About the author

MIKE BUTLER switches his musical allegiance from Pink Floyd to Bobby Womack, c. 1975; flunks a History BA, Polytechnic of North London, 1977-78; drifts into record retail at Out on the Floor (still only a stall at Camden Town market) and Honest Jon’s, 1980-1983; gains a first class BA in Art, Manchester Polytechnic, 1986; part of Manchester Artists Studio Association (MASA) and its exhibition space, Castlefield Gallery, 1986-1992; editor of the gallery’s house magazine, Granby Row Review, 1987-1991; jazz editor at City Life what’s-on magazine, where he interviews Sun Ra and (twice!) Nina Simone, 1989-2009; Manchester Evening News buys the title and inherits the jazz editor; compiles listings and interviews musicians for Metro, 1999-2009; discovers the missing verse of ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ for Independent on Sunday, 1994; promotes UK tours by Abner Burnett, 1998 and 2001, the latter with co-star Johnny Moynihan; co-promotes a joint UK tour by John Fahey and Abner Burnett, 1999 – a rock ’n’ roll disaster story of such magnitude that it rates a feature in Mojo.