stated, on a radio show in Denmark that he and Marc Bolan were appearing on as guest DJs, that his big influence in percussion was the prolific Master Henry Gibson from Curtis Mayfield's band. In the early 1970s, Finn's contribution as bongocero, backing vocalist, and, occasionally, bass guitarist, to Bolan's music was essential, because Tyrannosaurus Rex and T. Rex started off as a duo and Marc needed a replacement for Steve Peregrin Took. Something of a character both on and off stage, Finn was often to be seen wearing a hat (including a green bowler), a trademark that was adopted by a significant proportion of T. Rex fans.
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