Micky Groome is an English bassist, guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and producer.

Early life and career

Groome grew up in in the new town

New towns in the United Kingdom

Below is a list of some of the new towns in the United Kingdom created under the various New Town Acts of the 20th century. Some earlier towns were developed as Garden Cities or overspill estates early in the twentieth century. The New Towns proper were planned to disperse population following the...

 of Hemel Hempstead

Hemel Hempstead

Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 ....

, some 27 miles (43 km) north-west of central London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, and began playing in locally-based bands such as Wild Wally's Rock'n'Roll Show, Eve (with guitarist/journalist Eamonn Percival, who later conducted Keith Moon

Keith Moon

Keith John Moon was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the English rock group The Who. He gained acclaim for his exuberant and innovative drumming style, and notoriety for his eccentric and often self-destructive behaviour, earning him the nickname "Moon the Loon". Moon...

's final interview, for International Musician magazine) and The Sugar Band (with Andy Powell

Andy Powell

Andy Powell is an English guitarist and songwriter, and best known as a founding member of Wishbone Ash.-Early life and career:...

 of Wishbone Ash

Wishbone Ash

Wishbone Ash are a British rock band who achieved success in the early and mid-1970s. Their popular records included Wishbone Ash , Argus , There's the Rub , and New England...

). The opening riff to Wishbone Ash's signature song Blowin’ Free came about during a jam session

Jam session

Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...

 Groome had with Powell in 1971.

Influences

Groome's earlier work was influenced by pop groups of the British Invasion

British Invasion

The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...

 such as the Beatles, The Who

The Who

The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...

 and the Kinks. Other significant and enduring influences were harmony groups like The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...

 and The Four Seasons, and country rock

Country rock

Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...

 musicians such as Gene Clark

Gene Clark

Gene Clark, born Harold Eugene Clark was an American singer-songwriter, and one of the founding members of the folk-rock group The Byrds....

 and Sneaky Pete

Sneaky Pete Kleinow

Peter E. "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow was an American country-rock musician, songwriter, and a motion picture special effects artist...

, both of whom joined Groome on stage for a memorable appearance in Amsterdam in the 1970s.

He is known for playing many cover songs during his live performances, including "Needles And Pins" by The Searchers

The Searchers (band)

The Searchers are an English beat group, who emerged as part of the 1960s Merseybeat scene along with The Beatles, The Fourmost, The Merseybeats, The Swinging Blue Jeans, and Gerry & The Pacemakers....

, as well as introducing some light-hearted and humorous elements into his stage performances with The Barron Knights.

Ducks Deluxe and The Force

During the Pub rock

Pub rock (UK)

Pub rock was a rock music genre that developed in the mid 1970s in the United Kingdom. A back-to-basics movement, pub rock was a reaction against progressive and glam rock. Although short-lived, pub rock was notable for rejecting stadium venues and for returning live rock to the small pubs and...

 era, Groome joined Tim Roper

Tim Roper

Tim Roper was the former drummer of the English pub rock band Ducks Deluxe , as well as in "Reds, Whites and Blues" with Adrian "Ade" Shaw....

 (drums), Martin Belmont

Martin Belmont

Martin Belmont is a rock 'n' roll and country-blues guitarist.After working as a roadie for Brinsley Schwarz, in 1972 he formed Ducks Deluxe, issuing two albums on RCA...

 (guitar) and Sean Tyla

Sean Tyla

Sean Tyla is an English rock guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and songwriter, sometimes known as the “Godfather of Boogie”...

 (vocals, guitar) as bass player for Ducks Deluxe

Ducks Deluxe

Ducks Deluxe were an English pub rock band of the 1970s, who have recently reformed. Usually called "The Ducks" by their fans, they were known for up-tempo, energetic performances, and the successful careers of their members, after they disbanded.-History:...

. Groome sang lead vocal on their I Fought The Law

I Fought the Law

"I Fought the Law" is a song written by Sonny Curtis of The Crickets and became popularized by a cover by the Bobby Fuller Four, which went on to become a top-ten hit for the band in 1966 and was also recorded by The Clash in 1979...

 single, and appeared on two further studio releases on the French Skydog label. The group disbanded in 1975, but Groome subsequently reunited with Tyla to form The Force along with Deke Leonard

Deke Leonard

Roger "Deke" Leonard is a rock musician, "serving a life sentence in the music business." Best known as a member of the progressive rock band Man, which he joined and left several times, and for fronting his own rock and roll band Iceberg, which he formed and disbanded several times, he is also...

 (guitar) and Paul Simmons (drums), releasing their eponymous album in 1982.

Groome, Belmont and Tyla plus drummer Billy Rankin

Billy Rankin (drummer)

William Hector 'Billy' Rankin III was an English drummer and rock musician active in the 1960s and 1970sHe joined Kippington Lodge in 1968 and remained with them when they evolved into Brinsley Schwarz in 1969...

, reformed Ducks Deluxe to celebrate the 35th anniversary of their original formation in a performance on 9 October 2007 at the 100 Club

100 Club

The 100 Club is a music venue in London situated at 100 Oxford Street, W1, originally called The Feldman Swing Club.The 100 Club attained legendary status in modern British music, having played host to live music since 24 October 1942....

 in London, the same venue and band lineup of their earlier final performance on 1 July 1975, which had been recorded and released as the Last Night Of A Pub Rock Band album.

Other appearances

Groome has recorded numerous sessions on other artists’ albums, including Robert Plant

Robert Plant

Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...

 (Manic Nirvana

Manic Nirvana

Manic Nirvana is the fifth solo album by former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant, released in 1990. Although the lead single "Big Love" was only a modest success, its follow-up single "Hurting Kind" turned out to be a major hit, reaching #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for six consecutive...

), Joan Jett

Joan Jett

Joan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...

 (Bad Reputation

Bad Reputation (Joan Jett album)

Bad Reputation is the debut solo album by Joan Jett, originally self-released in 1980 as Joan Jett after her previous band The Runaways disbanded, then re-issued on Boardwalk Records in 1981 as Bad Reputation.-Background:...

), Psychic TV

The Angels of Light (UK band)

The Angels of Light, also known as Thee Angels of Light, first appeared on the Psychic TV single "Godstar", featuring Rose McDowall, Steve Broughton, Micky Groome, Dave McKintosh and Mark Fishlock...

 (Dreams Less Sweet and Godstar

Godstar (Psychic TV album)

Godstar is the name of a song and several releases by Psychic TV in 1985. The releases feature the band The Angels of Light. Two compilations, Godstar: Thee Director's Cut and Godstar: The Singles - Pt. 2, were later released...

), IQ

IQ (band)

IQ are a British neo-progressive rock band founded by Mike Holmes and Martin Orford in 1981 following the dissolution of their original band The Lens...

 (Nomzamo

Nomzamo (album)

Nomzamo is the fourth studio album by British progressive rock band IQ, released in 1987. The album was the first IQ album recorded without lead singer Peter Nicholls, who left the band in 1986 to return in 1990.-Track listing:# "No Love Lost" – 5:57...

) and Popguns (Snog).

He has toured the world extensively as a member of Adrian Baker

Adrian Baker

Adrian Baker is an English singer, songwriter, and record producer.-Career:Baker made his debut as a singer on Magnet Records/Epic Records in the United Kingdom. In 1975, he released his first solo album, Into a Dream...

's Gidea Park (occasionally with guests such as Mike Love

Mike Love

Michael Edward "Mike" Love is an American singer/songwriter and musician with The Beach Boys. He was a founding member of the band along with his cousins Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, and their friend Al Jardine, and continues to perform with the band to the present day...

), Nashville Teens, Mud

Mud (band)

Mud were an English glam rock band, formed in February 1968, best remembered for their single "Tiger Feet", which was the UK's best-selling single of 1974...

, The Beagles (together with saxophonist-singer-songwriter Stewart Blandamer, former member of Paul Young

Paul Young (singer and guitarist)

Paul Antony Young is an English pop musician. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & The Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, his following solo success as a solo recording artist turned him into a 1980s teenage pop idol...

's Q-Tips

Q-Tips (band)

Q-Tips were an English blue-eyed soul and rock band, first formed in 1979 from the remnants of the 1970s rock outfit Streetband. Saddled with the novelty song "Toast", a B-side made successful from incessant airplay by Capital Radio's’s Kenny Everett, and despite two albums, Streetband had failed...

 and writer of the country classic song Darlin,) and, since April 2003, The Barron Knights, having previously sequenced the drum programming on their single Golden Oldie Old Folks Home.

During 2004-6, Groome collaborated with “Teenage Opera” composer Mark Wirtz

Mark Wirtz

Mark P. Wirtz is an Alsatian born pop music record producer, composer, singer, musician, author, and stand-up comedian. As a producer, Wirtz's most famous output is from the mid to late 1960s, when he worked at Abbey Road Studios with Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick, under contract to EMI...

on the Love Is Eggshaped and Spyderbaby music projects.

Solo Albums

Yo! (2001) Leg Room
Soul Rider (2002) Leg Room
Light Of Day (2003) Leg Room

With Others

Wild Wally’s Rock & Roll Show
I Go Ape (1971) Concord

Ducks Deluxe
I Fought The Law/Cherry Pie (1975 Single) RCA 2531
Jumpin’ (1975 EP) Skydog EP-005 (France)
All Too Much (1975) Skydog (France)
Last Night Of A Pub Rock Band (1979) Dynamite

Sean Tyla
Just Popped Out (1980) Polydor
Redneck in Babylon (1981) Zilch (Germany) ZL 25355

Key West
Can’t Get Enough Of You/I’m A Vampire (1978 Single) Epic EPC 6566

Joan Jett
Bad Reputation (1981) Boardwalk

The Force
The Force (1982) Zilch (Germany) 2374 195

Psychic TV
Dreams Less Sweet (1983) Some Bizarre/CBS
Godstar (1985) Temple

IQ

Nomzamo (1987) Squawk/Mercury 832 141-2

Robert Plant
Manic Nirvana (1990) Es Paranza

The Popguns
Snog (1991) Midnight Music

Barron Knights
Golden Oldie Old Folks Home (1999 Single)

Mark Wirtz
Love Is Eggshaped (2005) Rev-Ola

Mark Wirtz presents Spyderbaby
Glassblower (2006) DreamTunes (Germany)

External links

• barronknights.com
• Micky Groome at MySpace
• [ Micky Groome at Allmusic]
• Micky Groome at Discogs