Mike & The Mechanics
Mike Rutherford (b. 2 October 1950, Guildford, Surrey, England; bass) formed the Mechanics in 1985, during a pause in the career of his band, Genesis, and while Phil Collins was engrossed in his solo career. The line-up comprised Paul Carrack (ex-Ace, Squeeze, Nick Lowe; vocals/keyboards), Paul Young (ex-Sad Cafe; vocals), Peter Van Hooke and Adrian Lee. Van Hooke was already an accomplished session musician, having played or toured with many singers, from Van Morrison to Rod Argent. The group's first hit came with Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground) in 1986, which was used as the theme to the film On Dangerous Ground. However, it was late in 1988 before they scored their first big hit with the Rutherford/B.A. Robertson penned The Living Years, an emotive song expressing Rutherford's regret at the lack of communication he had with his father while he was alive. It also topped the US charts. Further chart success continued although the band were seen more as an album band. Quality singles such as Everybody Gets A Second Chance and the highly emotive A Time And A Place failed to make the UK Top 50, a sobering thought for future songwriters with high hopes of chart success. The band continue to be as fluid as their own career's allow.