Mike Harding

For the New Zealand folk musician, see Mike Harding (New Zealand).

Mike Harding
Harding at Fairport's Cropredy Convention in 2007
Background information
Born	23 October 1944 (1944-10-23) (age 67) Crumpsall, Manchester, Lancashire
Genres	Folk music Easy listening
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, author, poet, broadcaster
Instruments	Vocals Guitar
Years active	1965–present
Labels	Rubber Records Philips Records Moonraker Records
Website	Official website

Mike Harding (born 23 October 1944, Crumpsall, Manchester, Lancashire^[1]) is an English singer, songwriter, comedian, author, poet and broadcaster. He is known as 'The Rochdale Cowboy' after one of his hit records. In addition, at various times of his life, Harding has been a stand-up comic, photographer, traveller, filmmaker, playwright and musician.

Biography

Harding's father, Louis Arthur "Curly" Harding, was a navigator in the RAF.^[2][3] who was killed during World War II, a few weeks before his son's birth.^[4] Harding is of Irish descent on his mother's side.^[5]

He was educated at St Anne's, Crumpsall, and St Bede's, Manchester. After a varied career as a road digger, dustbin man, schoolteacher, steel erector, bus conductor, boiler scaler and chemical factory worker, he took a degree in English and Education at the University of Manchester.^[4][6]

Harding began performing as a folk singer and as a member of several local Manchester bands in the 1960s, making his first recordings for the Topic label. He began telling jokes between songs, eventually extending them into longer humorous anecdotes which became the main focus of his act. He released his first album, A Lancashire Lad, in 1972, followed by Mrs 'Ardin's Kid in 1974. In 1975, the single release of "The Rochdale Cowboy", which reached No.22 in the UK pop charts, brought him national attention.^[4]

As a stand-up comic he made several series for the BBC and appeared on numerous TV and radio programmes, including two series of travel films in Ireland and the Appalachian Mountains of America. He also played rock and roll with his band, the Stylos, with the Lowe Brothers. He has had many albums and singles released. Singles include "The Rochdale Cowboy/Strangeways Hotel" and the "Man 'nited Song". As well as comedy, he has released albums of serious songs, most notably Bombers' Moon, the title track of which tells of his father's death.^[4] The album also contains "The Accrington Pals" and cover versions of Bruce Springsteen's "Factory" and Eric Bogle's "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda".

Harding composed the music scores for DangerMouse, Count Duckula (he also sang the main and end titles with Doreen Edwards), The Reluctant Dragon and The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship for Cosgrove Hall.

As well as being an acclaimed musician and comedian, he wrote The Armchair Anarchist's Almanac, a humorous A-Z book; two collections of anecdotes, jokes and songs entitled The Unluckiest Man in the World and The 14½ Pound Budgie; and a comedy/thriller/fantasy, Killer Budgies. His other books include a series covering aspects of his interest in British folklore and history – The Little Book of the Green Man, The Little Book of Stained Glass, The Little Book of Gargoyles, and The Little Book of Misericords; and the loosely factual autobiography, You Can See the Angel's Bum, Miss Worswick! He has also read two of his short stories for Afternoon Story on BBC Radio 4.^[6] In 1986 Harding wrote the foreword to Barry Pilton's book, One Man and His Bog.

He more recently made a series of fourteen short films on minority religions in England for the BBC's Heaven and Earth show, and since 1999 has presented the BBC Radio 2 flagship folk and roots programme, The Mike Harding Show, every Wednesday from 7 pm to 8 pm. Since 2000 Harding has presented the annual BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

Harding is a dedicated hillwalker and a former president, and now life vice-president of the Ramblers' Association.^[5] He wrote, until a new format was sought for the magazine in 2008, a regular column for hiking magazine The Great Outdoors and campaigned for 'Right to Roam' legislation in the UK.

He is one of the patrons of the Wensleydale Railway, a group set up to re-open the once mainly derelict line between Northallerton and Garsdale in Yorkshire, near where he now lives.^[1]

Discography

Albums

• A Lancashire Lad (1972, Trailer LER 2039)
• There Was This Bloke (1974 Rubber Records RUB 010) with Tony Capstick, Derek Brimstone and Bill Barclay
• Mrs 'Ardin's Kid (1975, Rubber Records RUB 011) – UK No.24
• The Rochdale Cowboy Rides Again (1975, Rubber Records RUB 015/016)
• One Man Show (1976, Philips 6625 022) – UK No.19
• Old Four Eyes is Back (1977, Philips 6308 290) – UK No.31
• Captain Paralytic & The Brown Ale Cowboys (1978, Philips 6641 798) – UK No.60
• On The Touchline (1979, Philips 9109 230)
• Komic Kutz (1979, Philips 6625 041)
• Red Specs Album (1981, Polydor 2383 601)
• Take Your Fingers Off It (1982, Moonraker MOO1)
• Rooted! (1983, Moonraker MOO2)
• Flat Dogs and Shaky Pudden (1983, BBC Records REH 468)
• Bomber's Moon (1984, Moonraker MOO3)
• Roll Over Cecil Sharpe (1985, Moonraker MOO7)
• Foo Foo Shufflewick & Her Exotic Banana (1986, Moonraker MOO8)
• The Best of Mike Harding (1986, Rubber Records RUB 047)
• Plutonium Alley (1989, Moonraker MOO9)
• God's Own Drunk (1989, Moonraker MOO10)
• Footloose in the Himalaya (1990, Moonraker MOOC11)
• Chinese Takeaway Blues (1992, Moonraker MOO11)
• The Bubbly Snot Monster (1994, Moonraker MOO14)
• Classic Tracks (1995, Moonraker CD MOO13)

^[7]

Singles

• "Rochdale Cowboy" / "Strangeways Hotel" (1975, Rubber Records ADUB 3) – UK No.22
• "My Brother Sylveste" / "Uncle Joe's Mint Balls" (1976, Rubber Records ADUB 4)
• "Talking Blackpool Blues" / "Bogey Man" (1976, Rubber Records ADUB 10)
• Guilty, But Insane (EP): includes "Born Bad" / "Jimmy Spoons" / "Manuel" (1977, Philips CLOG 1)
• "Christmas 1914" / "P.S. God" (1977, Philips 6006 585)
• "Disco Vampire" / "For Carlo" (1977, Philips CLOG 2)

^[7]

Other recordings

• "Ale is Physick for Me" / "Ten Per Cent" on Deep Lancashire (1968, Topic 12T 188)
• "Sammy Shuttleworth" on Owdham Edge (1970, Topic 12T 204)
• "Ale is Physick for Me" / "Ten Per Cent" / Sammy Shuttleworth" on Deep Lancashire (1997, Topic TSCD 485)
• "Ale is Physick for Me" on And We'll All Have Tea (2000, Retro R2CD)

Bibliography

• Napoleon's Retreat From Wigan (1976, EMI Music Ltd)
• The Unluckiest Man in the World (1979, Robson)
• The Singing Street (1979, Moonraker)
• The Witch That Nicked Christmas (1979)
• Folk Songs of Lancashire (1980, Whitethorn)
• Fur Coat and No Knickers (play) (1980, Samuel French)
• Barnaby Barnaby Boy Wonder (1980, Robson)
• The 14 lb Budgie (1980, Robson)
• Up The Boo Aye Shooting Pookakis (1980, Savoy)
• The Armchair Anarchist's Almanac (1981, Robson)
• One Night Stand (play) (1981)
• Hell Bent (play) (1981)
• Dead Ernest (play) (1982)
• Not With A Bang (play) (1983, Samuel French)
• Killer Budgies (1983, Robson)
• When The Martians Land in Huddersfield (1984, Robson)
• You Can See The Angel's Bum, Miss Worswick (1985, Robson)
• Rambling On (1986, Robson)
• Walking The Dales (1986, Michael Joseph)
• Cooking One's Corgi (1988, Robson)
• Bomber's Moon (1988, Michael Joseph)
• Footloose in the Himalaya (1989, Michael Joseph)
• Last Tango in Whitby (play) (1990, Samuel French)
• A Free Man on Sunday (play) (1992)
• Daddy Edgar's Pools (1992, Peterloo Poets)
• Walking the Peak and Pennine (1992, Michael Joseph)
• Tales from the Towpath (1992, Central Manchester Development Corporation)
• The Virgin of the Discos (1993, Robson)
• Hypnotising the Cat (1995, Robson)
• Buns For The Elephants (1995, Penguin Viking)
• Footloose in the West of Ireland (1996, Michael Joseph)
• Crystal Set Dreams (1997, Peterloo Poets)
• Comfort and Joy (play) (1997, Samuel French)
• A Little Book of the Green Man (1998, Aurum Press)
• A Little Book of Gargoyles (1998, Aurum Press)
• A Little Book of Stained Glass (1998, Aurum Press)
• A Little Book of Devils and Demons (1998, Aurum Press)
• A Little Book of Misericords (1998, Aurum Press)
• Yorkshire Transvestite Found Dead On Everest (2005, Hayloft)
• A Little Book of Angels (2008, Aurum Press)
• A Little Book of Tombs and Monuments (2008, Aurum Press)
• A Little Book of Miracles and Marvels (2008, Aurum Press)

Awards

• Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
• Shortlisted for the Boardman Tasker Award for Mountaineering Literature
• Ralph Lewis Poetry Award (University of Sussex)
• 1991 Outdoor Writers Guild Award for Excellence for Footloose in the Himalaya (broadcast)
• 1996 The Signal Award for Children's Poetry

^[6]

See also

Poetry portal

• List of Scouts
• Folk music of England

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "database – accessed March 2009". Imdb.com. 23 October 1944. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0362370/bio. Retrieved 6 July 2009. 
2. ^ Mike Harding official website – Bomber's Moon info, retrieved 19 September 2009^{[dead link]}
3. ^ Commonwealth War Graves Commission entry for Louis Arthur Harding, retrieved 19 September 2009
4. ^ ^{a b c d} "Biography by Steven McDonald". Allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p477306/biography. Retrieved 18 March 2009. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "accessed March 2009". Mikeharding.co.uk. http://www.mikeharding.co.uk/biog/biog.htm. Retrieved 6 July 2009. ^{[dead link]}
6. ^ ^{a b c} "Radio 2: Mike Harding". BBC. 6 May 2009. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/harding/biography.shtml. Retrieved 6 July 2009. 
7. ^ ^{a b} Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 243. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 

External links

• Official Mike Harding website
• Harding biography
• The Great Outdoors
• Mike Harding at the Internet Movie Database

Persondata
Name	Harding, Mike
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1944-10-23
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death