Editing Mike Howlett

{{Short description|Bassist (born 1950)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2012}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- For individuals; see Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians -->
| name                = Mike Howlett
| image               = Gong - 4138983775 (Mike Howlett).jpg
| alt                 = 
| caption             = Howlett live with Gong at [[HMV Forum]] in 2009
| image_size          = 
| background          = non_vocal_instrumentalist
| birth_name          = Michael John Gilmour Howlett 
| alias               = Mister T. Being
| birth_date          = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1950|04|27}}
| birth_place         = [[Lautoka]], Fiji
| death_date          = <!-- {{Death date and age|df=yes|YYYY|MM|DD|1950|04|27}} (death date then birth) -->
| death_place         = 
| origin              = Sydney
| instrument          = {{hlist|Bass|vocals}}
| genre               = {{hlist|[[Progressive rock]]|[[new wave music|new wave]]}}
| occupation          = {{hlist|Producer|musician}}
| years_active        = 
| label               = 
| past_member_of      = {{hlist|[[The Affair (band)|The Affair]]|[[Gong (band)|Gong]]|[[Strontium 90 (band)|Strontium 90]]}}
| website             = {{URL|mikehowlett.co.uk}}
}}

'''Michael John Gilmour Howlett''' (born 27 April 1950) is a bass guitar player, record producer and teacher based in the United Kingdom and Australia.

==Career==
In the late 1960s, Howlett was the bassist in Sydney pop band [[The Affair (band)|the Affair]], which included vocalist [[Kerrie Biddell]]. The group travelled to England after winning a prize in the [[Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds]] band competition. Howlett settled in [[London]] and in 1973 joined renowned British [[progressive rock]] group [[Gong (band)|Gong]], which had been founded by an Australian [[expatriate]], [[Daevid Allen]]. He remained with Gong until 1977, recording several albums with them and co-writing much of their material later in this period with drummer [[Pierre Moerlen]].

After leaving Gong, Howlett formed the short-lived band [[Strontium 90 (band)|Strontium 90]], which consisted of himself, [[Sting (musician)|Sting]], [[Stewart Copeland]] and [[Andy Summers]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://planetgong.co.uk/maze/blurbs/howlett.shtml |title=Planet Gong: Tribal: Maze: Mike Howlett |access-date=7 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030306030914/http://www.planetgong.co.uk/maze/blurbs/howlett.shtml |archive-date=6 March 2003 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> In addition to being the band's lead bassist and chief songwriter, Howlett performed most of the lead vocals in live performances. The band recorded several demos and played at a Paris Gong reunion concert in May 1977, but disbanded when Summers left to join Copeland and Sting's other project, [[the Police]]. An archival collection of Strontium 90 material was released two decades later as ''[[Strontium 90: Police Academy]]''.

A few months after the breakup of Strontium 90, Howlett served as bassist for the one-off studio band The Radio Actors, which also included Gong bandmate [[Steve Hillage]] on lead guitar and Strontium 90 bandmate Sting (who came to the group by way of Howlett's recommendation) on lead vocals.<ref>Williamson, Harry (1994). "Earthdate Summer 1977". In ''Nuclear Waste'' (pp.7) [CD booklet]. Durham: Voiceprint.</ref> The band's single, "Nuclear Waste" b/w "Digital Love", was reissued on CD in 1995 with liner notes and three bonus tracks, though none of the bonus tracks involved Howlett.

In the 1980s, Howlett became an in-demand producer, with a string of notable credits. He produced many hit singles and albums for leading [[new wave music]] acts including [[A Flock of Seagulls]], [[the Alarm]], [[China Crisis]], [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark]], [[Stephen Duffy]], [[Gang of Four (band)|Gang of Four]] and [[Comsat Angels]]. He also produced the album ''[[Secret Secrets]]'' for [[Joan Armatrading]] in 1985.

Gong performs occasional reunion gigs around the world, and Howlett usually joins them. In 1993, he launched a record label, Mauve, which released albums by singer-songwriters Rafa Russo, Debbie Cassell and Jay Fisher. From 2005 to 2009, Howlett was chairman of [[the Music Producers Guild]] (MPG).<ref name=mpg>{{cite web |url=http://www.mpg.org.uk/members/48 |title=Music Producers Guild – Members Directory – Mike Howlett |access-date=7 February 2010}}</ref>

Howlett was awarded a PhD on the subject of record production in 2009 and has lectured in music technology at several universities, including the [[University of Glamorgan]] (now the [[University of South Wales]]) in [[Pontypridd]], Wales and [[Thames Valley University]] ([[Ealing]], London).<ref name=mpg/> In 2009, he became Head of Music at [[Queensland University of Technology]] in [[Brisbane]], Australia<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.calyx-canterbury.fr/mus/howlett_mike.html |title=Calyx – The Canterbury Website: Mike Howlett biography |access-date=7 February 2010}}</ref> and is an adjunct professor for QUT.{{citation needed|date=September 2014}}

==Personal life==
Howlett is married with three children<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.onetel.com/~howletts/photos.html |title=Mike Howlett - Family Photos |website=Web.onetel.com |access-date=2016-07-27}}</ref> and two grandchildren. He lives in West London.

==Production credits==

{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
;[[Fischer-Z]]
* ''[[Word Salad (album)|Word Salad]]'' (1979); ''[[Going Deaf for a Living]]'' (1980)
;[[Punishment of Luxury]]
* ''[[Laughing Academy]]'' (1979)
;[[Martha and the Muffins]]
* "Insect Love" (1979); ''[[Metro Music]]'' (1979); "[[Echo Beach]]" (1980); ''[[Trance and Dance]]'' (1980)
;[[The Revillos]]
* ''Rev Up'' (Snatzo/[[Dindisc]], 1980)
;[[The Teardrop Explodes]]
* "When I Dream" (1980)
;[[Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark]]
* "[[Messages (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song)|Messages]]" (1980); "[[Enola Gay (song)|Enola Gay]]" (1980); "[[Souvenir (song)|Souvenir]]" (1981)
;[[Sniff 'n' the Tears]]
* ''Love/Action'' (1981); ''Ride Blue Divide'' (1982)
;[[Thompson Twins]]
* "Perfect Game" and "Politics" from ''[[A Product Of... (Participation)]]'' (1981)
;[[Any Trouble]]
* ''Wheels in Motion'' ([[Stiff records|Stiff]], 1981)
;[[Tears for Fears]]
* "[[Pale Shelter]]" (1982)
;[[Gang of Four (band)|Gang of Four]]
* ''[[Songs of the Free]]'' (1982)
{{col-break}}
;[[Blancmange (band)|Blancmange]]
* ''[[Happy Families (album)|Happy Families]]'' (1982); "[[Living on the Ceiling]]" (1982)
;[[A Flock of Seagulls]]
* ''[[A Flock of Seagulls (album)|A Flock of Seagulls]]'' (1982); ''[[Listen (A Flock of Seagulls album)|Listen]]'' (1983)
;[[Hunters & Collectors]]
* ''Hunters & Collectors'' (1982); ''Payload'' (EP, 1982)
;[[The Comsat Angels]]
* ''[[Land (Comsat Angels album)|Land]]'' (1983); ''[[7 Day Weekend (album)|7 Day Weekend]]'' (1985, not all songs)
;[[China Crisis]]
* ''[[Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two]]'' (1983)
;[[John Foxx]]
* "Twilight's Last Gleaming" from ''[[The Golden Section]]'' (1983)
;[[Berlin (band)|Berlin]]
* ''[[Love Life (Berlin album)|Love Life]]'' (1984, not all songs)
;[[Joan Armatrading]]
* ''[[Secret Secrets]]'' (1985)
;[[The Alarm]]
* ''[[Strength (The Alarm album)|Strength]]'' (1985)
;[[The Ward Brothers]]
* ''[[Madness of It All]]'' (1986, not all songs)
;TV21
* ''All Join Hands'' (1982)
{{col-end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.mikehowlett.co.uk/ Official website]
*[http://www.calyx-canterbury.fr/interviews/mhowlett.html 1997 interview on Calyx: the Canterbury website]
*[http://www.calyx-canterbury.fr/mus/howlett_mike.html Biography on Calyx: the Canterbury website]
*{{Discogs artist}}

{{Gong}}
{{Steve Hillage}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howlett, Mike}}
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Academics of the University of West London]]
[[Category:Fijian people of British descent]]
[[Category:Academic staff of Queensland University of Technology]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Glamorgan]]
[[Category:Fijian record producers]]
[[Category:British music educators]]
[[Category:British record producers]]
[[Category:The Police]]
[[Category:People from Lautoka]]
[[Category:Fijian emigrants to Australia]]
[[Category:Fijian musicians]]
[[Category:Gong (band) members]]
[[Category:Strontium 90 (band) members]]
[[Category:The Affair (band) members]]
[[Category:Male bass guitarists]]
[[Category:Progressive rock bass guitarists]]