Mike Marlin is an English singer-songwriter. He was born on 17 February 1961 in

Wimbledon, London Wimbledon () is a suburb of southwest London, England, southwest of Charing Cross; it is the main commercial centre of the London Borough of Merton. Wimbledon had a population of 68,189 in 2011 which includes the electoral wards of Abbey, Wimb ...

. He went to the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

where he read physics at

Magdalen College Magdalen College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and one of the strongest academically, se ...

. He dropped out in his final year and never graduated. During this time he played bass in a number of student bands.

History

Businesses

After leaving Oxford (where he was studying physics) in his final year, he dropped out of music. He worked in his father's commodity business. He automated his job by programming a computer, and became instead interested in technology. He was then a founder of a series of technology businesses. He was joined by David Harding and Martin Lueck, with whom he spun out to launch AHL, one of the most successful systematic trading firms ever.

Music career

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s he had continued to write and record songs, but these were never commercially released. At the age of 48 he withdrew from business. He started a small record label, AMP Music Productions. He recorded his first album ''Nearly Man'' with producer James Durrant. The album was finished in December 2009. Marlin recruited a band in 2010 ("The Whethermen") and played a series of gigs in small venues throughout the UK. He recorded a session for Selector Radio that aired on 12 November 2010. In December 2010 he supported

From The Jam From the Jam are an English band, formed in 2006 as the Gift by Rick Buckler, former drummer with the Jam, together with musicians Russell Hastings and David Moore. The band was named after the Jam's sixth and final studio album (1982), and play ...

on their UK tour. Marlin's first single was a cover of the

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...

disco hit "

Stayin' Alive "Stayin' Alive" is a song written and performed by the Bee Gees from the ''Saturday Night Fever'' motion picture soundtrack. The song was released in December 1977 by RSO Records as the second single from the ''Saturday Night Fever'' soundtr ...

" from the 1977 film ''

Saturday Night Fever ''Saturday Night Fever'' is a 1977 American Dance in film, dance Drama (film and television), drama film directed by John Badham and produced by Robert Stigwood. It stars John Travolta as Tony Manero, a young Italian Americans, Italian-America ...

''. It was released on 21 October 2010 to mixed reviews and is not on his debut album ''Nearly Man'', which was released on 14 February 2011. Two singles were taken from this album: "Play That Game" (released 4 January 2011) and "No Place Like Home" (released 23 May 2011). These were critically well received and achieved significant airplay on independent radio, regional radio and

BBC Radio 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It primarily plays a wide range of alternative music, from established and emerging artists and bands. In 2002 it was the first national music radio station t ...

. The video for "Play That Game" attracted considerable attention and featured an office being destroyed. In January 2011, he was chosen for HMV's Next Big Thing and as part of this event played at the Jazz Cafe in London on 9 February 2011. In March 2011, Marlin supported

The Stranglers The Stranglers are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1974. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 20 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have originated in the ...

on their 17 date UK "Black & Blue" tour. In April 2011, Marlin supported

Big Country Big Country are a Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife, in 1981. The height of the band's popularity was in the early to mid 1980s, although they have retained a cult following for many years since. The band's music inc ...

on their 18 date UK tour. In February 2012, he released his second album, ''Man on The Ground'', and went on to support

around the UK and Europe on their Spring tour. Marlin's voice is often compared to

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

. He sings in a baritone and plays a custom Babicz guitar. He writes traditional rock songs. He cites

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

Elbow The elbow is the region between the upper arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and t ...

and The National as influences. Marlin's third album, ''Grand Reveal'', was released on 8 April 2013. Songs include "The Murderer" and "Skull Beneath the Skin". Marlin's fourth album, ''The Secret of My Success'', was released on 8 May 2016. The release was accompanied by a limited edition box set containing book of artwork by Colin Brown, the Scottish Collage artist and double LP. The latest incarnation of his band is a trio, The Melomaniacs, consisting of Marlin, Paul Silver on keys and Kim Murray on guitar.

Discography

;Albums * ''Nearly Man'' (2009) * ''Man on the Ground'' (2012) * ''Grand Reveal'' (2013) * ''The Secret of My Success'' (2016)

Personal

He is married and has four children. He lives in

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

References

External links

Official website

Mike Marlin on YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marlin, Mike 1961 births Living people English male singer-songwriters Musicians from the London Borough of Merton Singers from the London Borough of Merton People from Wimbledon, London