Mike Hayes's Website
|
About
the Authors
Mike
Hayes was born in Liverpool, England, in April 1957. Graduating
in Business Studies and German from the University Of Aston in Birmingham,
Mike entered a career in general management. He currently works
for an American owned HR outsourcing company based in Glasgow, where
he lives with his girlfriend Mairi. Mike's
musical tastes were shaped by the glam rock movement of the Seventies.
Marc Bolan was an early hero. Bolan's premature death in 1977 left
a void which was shortly to be filled by a peerless quartet from
Rockford, Illinois. A student friend had pointed Mike in the direction
of the debut British release from an odd-looking bunch who called
themselves Cheap Trick. The album was called In Color, and Mike
was very impressed. When the band subsequently appeared on BBC television's
Old Grey Whistle Test show, their unique appearance challenged the
conventional image of more familiar contemporaries. But their talent
was unquestionable. To this day, Mike regrets missing the band's
first UK dates in early 1978, but he was to make up for it the following
February. Cheap Trick braved arctic conditions to play Birmingham's
celebrated Barbarella's club. The performance was stunning, the
occasion quite unforgettable. Nielsen and company chatted amiably
after the show, willingly signing autographs and sharing their time
with the small group of avid disciples.
Mike has remained a huge fan of Cheap Trick for over twenty years. Ken
Sharp - American musician, writer and publisher Ken Sharp
lent his expertise and professionalism to the venture in early 1997,
providing significant literary and editorial input, as well as sourcing
a host of rare photographs and contributing previously unheard interviews
with the members of Cheap Trick. Graduating
with honors from Temple University with a B.A. in Communications,
Ken Sharp has authored or co-authored four books, Power Pop!, Meet
The Beatles...Again!, Overnight Sensation: The Story Of The Raspberries,
and Quite Naturally: The Small Faces. In addition, Ken is a musician
whose debut CD 1301 Highland Avenue was issued in Japan. Since then,
Ken's remained fiercely dedicated to his craft and has kept busy
writing and recording new songs, many featuring on his debut Stateside
album in 2000, Happy Accidents, which gained excellent reviews from
the press and fellow musicians alike. A regular contributor to Goldmine
and Record Collector, Ken has also written liner notes for the likes
of The Raspberries, John Waite, Rick Springfield, The Rubinoos and
The Partridge Family. Upon hearing the Heaven Tonight album in 1978,
Ken became an avid Cheap Trick fan and has seen the band more than
twenty times. Ken resides with his wife Terri, daughter and beloved
basset hound, Herman, in a Philadelphia suburb. |
