Finn was born in Thornton Heath, Surrey. After he joined Tyrannosaurus Rex in late 1969, it was rumoured that Bolan had hired Finn for his good looks, and because he admired his motorcycle, rather than for his musical ability. Finn was unable to recreate the complex rhythmical patterns of his predecessor, Steve Peregrin Took, and was effectively hired as much for a visual foil for Bolan as for his drumming. The BBC news commented on this, saying "Marc Bolan was supposed to have said of Finn: 'He can't sing... but he looks superb.'"[1]
Mickey Finn stated, on a radio show in Denmark on which he and Marc Bolan were appearing as guest DJs, that his big influence in percussion was the prolific Master Henry Gibson from Curtis Mayfield's band. In 1969–1971, Finn's contribution to Bolan's music, as bongocero, backing vocalist and occasional bass guitarist, was essential, because T. Rex started off as Tyrannosaurus Rex, a duo and Marc needed a replacement for Took. Something of a character both on and off stage, Finn was often to be seen wearing a hat (including a green bowler), a trademark that was adopted by a significant proportion of T. Rex fans.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Finn made a handful of guest appearances with the West London rock band, Checkpoint Charlie, fronted by Mick Lexington.
In 1991, he joined the Croydon R&B band, WD40, which had a fluid line-up based around his old friend, drummer Stewart Childs, Colin Goody (harp, vocals), and Pete Robins (guitar, vocals). The band then added guitarists, percussionists, etc. as required, but Finn was forced to retire after about 12 months due to failing health. A couple of live tracks survive from this line up. Finn was also invited to play at the Marc Bolan 50th Anniversary gig organized by Mick Gray (ex-T. Rex tour manager and roadie), to celebrate what would have been Bolan's 50th birthday at the Cambridge Corn Exchange on 30 September 1997.
Finn returned to the mainstream music scene in 1997, fronting Mickey Finn's T. Rex, playing old T. Rex songs until his last days.[2][3]
Finn died in Croydon, Surrey, on 11 January 2003, aged 55. His manager, Barry Newby commented that it was likely that Finn's illness and death were due to liver and kidney problems but it was not confirmed at the time of the interview.[1]
References
^ abc"T Rex band member dies". BBC News. 13 January 2003. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
^"'New' T-Rex has 'old' T.Rex fans firing zip guns at Iscariots". Hackensack Daily Voice. 26 January 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
^"Bowie And Legend Sign Petition Against T-rex Tribute Band". Contactmusic.com. 30 June 2008. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
^"Why T. Rex's Induction Into Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Could Cap Half Century Goal of Breaking America". Billboard. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
January 07, 2023
mickey, finn, percussionist, mickey, finn, musician, redirects, here, other, musicians, this, name, mickey, finn, guitarist, mickey, finn, irish, fiddler, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, . Mickey Finn musician redirects here For other musicians of this name see Mickey Finn guitarist and Mickey Finn Irish fiddler This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Mickey Finn percussionist news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2009 Learn how and when to remove this template message Michael Norman Finn 3 June 1947 11 January 2003 1 was the percussionist and sideman to Marc Bolan in his band Tyrannosaurus Rex on one album A Beard of Stars and later the 1970s glam rock group T Rex After Bolan s death and T Rex s demise he worked as a session musician for The Blow Monkeys and The Soup Dragons Mickey FinnFinn performing with T Rex in the Musikhalle Hamburg January 1972Background informationBirth nameMichael Norman FinnBorn 1947 06 03 3 June 1947Thornton Heath Surrey EnglandDied11 January 2003 2003 01 11 aged 55 Croydon Surrey EnglandGenresPsychedelic folk glam rockOccupationsMusicianInstrumentsBongoscongasdrumsbassvocalsYears active1969 2003LabelsFly Records Reprise EMI Casablanca Demon Music Group TrackFormerly ofT RexHapshash and the Coloured CoatMickey Finn s T RexThe Blow MonkeysThe Soup DragonsCareer EditFinn was born in Thornton Heath Surrey After he joined Tyrannosaurus Rex in late 1969 it was rumoured that Bolan had hired Finn for his good looks and because he admired his motorcycle rather than for his musical ability Finn was unable to recreate the complex rhythmical patterns of his predecessor Steve Peregrin Took and was effectively hired as much for a visual foil for Bolan as for his drumming The BBC news commented on this saying Marc Bolan was supposed to have said of Finn He can t sing but he looks superb 1 Mickey Finn stated on a radio show in Denmark on which he and Marc Bolan were appearing as guest DJs that his big influence in percussion was the prolific Master Henry Gibson from Curtis Mayfield s band In 1969 1971 Finn s contribution to Bolan s music as bongocero backing vocalist and occasional bass guitarist was essential because T Rex started off as Tyrannosaurus Rex a duo and Marc needed a replacement for Took Something of a character both on and off stage Finn was often to be seen wearing a hat including a green bowler a trademark that was adopted by a significant proportion of T Rex fans During the late 1980s and early 1990s Finn made a handful of guest appearances with the West London rock band Checkpoint Charlie fronted by Mick Lexington In 1991 he joined the Croydon R amp B band WD40 which had a fluid line up based around his old friend drummer Stewart Childs Colin Goody harp vocals and Pete Robins guitar vocals The band then added guitarists percussionists etc as required but Finn was forced to retire after about 12 months due to failing health A couple of live tracks survive from this line up Finn was also invited to play at the Marc Bolan 50th Anniversary gig organized by Mick Gray ex T Rex tour manager and roadie to celebrate what would have been Bolan s 50th birthday at the Cambridge Corn Exchange on 30 September 1997 Finn returned to the mainstream music scene in 1997 fronting Mickey Finn s T Rex playing old T Rex songs until his last days 2 3 In 2020 T Rex was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 4 Death EditFinn died in Croydon Surrey on 11 January 2003 aged 55 His manager Barry Newby commented that it was likely that Finn s illness and death were due to liver and kidney problems but it was not confirmed at the time of the interview 1 References Edit a b c T Rex band member dies BBC News 13 January 2003 Retrieved 14 November 2010 New T Rex has old T Rex fans firing zip guns at Iscariots Hackensack Daily Voice 26 January 2011 Retrieved 13 January 2021 Bowie And Legend Sign Petition Against T rex Tribute Band Contactmusic com 30 June 2008 Retrieved 13 January 2021 Why T Rex s Induction Into Rock amp Roll Hall Of Fame Could Cap Half Century Goal of Breaking America Billboard Retrieved 15 January 2020 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mickey Finn percussionist amp oldid 1130766488, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
