A popular singer, real name Michael Bourne who was born in Northampton on 24 September 1942. Independent record producer Joe Meek gave him his stage name and produced his hit ‘Don’t You Think It’s Time’.

Mike, who had established himself initially in Britain with his ‘Tribute To Buddy Holly’ single, was to appear regularly at the Cavern, initially with Mike Berry and the Outlaws for a week from Monday 21 to Friday 25 May 1962, during which he plugged his new record. Among the members of the Outlaws were two musicians who were later to find fame in their own right, Ritchie Blackmore and Chas Hodges (of Chas & Dave).

Brian Epstein and the Beatles saw him perform during that week and Epstein, who had watched Berry on the TV programme ‘Thank Your Lucky Stars’ the previous week promoting his latest release ‘Don’t You Think It’s Time’, was introduced to him by compere Bob Wooler.

Epstein invited the 19-year-old singer back to his flat in Faulkner Street, where he played him a demo tape of the Beatles. Hodges accompanied Mike. Brian told Berry that if he could arrange a television appearance for the group, he’d see to it that Berry was given a lot of work in the Merseyside area. He also invited Mike to NEMS’ store and arranged for Paul McCartney to give him a lift home from the Cavern one night.

Berry recalled that Brian was getting quite large fees locally for the Beatles and was to tell writer Ray Coleman, “The Beatles were getting £30 a night, which was as much as we were getting as a London recording band. The Beatles’ sound was very messy and noisy on Brian’s little TK20 Grundig tape recorder. Even at our standard, we were used to hearing decent recordings.”

Mike also observed that Brian didn’t really have a musical ear and says, “He went by the reaction of the kids. The Cavern audience was amazing: everywhere else the kids clapped on the on-beat; the Cavern kids clapped on the off-beat. There really was rhythm right through that city”.

Three months later Mike was back again, leading Mike Berry and the Phantoms. They appeared on the same bill as the Beatles on Sunday 26 August. He returned to the Cavern the following year with Mike Berry & the Marauders.

He was booked to appear with the Beatles on their short tour of Scotland, which opened at the Concert Hall, Glasgow, on 6 October 1963 and he also joined the Beatles on their very first tour abroad, a five-date mini-tour of Sweden, commencing on 25 October 1963.

A few years later Mike didn’t have a manager and asked his brother, actor Peter Bourne (who was one of Epstein’s boyfriends), if he’d mention to Epstein that he was looking for a manager. Brian said he couldn’t do anything for Mike at the time and Mike thought he’d be on the scrap heap at the age of 22.

Berry’s last hit of the 1960s was ‘My Little Baby’ in April 1963 and he vanished from the pop scene for more than a decade, to reappear much later as a television actor. Some of his notable parts included that of Mr Spooner in the series ’Are You Being Served?’ and as Mr. Peters in the ‘Wurzel Gummidge’ series.

Interestingly enough, his biggest hit was the ‘Sunshine Of Your Smile’ in 1980, produced by Chas Hodges, which topped the British charts. He had the self-penned number ‘I’m As Old As Paul McCartney’ on the flip. He was to have two further hits, ‘If I Could Only Make You Care’ and ‘Memories’. With the growth of the retro rock scene in Britain in the late 1980s he reformed the Outlaws and began appearing live on stage once more.

Many people referred to Mike as ‘the British Buddy Holly’ and in 2005 he went to Nashville to record an album with the Crickets.

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