Mickey Finn (guitarist)


Michael F. Waller, also known by the stage name Mickey Finn, was an English guitarist.

Biography

Michael F. Waller was born in Bethnal Green, East London, in 1947, and started out with instrumental band the Strangers in the summer of 1961. In 1963 Waller adopted the name Mickey Finn – after having heard about the drummer named Mickey Finn – and joined with John "Fluff" Cooke, John Burkett, Alan Marks and Richard Brand to form "Mickey Finn & the Blue Men", who released their debut single in January 1964. Jimmy Page recorded with the band over the following months. With Burkett replaced by first Mick Stannard in early 1964 and then Rod Clark, the band were renamed "The Mickey Finn" in 1966. They released four more singles, the last of which, "Garden of My Mind", is their best known song and has become a cult favourite despite failing to chart at the time.
Reverting to his original name |Mickey Finn] had by then become famous as a member of T.Rex, Waller played guitar with [Sam Gopal and the Heavy Metal Kids, before relocating to France and becoming a sought-after session musician, notably with Nino Ferrer. As Mickey Finn, he returned to the UK and joined Steve Marriott's All Stars in July 1975, and in May 1976 Finn and fellow All Star Greg Ridley formed The Fallen Angels with Twink, Guy Humphries and Bob Weston and Keith Boyce. The band crashed their van on the way to their first gig, and Finn was the only remaining original member when they re-emerged in July 1977 backing ex-Pretty Things singer Phil May.
By 1999, Mickey Finn & the Blue Men had reformed and recorded the Black Hole album, followed by the Go Clean EP. From 2004 to 2011, Finn formed a blues-rock duet with Joane Calice. He died in Paris on 1 February 2013.

Discography

Mickey Finn and the Blue Men

  • "Tom Hark" / "Please Love Me"
  • ""Pills" / "Hush Your Mouth"
  • "Reelin' And A Rockin'" / "I Still Want You"
  • "God Bless The Child" / "Ain't Necessarily So"

    The Mickey Finn

  • "The Sporting Life" / "Night Comes Down"
  • "I Do Love You" / "If I Had You Baby"
  • "Garden of My Mind" / "Time To Start Loving You"
  • ''Garden Of My Mind, The Complete Recordings 1964–1967''

    The Heavy Metal Kids

  • The Heavy Metal Kids LP

    Phil May and Fallen Angels

  • Phil May & Fallen Angels LP

    The Mickey Finn

  • "Ain't Necessarily So" / "God Bless The Child"

    Mickey Finn and the Blue Men

  • Black Hole LP
  • Go Clean EP (Ten Minutes Productions, June 2004

    Mickey Finn and Jo

  • Lucky Like That LP