Born in Middlesex in 1956, Mike spent his teen years honing his skills playing alongside his brothers in local rock bands. He became interested in the blues in his early twenties, listening to a mixed bag which included UK blues artists Dave and Jo Ann Kelly, Cyril Davies and Alexis Korner alongside the likes of their US counterparts Bo Diddley, Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters. Mike soon discovered a passion for Chicago and Delta blues.