Mike Absalom

Mike Absalom
Mike Absalom
Birth name	Michael Absalom
Born	9 November 1940 (age 83); Torquay, Devon, England
Genres	Pop, folk, celtic music
Occupation(s)	Singer, guitarist, songwriter, harpist, poet, artist and children's entertainer
Instrument(s)	Guitar, vocals, clàrsach, fiddle, button accordion, harp
Years active	1960s–present
Labels	Various
Website	Official website

Mike Absalom (born 9 November 1940) is an English pop, folk and celtic music musician, poet and children's entertainer.^[3] The Province newspaper once described Absalom's musical work as "innocence with a macabre twist". His recording and performing work in the 1970s concentrated on controversial subject matter including sex, drugs and the church.^[3]

Early life and education

Michael Absalom was born in Torquay, Devon^[1] of Irish and Welsh parentage. After being raised in England and Canada, Absalom was educated at Oxford University and the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.^[3]

Career

Early

Absalom worked as a busker for several years, before Patrick Campbell-Lyons (of Nirvana) signed him to Vertigo Records.^[2] By the time he signed on with Vertigo, he had already released two albums, the bawdy Mighty Absalom Sings Bathroom Ballads (1965) and Save the Last Gherkin for Me (1969), which featured guitar work by Diz Disley.^[4]^[5]

His skewed sense of humour and observation led to the issue of Mike Absalom in 1971 (produced by Campbell-Lyons),^[6] before Hector and Other Peccadillos (1972) garnered a larger audience. The former album featured a Roger Dean drawn record sleeve designed as a guide to Notting Hill Gate. The latter included session work by Ray Fenwick. His live work encompassed both the United Kingdom and Continental Europe.^[2] On 23 January 1973, Absalom appeared on BBC Television's The Old Grey Whistle Test, in a line-up that included Roberta Flack and Buck Ram. Absalom performed "Hector the Dope Sniffing Hound" and "The Saga of W.P.C. Sadie Stick, MacLagan and Bomber Dina".^[7] The show was hosted by "Whispering" Bob Harris.^[8]

Mid- to late-career

Finding minimal lasting commercial success, Absalom relocated to Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada in 1980, and continued to work as a solo performer as well as performing on CBC Television. In 1986, after expanding his largely folk music repertoire to incorporate celtic elements, he formed Mike Absalom & the Squid Jiggers, who became popular in Western Canada.^[2] Absalom's musical instrument expertise gradually included the clàrsach, fiddle and button accordion. Two years later he joined Harps International, a trio in which he played the Paraguayan harp, touring Canada, the United States and South America. A Canada Council scholarship enabled him to further study the Paraguayan harp in Asunción, Paraguay.^[3]

In 1996, Absalom performed at the Sixth World Harp Congress. Three years later he published both a book and album of his children's songs and poetry, Professor Absalom's Pomes For Gnomes, and performed at the Festival of Fools in Cambridge, England, on 1 April 2000. Latterly, he has made his own wooden puppets to perform his children's show; 'Professor Absalom and his Amazing Acrobatic Street Dolls'.

A multi-linguist, Absalom returned to Europe in 2002, and currently lives in County Mayo, Ireland, where he both paints and draws.^[3]^[9]^[10]

Performance venues

Absalom has performed in the Royal Albert Hall, London, at the Grand Municipal Theatre in Punta Arenas, Chile, on BBC Television's The Old Grey Whistle Test (1973), and across Europe and North and South America.^[3]

Discography

Albums

Year	Title	Record label	Notes
1965	Mighty Absalom Sings Bathroom Ballads	Sportsdisc
1969	Save the Last Gherkin for Me	Saydisc
1971	Mike Absalom	Vertigo
1972	Hector and Other Peccadillos	Philips
1977	She Must Have Big Ones	Unknown
1978	The Great Grombolian Connection	Unknown
1978	Joking to Death	Unknown
1981	Vintage Absalom	Unknown
1992	Harps International Live in Concert	Unknown	With Lori Pappajohn and Jill Whitman
1994	The Paraguayan Harp of Mike Absalom	Unknown
Unknown	Forest Dreams – Canadian Nature Scapes	Unknown
1999	Kettle on the Fire	Unknown
1999	Angels From Under My Feet	Unknown
1999	Professor Absalom's Pomes for Gnomes	Unknown
2002	Self Portraits. Live in Stafford and Brinklow 2002	Unknown	Double live album