Long Tall Mick Bio

Growing up in Montreal, Canada, Mick was exposed to Country music from the get go. One of his earliest memories is of hearing ‘Ring of Fire’ on the radio in his parents kitchen. Later TV shows like the Ronnie Prophet Show on the CBC and American shows like the Johnny Cash Show were a source of entertainment in the Lynes household. Of course like a lot of teenagers Mick saw Country as corny and so on but as time went on he found himself drawn to it’s authenticity and emotional power and by his mid 20’s was a confirmed fan attending gigs by local friends in bands like Ray Condo and his Hard Rock Goners and even doing a few gigs . One notably one was with Eric Sandmark (of the Goners) at a very traditional club where the boys were told they couldn’t bring in one of the guitars because it was ‘electric!’
While still a confirmed rock’n roller Mick has been exploring these Country roots in the context of his solo venture under the moniker Long Tall Mick when not playing in his rock outfit called Rapid Fire Radio. The acoustic material is completely different from the band stuff so this is not an unplugged thing at all. It stands on it’s own right musically and artistically. Mick writes the music and lyrics to all his material as well as including select covers, that he loves, to give signposts where he’s coming from. Long Tall Mick has been hitting the open mic scene in London for the past year playing everywhere from the New Cross Inn in South London to the Spice of Life and the 12 Bar in the West End , the Boogaloo in Hampstead, and everything in between. He’s just returned from a tour of the open mic scene in L.A. where he was met with great enthusiasm to his material and the offer of gigs on his return as well as full gigs played in his hometown of Montreal notably the Barfly and the Petit Campus in the city’s bohemian center the Plateau which garnered him rave reviews. Returning to London recently he is intent on continuing this work because ‘it gives me so much pleasure.’

‘Long Tall Mick’s’ solo sets in Montreal were full of sly, engaging songs and wonderful guitar work that filled the room and pulled us all in. A real treat." – Will Straw (co-editor of the Cambridge Companion to Rock and Pop)