News: Remembering Mike Vernon – archive feature (March 2026)
7 March 2026 News
The death of record producer Mike Vernon was announced recently.
Pete Feenstra writes:
“Mike was known as the major catalyst in the development of British Blues, with credits including Eric Clapton (with the Bluesbreakers), David Bowie, John Mayall, Chicken Shack, Savoy Brown, Duster Bennett, Ten Years After, Peter Green, Fleetwood Mac and many more.
He also started the influential Blue Horizon label and worked with American blues artists such as Otis Spann, Champion Jack Dupree and Eddie Boyd.
He enjoyed more mainstream success with Focus and later Level 42, I came to know him better for his production work in the 1980s with acts like Mick Pini, Steve Gibbons, Paul Lamb and Sherman Robertson. More recently he produced Sari Schorr and Oli Brown.
He always stayed in touch regarding bands that I might want to promote – Sherman Robertson being a case in point – but it was actually when I was doing interviews for various magazines that he revealed himself to be a very generous and kind person.
He always listened to suggestions and he always made time, and frequently would come out to live gigs to check out the bands we had discussed.
On more memorable occasion he extended a 30 minute interview time slot to most of the afternoon, as we engaged in a great chat about some of his signings who he really liked, such as Mick Pini’s Freddie King meets Peter Green influences.
He also spoke about several of his signings with whom he didn’t quite enjoy his earlier success, but still believed in their music.
When it came to interviewing him in the mid 80’s for Bob Brunning’s ‘Blues The British Connection’ book, he still found time to talk to me, in spite of the fact that Bob and others had already interviewed him.
15 years later he invited me to his brother’s place in Surbiton for a two part radio interview, in which I unravelled his own musical career including his Top of the Pops appearance with Rocky Sharp & The Replays.
The last time I saw him was with a couple of gigs I promoted with his Mighty Combo outfit.
His own live musical ventures were filled with real enthusiasm from both him and his band, although his audience had notably grown older and shrunk.
He was a lovely guy and will be sadly missed.”
Pete’s two-part interview (2014) will be repeated in the GRTR! Archive feature (Part 1: Monday 9 March, 16:00 Part 2: Thursday 12 March, 23:00)
Photo: Rockrpix Photography
