Mike Rutherford
- Category : Musician - Popular
- Type : MGP
- Profile : 6/2 - Role Model / Hermit
- Definition : Split - Small (62)
- Incarnation Cross : LAX Upheaval 2
Biography
Michael John Cleote Crawford Rutherford (born October 2, 1950 in Guildford, Surrey) is an English musician.
Whilst attending Charterhouse School he became a founding member of Genesis, initially as a bassist, 12-string guitarist, and backup vocalist. In later incarnations of Genesis, he assumed the role of guitarist. He also fronted Mike + The Mechanics.
History
Rutherford's basslines are known for being tastefully constructed as well as showing a great deal of technical innovation and skill. His basslines from early Genesis were especially impressive in the rising progressive rock movement.
Rutherford was also noted for his use of the 12-string guitar. A distinctive sound of early and classic Genesis recordings was the double acoustic twelve string playing of Rutherford intertwined with that of Anthony Phillips, and, later, Steve Hackett (additionally, keyboardist Tony Banks would occaisonally throw his own 12-string into the mix.) Genesis "classic" recordings often featured simultaneous 12 string guitar and Dewtron "Mister Bassman" bass pedal synthesizer playing by Rutherford. He used the famous Moog Taurus bass pedals as well. Often, bass guitar, 12-string guitar, and bass pedal playing would feature in different sections of a single song, "Supper's Ready", "Firth of Fifth", and "The Cinema Show" being good examples of this. He often played a double necked instrument, custom built from a separate Rickenbacker hollowbody 12-string and 4001 bass. Rickenbacker later issued doubleneck bass/guitar combinations with 4080/6 and 4080/12 models. However, Rutherford had the guitar in the top position rather than the 4080's stock guitar on bottom.
Style
After the departure of guitarist Steve Hackett, Rutherford took over all guitarist roles for the band in the recording studio. His style, while not as distinctive as Hackett's, is highly melodic and creative, containing textural and minimalistic structures. On tour, he would alternate between guitar and bass on live shows with touring-only guitarist/bassist Daryl Stuermer. The latter would typically play Hackett's guitar parts and play bass on the songs where Rutherford played lead guitar. Mike Rutherford also played at the Strat Pack Concert in 2004 along with Brian May, David Gilmour and Joe Walsh.
Solo
During breaks in Genesis, he recorded two solo albums, Smallcreep's Day and Acting Very Strange, and later performed in the band Mike + The Mechanics, a group he founded on one such break in 1985.
Mike + The Mechanics' most popular songs are "All I Need Is a Miracle", "The Living Years", "Silent Running" and "Over My Shoulder".
Instruments
He played mainly Rickenbacker and Shergold basses. He also developed the idea behind the M-Series Steinberger guitar with the help of English luthier Roger Giffin and he used this extensively in the '80s and during The Invisible Touch Tour with Genesis. In the earlier years of Genesis he used to play bass pedal synthesizers, e.g. the famous Moog Taurus. Mike Rutherford has also been onstage with various Washburn Idol models.
Through the late '70s live tours, Mike Rutherford often used a double neck that combined a 4-string bass with a 6-string guitar. That look became a trademark of those shows. A custom Shergold double neck was made that had modules for 4, 6 and 12 strings guitars.
Mike Rutherford would use different tunings on each song, so in Genesis early years there was a lot of tuning going on in between songs, which in turn developed into Peter Gabriel's now famous stories and introductions. Today with Genesis Mike Rutherford continues to use double-neck instruments, when the arrangements demand quick switches between bass and 12-string instruments.