Mike Heron 4402706 197466477 2008-03-11T13:28:49Z Custardninja 2170652 Disambiguate [[Richard Thompson]] to [[Richard Thompson (musician)]] using [[:en:Wikipedia:Tools/Navigation_popups|popups]] {{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians --> | Name = Mike Heron | Img = Mikeheron.jpg|thumb|200px|right| | Img_capt = Cover of ''Smiling Men With Bad Reputations'', 1971 | Img_size = <!-- Only for images narrower than 220 pixels --> | Landscape = | Background = solo_singer | Birth_name = James Michael Heron | Alias = | Born = {{birth date and age|1942|12|27|mf=y}}<br />{{flagicon|Scotland}} [[Edinburgh]], [[Scotland]], [[UK]] | Died = | Origin = | Instrument = Vocals, guitar, etc. | Genre = | Occupation = Singer, songwriter | Years_active = Since 1965 | Label = | Associated_acts = [[The Incredible String Band]]<br>Heron | URL = | Current_members = | Past_members = | Notable_instruments = }} '''Mike Heron''' (born James Michael Heron, 27 December [[1942]], [[Edinburgh]]) is a [[Scotland|Scottish]] singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work in the [[Incredible String Band]] in the 1960s and 1970s. ==Career== He attended [[George Heriot's School]], where his father was a teacher, and spent a year at [[Edinburgh University]] before leaving to start training as an accountant. He played in R&B and pop bands in Edinburgh, including The Saracens, and in late 1965 successfully auditioned to join a new trio, The Incredible String Band, with [[Robin Williamson]] and [[Clive Palmer]].<ref name=beglad>Adrian Whittaker (ed.), ''Be Glad: The Incredible String Band Compendium'', 2003, ISBN 1-900924-64-1</ref> :''Main article : '''[[The Incredible String Band]]''''' He has also released a number of solo recordings, mostly more rock-oriented than the Incredible String Band material. The first of these, [[Smiling Men with Bad Reputations]], released in 1971 when still a member of the ISB, took eclecticism to a new extreme, blending rock, folk and world music into an atmospheric whole. Contributing musicians included [[Pete Townshend]], [[Keith Moon]], and [[Ronnie Lane]] (as "Tommy & The Bijoux"!), [[John Cale]], [[Richard Thompson (musician)|Richard Thompson]], [[Dave Mattacks]], [[Simon Nicol]], [[Dave Pegg]], [[Dudu Pukwana]], [[Elton John]], and [[Steve Winwood]]. The Incredible String Band broke up in September 1974. With three other members of the final "electric" ISB line-up - Graham Forbes, John Gilston, and [[Malcolm Le Maistre]] - he formed the band Mike Heron's Reputation, later known simply as Heron, with whom he recorded and toured until 1977. In 1977/78, while still living in the Glen Row cottage near [[Innerleithen]] which had been the Incredible String Band's home and headquarters, he recorded songs which were eventually issued as ''The Glen Row Tapes''. In 1979, he released a solo album on [[Casablanca Records]], but then withdrew from performance for several years. In the 1990s he re-emerged with a new group, Mike Heron's Incredible Acoustic Band, and released the album ''Where The Mystics Swim''. <ref name=beglad>Adrian Whittaker (ed.), ''Be Glad: The Incredible String Band Compendium'', 2003, ISBN 1-900924-64-1</ref> In 1997 he reunited with Williamson for some concerts, and from 1999 to 2006 performed occasionally with a reformed version of the Incredible String Band. He has also recorded a song with Georgia Seddon based on a poem by [[John Burnside]] for the [[Ballads of the Book]] album released in March 2007. ==Solo discography== *''[[Smiling Men with Bad Reputations]]'' (1971) *''[[Mike Heron’s Reputation]]'' (1975) *''[[Diamond Of Dreams]]'' (as Heron) (1977) *''[[Mike Heron (album)|Mike Heron]]'' (1979) *''[[The Glenrow Tapes]]'' (1988) *''[[Where the Mystics Swim]]'' (1996) *''[[Conflict Of Emotions]]'' (1998) *''[[Futurefield]]'' (2002) *''[[Echo Coming Back]]'' (2005) ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *[http://normanlamont.typepad.com/writing/2007/05/mike_heron_smil.html "How Mike Heron opened the door for me"] *[http://www.theincrediblestringband.com The reformed Incredible String Band] *[http://www.softshoe-slim.com/lists/h/heron.html Full discography] {{The Incredible String Band}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Heron, Mike}} [[Category:1942 births]] [[Category:Scottish pop musicians]] [[Category:Living people]]