Mike Berry born 24 September1942

Michael Hubert Bourne (24 September 1942 – 11 April 2025), known professionally as Mike Berry, was an English singer and actor, who gained his initial fame as part of the stable of artists produced by the legendary Joe Meek. His best-known song, "Tribute to Buddy Holly," is one of the most fondly remembered singles of the pre-Beatles era in England, as well as a touching memorial to its subject, with a bravura performance by Berry. 

Berry was born in Northampton. His parents had grown up in Rhodesia but met in England and his mother was an amateur actress and singer. Six months after his birth his mother moved with him to North Wales for two years. The family then moved to Stoke Newington where he attended William Patten Primary School and passed his eleven plus exam, winning a scholarship to Hackney Downs Grocers' School. He left the school aged 16 without qualifications to become an apprentice compositor. 

Mike & the Outlaws

Berry was a fan of skiffle and rock and roll music as a teenager and he formed his own skiffle group called the Rebels and then introduced electric guitars as Kenny Lord and the Statesmen. Joe Meek became their recording manager and producer, and he signed up a group called the Stormers as his new back-up band, naming the new group Mike Berry and the Outlaws. 

Berry had three hits in the 1960s on the UK Singles Chart; his most successful being "Don't You Think It's Time", reaching No. 6 in January 1963. His "Tribute to Buddy Holly" is also noted for having been banned by the BBC for being "morbid." The hit singles were all produced by Joe Meek. 

                                   

Mike toured with the Beatles and The Rolling Stones and then became the lead singer with the Innocents from 1963 - 1966, but  was consigned to ever smaller gigs and recordings and turned to acting although he never entirely gave up music, later finding a niche as a nostalgia and oldies performer but still doing basic rock and roll.

Mike & The Innocents

In 1972, his album Drift Away was released on York FYK 409. It contained "Drift Away", the first version of the song to be released, as well as "Take Me Home Country Roads". In the mid-1970s, Berry returned to the charts in the Netherlands and Belgium, as pirate radio station Radio Mi Amigo and Radio Veronica played his new record material, released on Dutch record label Pink Elephant Records. "Don't Be Cruel" made No. 14 on the Dutch Nationale Hitparade in May 1975. His next record, a remake of his 1960 debut song "Tribute to Buddy Holly", hit No. 2 in October of that same year. In 1977, "I'm a Rocker", released on Flemish record label Scramble Records (owned by Radio Mi Amigo DJ Norbert), failed to chart. 

As an actor during the 70's he appeared in many television commercials. In 1979, he was cast as the father (Mr. Peters) of the two children in the TV version of the Worzel Gummidge books, along with Jon Pertwee and Una Stubbs. In 1981, his character, Bert Spooner, replaced Trevor Bannister's character (Mr. Lucas) in the British sitcom Are You Being Served? as the show's resident heartthrob. Thereafter, Berry stayed until the end of the show's run in 1985. After the death of Nicholas Smith in December 2015, and until his own death in 2025, he was the lone surviving actor from the show who played a starring character. 

In 1980, he had a chart success in the UK, with "The Sunshine of Your Smile", a cover of a romantic song which was produced by Chas Hodges; this had originally been written before the First World War and recorded by Jessie Broughton in about 1915. In 1985, his song "Everyone's a Wally" was included as the B-side to the video game by Mikro-Gen of the same name.

His most recent CD was About Time Too!, recorded in Nashville, Tennessee with the Crickets and released on the UK label Rollercoaster Records, Berry's label of choice since their reissue of Joe Meek productions and new material from the 1990s. In 1988, Berry co-wrote "This Is the Kiss" with Mel Simpson which was chosen to be among the final eight songs in A Song for Europe (the UK selection vehicle for the Eurovision Song Contest) performed by Two-Che. The song placed second with 73,785 televotes. 

In 2016, Berry auditioned for the fifth series of The Voice but was not successful. The following year, in 2017, he went on a UK tour with The Solid Gold Rock'n'Roll Show, which featured Eden Kane, Mark Wynter, Marty Wilde and the Wildcats. In 2019, he toured again with The Solid Gold Rock'n'Roll Show, alongside Marty Wilde, Charlie Gracie, Nancy Ann Lee (Little Miss Sixties) and the Wildcats. His last show was with The Outlaws on February 23, 2025 at The Half Moon in Putney was a sell out, and was testimony to his superb talent. 

Mike Berry died from heart failure at his home on 11 April 2025, at the age of 82. 

(Edited from Wikipedia, AllMusic & ents24.com)