Mike Rutherford

Mike Rutherford
Rutherford playing with Genesis in 2022
Born
Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford

(1950-10-02) 2 October 1950 (age 74)
Chertsey, Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, England[1]
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
Years active1967–present
Spouse
Angie Rutherford
​
(m. 1976)​
Children3
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • bass
Labels
Member of
Formerly of

Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford (born 2 October 1950) is an English guitarist, bassist and songwriter, best known as co-founder, lead guitarist and bassist of the rock band Genesis. He and keyboardist Tony Banks are the group's two continuous members.[3]

Initially serving as Genesis's bass guitarist and backing vocalist, Rutherford also performed most of the band's rhythm guitar parts—frequently on twelve-string guitar—in collaboration with successive Genesis lead guitarists Anthony Phillips and Steve Hackett. Following Hackett's departure from Genesis in 1977, Rutherford assumed the additional role of lead guitarist on the band's studio albums (beginning with ...And Then There Were Three... in 1978). Rutherford was one of the main Genesis songwriters throughout their career and wrote the lyrics for some of the band's biggest international hits, such as "Follow You Follow Me", "Turn It On Again", "Land of Confusion" and "Throwing It All Away".[4] He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010.

In addition to his work with Genesis, Rutherford released two solo albums in the early 1980s. In 1985, he formed Mike + the Mechanics, which became a chart-topping act and significant live draw in its own right. The group earned Rutherford an Ivor Novello Award for the 1988 single "The Living Years",[5] as well as two Grammys.

  1. ^ Rutherford 2014, p. 2.
  2. ^ "ANON - Pennsylvania Flickhouse (Macphail / Phillips / Rutherford) [Fanclub CD Digipak]". Turn It On Again - A Genesis Forum. 22 August 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  3. ^ "Mike Rutherford Biography". Worldofgenesis.com. 2 October 1950. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  4. ^ Prasad, Anil (2007). "Genesis: Turning it on again". Innerviews. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  5. ^ "Michael Rutherford". mostlypink.net. Retrieved 4 July 2014.