This is my favourite guitar, the one I like to play the most. The first time I heard it, was in a LIVE-recording of the band Extreme. (remember the song “More than Words”?) For me this was the first real electric-acoustic guitar that was suitable for live performances.

I found it in the musicshop here in Utrecht and for a while I would just go to the shop, buy some strings, hang around a bit, play the guitar… and dreaming about the time when that guitar would finally be mine. Until one horrid day I walked into the shop and found that the guitar was gone, GONE, SOLD! I was heartbroken…

Well to cut a long story short, it turned out that Wendy (my ex-wife), looking for a birthday gift, had bought it for me!

London was the place where it all happened and where they would know how to spread my brilliant musical talent across the world.
But six months of sleeping on parkbenches and under bridges really changes your tune. I struggled every day to get enough food.
I went to all the recordcompanies with recordings of my songs on a rickety cassetteplayer. Nobody wanted anything to do with me, until one day… Eddy Kassner owner of President Records decided to make a record with me. I got a contract for three years and thought I had made it.

My first single was released in 1972, Rich Man, produced by Roger Bolton. On the b-side was the number Sunday Afternoon Song.

On June 16^th 1973 Eddy Kassner appeared in court in connection with a bribaryscandal at the BBC in 1972. Suddenly the records of President Records weren’t so popular anymore, my contract was useless.

I was kind of fed up in England and when I received an offer to do a couple of gigs in Switzerland, I packed my things and went…

This is my version of this great song by Lennon and McCartney.
Listen, enjoy and share!

Lyrics

Close your eyes and I’ll kiss you,
Tomorrow I’ll miss you;
Remember I’ll always be true.
And then while I’m away,
I’ll write home ev’ry day,
And I’ll send all my loving to you.

I’ll pretend That I’m kissing
the lips I am missing
And hope that my dreams will come true.
And then while I’m away,
I’ll write home ev’ry day,
And I’ll send all my loving to you.
All my loving I will send to you.
All my loving, darling I’ll be true.

Close your eyes and I’ll kiss you,
Tomorrow I’ll miss you:
Remember I’ll always be true.
And then while I’m away,
I’ll write home ev’ry day,
And I’ll send all my loving to you

All my loving I will send to you.
All my loving darling I’ll be True.
All my loving All my loving ooh
All my loving I will send to you

In the summer of 1978 I was on tour in Germany playing small concert halls and youth centers. I had a great time, especially because my Dad was travelling with me.
Just coming to the end of the tour I received a telegram (remember those days before mobile phones and internet?) The telegram read:

Fotosession Christmas Party album – Monday – 15.00 hrs – Hilton Hotel Schiphol – Dress in white.

As my last show was on Sunday it was going to be really close, plus…, I didn’t own anything remotely white…
We left Hannover very early on Mondaymorning, stopped off at a friend, borrowed his suit and arrived uncharacteristically on time only to discover they hadn’t finished the Christmas decorations and I had to wait for two more hours before the shoot began.

Merry Christmas!
Love Michael

Our first gig as “The Blue Skies” was at the Dobbins Inn Hotel.

On closer inspection this was caused by various swiss rolls, apple pies and other sweets stacked at the back of it. They started to melt and then BANG. That was the end of that.

This story was told by George Reed.

My Dad drove us to the gigs, none of us were old enough for a drivers license.
When I was sixteen Norman and I decided to go to London, where we thought it was all happening. So we picked up our instruments and left…

Untill now we have never been able to let the public enjoy the beautiful songs Michael wrote, his virtuose guitarplay and his wonderful voice in the atmosphere of a dinner theatre

Though many of his songs have been sung through others, nobody can make them sound better than Michael himself.
Judge for yourself on the 14th of April in:

Theatersalon De Avenue
Waterstraat 5
4811 WZ Breda
Starts 20.30 hrs
Tickets € 15,00 | Pre-sale € 12,50

Tickets can be ordered through: concert@introweb.nl, at theVVV in Breda or at the venue.