Mick Tucker
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Michael Thomas Tucker (17 July 1947 – 14 February 2002) was an English musician, best known as the drummer of the glam rock and hard rock band
Sweet Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketones, ...
.


Personal life

Mick Tucker was born on 17 July 1947 in
Kingsbury Kingsbury may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Kingsbury, London, a district of northwest London in the borough of Brent ** Kingsbury tube station, London Underground station * Kingsbury, Warwickshire, a village and civil parish in Warwickshi ...
, North West London, the son of Hubert and Ellen Tucker. He was married twice: to Pauline until her death in 1979, and to Janet until his death. He died from leukaemia on 14 February 2002, in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. On 28 July 1973, Tucker married his first wife, Pauline, at the Church of the Sacred Heart in
Ruislip Ruislip ( ) is a suburb in the London Borough of Hillingdon in northwest London. Prior to 1965 it was in Middlesex. Ruislip lies west-north-west of Charing Cross, London. The manor of Ruislip appears in the Domesday Book, and some of the ear ...
, Middlesex. They then moved into a house in Beverley Road, Ruislip. He had a music room with silver and gold albums awarded from all over the world on the walls.


Bands

By the age of 18 (1965), Tucker had embarked on a career in pop music, playing around pubs and clubs in a band called Wainwright's Gentlemen and was later joined by vocalist
Brian Connolly Brian Francis Connolly (5 October 1945 – 10 February 1997) was a Scottish singer-songwriter, musician and actor, best known as the lead singer of glam rock band Sweet between 1968 and 1979 and known for his charismatic stage presence and di ...
playing a mixture of R&B, Motown, and early psychedelic sounds. The band split in 1968. There are a number of recordings in existence including a cover of The Coasters/The Hollies hit "Ain't That Just Like Me", which was officially released in February 2011 on a compilation CD "Rare Mod, Volume 3" on the Acid Jazz label (AJXCD 238). The track features Tucker on drums and, according to band bassist Jan Frewer, is thought to have been recorded in 1965. He was a founding member of the band Sweetshop in January 1968 along with
Steve Priest Stephen Norman Priest (23 February 1948 – 4 June 2020) was an English musician who was the Bass guitar, bassist (and, later, co-lead vocalist) of the glam rock band The Sweet. Early life Priest was born in Hayes, Hillingdon, Hayes, Middlese ...
, Brian Connolly, and Frank Torpey (born 30 April 1947, Kilburn, North West London), who was later replaced by Mick Stewart, who was himself succeeded by Andy Scott. "Sweetshop" was shortened to "The Sweet" in 1968.


Drumming style

As a boy, his first interest was drawing. By fourteen he had changed his interest to the drums, influenced by
Sandy Nelson Sander Lloyd Nelson (December 1, 1938 – February 14, 2022) was an American drummer. Nelson, one of the best-known rock and modern jazz drummers of the late 1950s and early 1960s, had several solo instrumental Top 40 hits and released over 30 ...
,
Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...
, and
Gene Krupa Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973) was an American jazz drummer, bandleader, and composer. Krupa is widely regarded as one of the most influential drummers in the history of popular music. His drum solo on Benny Goodman ...
. Tucker's father offered him a drum kit but only if he would take drumming seriously. Hubert Tucker encouraged his son, even getting him his first gig, sitting in for
Brian Bennett Brian Laurence Bennett (born 9 February 1940) is an English drummer, pianist, composer and producer of popular music. He is best known as the drummer of the UK rock and roll group the Shadows. He is the father of musician and Shadows band memb ...
of legendary British beat group
the Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters between 1958 and 1959) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the pre-Beatles era from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. They served as the bac ...
at a local workingman's club. "He did well," says Tucker's wife, Janet, "If he had known who he was replacing, he would have been so scared!" A self-taught drummer, Tucker excelled, and by eighteen he was playing in the band Wainwright's Gentlemen. When Tucker was sacked in January 1968 for being "too flamboyant", singer Brian Connolly said "I am leaving as well." The two looked for new band-mates, and the band Sweetshop was soon formed. According to Steve Priest's 1994 autobiography, ''Are You Ready, Steve?'', Tucker offered his feedback while recording " The Six Teens", and songwriter/producer
Mike Chapman Michael Donald Chapman (born 13 April 1947) is an Australian record producer and songwriter who was a major force in the British pop music industry in the 1970s. He created a string of hit singles for artists including The Sweet, Suzi Quatro ...
said, "We don't f**king need you anyway, Mick!" Tucker ended the argument by saying, "If you don't need us, why don't you just put that tape player on 'record' and erase the whole track?" He was serious when it came to making music, and he stood up for his band's integrity when necessary. Tucker was a consummate drummer with a range of complex rhythms who could have helped any band considerably. Steve Priest said of Tucker, "He was the most underrated drummer that ever came out of England... He was the powerhouse of the band. He was technically marvelous. His timing was impeccable, but he had a lot of soul as well and he really felt what he was playing."


Drum kit

From late 1972 onward, Tucker used the same drum kit, a Ludwig Chrome over wood eight piece set. The twirl of his sticks were as much a trademark as the drum kit itself. Tucker used a five piece Ludwig while on tour in
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
. After the tour ended, he added the set to the existing Ludwig four piece set he already had. He then re-wrapped them all in chrome. The Ludwig set contained: * 2 – 14″×22" bass drums * 2 – Speed king 201 bass drum pedals * 1 – 12″x8″ tom-tom * 1 – set of two 13″x9″ tom–toms * 1 – set of Two 16″x16″ floor toms * 1 – 14″ Supraphonic snare drum * His cymbal stands were the Ludwig Hercules stands (that were specially manufactured for Tucker by Ludwig). Cymbals
Paiste Paiste (English pronunciation: , ) is a Switzerland, Swiss musical instrument manufacturing company. It is the world's third largest manufacturer of cymbals, gongs, and metal percussion. is an Estonian language, Estonian and Finnish language, ...
(Formula 602): * 1 – Dark hi-hat (14") * 1 – Mellow Ride (20") * 1 – set of 2 Dark Crash (18", 20") * 1 – Short Crash (18") The
drum stick A drum stick (or drumstick) is a type of percussion mallet used particularly for playing snare drum, drum kit, and some other percussion instruments, and particularly for playing unpitched percussion. Specialized beaters used on some other pe ...
s he used from the early 80s were the Promark American Hickory 419. Tucker had his sticks printed with the Sweet logo and his autograph.


Drum solos

Tucker was able to improvise tirelessly and played a seemingly never-ending flow of creative solos. He began and ended his drum solos with his rendition of
Elmer Bernstein Elmer Bernstein ( '; April 4, 1922August 18, 2004) was an American composer and conductor. In a career that spanned over five decades, he composed "some of the most recognizable and memorable themes in Hollywood history", including over 150 orig ...
's theme from the 1955 film ''
The Man With the Golden Arm ''The Man with the Golden Arm'' is a 1955 American independent drama film noir directed by Otto Preminger, based on the novel of the same name by Nelson Algren. Starring Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker, Kim Novak, Arnold Stang and Darren Mc ...
''. Tucker also used two projection screens that were above his drum riser. One screen played a video of him playing the drums, and simultaneously the other video showed him playing
timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion instrument, percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a Membranophone, membrane called a drumhead, ...
. He would trade off solos with these videos, then come out front and play the timpani along with a fast Christmas-style recording. Just before the band would come back, he would play the Bernstein melody on
tubular bells Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the Percussion instrument, percussion family. Their sound resembles that of church bells, carillons, or a bell tower; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate the soun ...
and timpani. Tucker tried to make sure his solos appealed to all of the audience. Tucker understood that a great performance consisted of great playing technique and presentation in equal doses. Tucker said of his band Sweet, "At gigs, Andy would mince onstage swinging a handbag and call himself Andre. Steven became Stephanie and I changed my name to Michelle. Brian was the only one who never really went along with the make-up thing."


Legacy

Adding to bassist Steve Priest's high appreciation, guitarist Andy Scott said "Mick Tucker was the best drummer around in the '70s. I played in the same band as him and was proud to do so. I feel extreme sadness therefore that he has now left us and my heart goes out to Janet and Aiston with their sad loss."
Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band formed in Rockford, Illinois in 1970 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. Their work bridged elements of '60s pop rock, guitar pop, '70s har ...
drummer
Bun E. Carlos Brad M. Carlson (born June 12, 1950), better known by the stage name Bun E. Carlos, is the original drummer for American rock band Cheap Trick. He recorded and performed with the band from 1973 to 2010. Carlos was inducted into the Rock and Roll ...
remembered that Sweet opened for Cheap Trick in 1979. "On most nights we went side stage and watched them. They were rockin' live, and Mick was fun to watch. His style reminded me of an early Keith Moon. Mick was one of the few double bass drummers that didn't let the second bass drum get in the way of a swinging tune like 'Ballroom Blitz.' He had a great feel on double bass drum, played them effortlessly... And those guys knew how to have fun," Carlos said. "We'd call them back on stage during our encores and jam on 'Let It Rock'. Mick would play my kit with the 26" bass drum and just rock out with us. I'd hop up on the riser with him, playing guitar and watching him play. We had some great times together." Other drummers who were influenced by Tucker fans are
Jack Irons Jack Steven Irons (born July 18, 1962) is an American drummer. He is the founding drummer of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers until he departed in 1988 and is a former member of Pearl Jam and Eleven. Alongside his work with Red Hot Chili Pep ...
(
Red Hot Chili Peppers The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, consisting of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (musician), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of a ...
,
Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. One of the key bands in the grunge, grunge movement of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam has outsold and outlasted many of its contemporaries from the early 1990s, ...
, Wallflowers),
Snowy Shaw Snowy Shaw (born Tommie Mike Christer Helgesson; 25 July 1968) is a Swedish musician based in the port city of Gothenburg in the west coast of Sweden. He has played with many heavy metal bands, like King Diamond, Dream Evil, Mercyful Fate, Il ...
(
King Diamond Kim Bendix Petersen (born 14 June 1956), better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Danish rock musician. As a vocalist, he is known for his powerful and wide-ranging countertenor singing voice, in particular his far-reaching falsetto s ...
, Dream Evil, Mercyful Fate), and
Jason Hartless Jason Hartless is an American musician who is the drummer for Ted Nugent. He has also played with Corky Laing and Pop Evil. Career Hartless began playing drums at a young age, playing professionally with Corky Laing at the age of 8. In ...
(
Ted Nugent Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He goes by several nicknames, including Uncle Ted, the Nuge, and Motor City Madman. Nugent initially gained fame as the le ...
). Irons stated of Tucker, "Mick was a great drummer... He had that fluid, '60s/'70s rock 'n' roll freedom. His drumming was super-tight and musical, technical, and rocking." Shaw said of Tucker, "Mick's tastefulness, precision, and strong signature put him at the very top of the list of drumming heroes I had when I was trying to master the profession," he says. "Technically, he was right up there with
Ian Paice Ian Anderson Paice (born 29 June 1948) is an English musician who is the drummer and last remaining original member of the rock band Deep Purple. He remains the only member of Deep Purple who has served in every line-up since the band's incep ...
and
John Bonham John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician who was the drummer of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Noted for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove, John Bonh ...
. Like a kid in a candy store, I devoured his selection of trademark tricks and licks, which he delivered so musically, and with conviction and grace like no one else.


Death

Tucker died on 14 February 2002 in
Welwyn Garden City Welwyn Garden City ( ) is a town in Hertfordshire, England, north of London. It was the second Garden city movement, garden city in England (founded 1920) and one of the first New towns in the United Kingdom, new towns (designated 1948). It is ...
, Hertfordshire, from
leukaemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...
, aged 54. His funeral took place on 25 February 2002. His wife Janet, his daughter Aiston and his niece Angela were at his bedside when he died. He is buried in an unmarked grave in Chorleywood House cemetery. A wooden bench with a brass plaque funded by fans as a dedication to Tucker is also positioned in the grave's vicinity. Five years previously, Tucker had a bone marrow transplant from his brother to combat his leukaemia. He had recurring infections before succumbing to the illness at the hospital in Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, Southeast England. "He went into remission after the operation, but he's never been that strong since", band bassist Steve Priest said. "This has taken everyone by surprise... He was the best drummer England ever produced and it is a sad loss to the music world. It was a little bit sudden, to be honest. He was on the verge of leukaemia five years ago but had a bone marrow transplant from his brother, which stopped him getting it, but he was never the same."


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tucker, Mick 1947 births 2002 deaths Deaths from leukemia in England English rock drummers Glam rock musicians People from Kingsbury, London The Sweet members Musicians from the London Borough of Brent