Mike Rutherford

Mike Rutherford is the legendary bass guitarist of one of the most prominent bands of the late 60’s/early 70’s. Like Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, and the other members of Genesis, he, too, has contributed a lot to the music industry. He has provided backup vocals and often played the guitar along with the bass guitars. Rutherford is responsible for playing the guitar leads after the departure of Steve Hackett from 1977 and onwards. Mike wrote many of the lyrics to the band’s songs including, “Follow You, Follow Me,” “Turn It on Again,” “Land of Confusion,” and “Throwing it All Away.”

Mike is also responsible for forming his side band, Mike + the Mechanics in 1985. He, along with the other members of Genesis, was inducted to the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010.

Early Life:

Born on October 2, 1950 in Guildford, Surrey, England, Michael John Cleote Crawford received his first guitar when he was eight years old and he joined his first band called, The Chester’s, named after the town he lived in a the time. His father was a royal navy captain. Rutherford attended the Leas Preparatory School Hoylake before moving to Charterhouse school at the age of thirteen, where he formed a band called, The Anons, with his fellow student, Anthony Phillips. When he turned fifteen, Mike and Anthony Phillips founded Genesis with Peter Gabriel and Tony Banks. Because he disliked being in Charterhouse, Mike was expelled from the school due to minor misconducts.

Bass/Guitar Playing:

Mike often played the bass with high treble clef through the use of a pick and a fuzz box, which are evident in some songs such as “The Knife” and “The Return of the Giant Hogweed.” He is also well known for playing the 12-tring guitar alongside Anthony Phillips, Steve Hackett, and Tony Banks. He played the 12 string guitars and the Dewtron Mister Bassman bass pedal synthesizer in early the recordings of Genesis songs. The Moog Taurus bass pedals were often used during the Trick of the Tail tours. He is also known for playing a double necked bass guitar which could be separated into two different guitars.

Solo:

During his breaks from Genesis, Mike recorded two solo albums, Small Creep’s Day and Acting Very Strange, but because he wasn’t satisfied working alone, he decided that he was at his best when working with others, and this led to him forming his side band, Mike + the Mechanics in 1985.

Some of Mike +the Mechanics’ biggest hits included “All I Need is a Miracle,” “Word of Mouth,” “The Living Years,” “Silent Running,” and “Over My Shoulder.” To promote the song, “The Living Years,” Mike claimed that the song was inspired by his relationship with his dad, who did during the Invisible Touch tour with Genesis, but the song was actually describing B. A. Robertson’s relationship with Robertson’s dad.

Mike also helped write songs for the Against All Odds soundtrack alongside Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, and various other artists. The song he wrote was “Making a Big Mistake.”

Rutherford performed in the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics on August 12, 2012 as a gust in Ed Sheeran’s band alongside the Pink Floyd Drummer, Nick Mason. They played the Pink Floyd song, “Wishing You Were Here.”

Personal Life:

Mike Rutherford currently lives in Surrey, England with his wife. They were married on November 13^th, 1976 and they had three kids. Mike and his family enjoy equestrian sports and horse racing.