'I grew up with music being a huge thing at home'

Often people associate glitz and glamour, exuberance and luxury with the life of singers. Rubbing shoulders at all the right parties while sipping champagne. But, with country music everything is just a little bit more down to Earth, local and low key – that’s its whole appeal after all.

And so for Mike Denver, the place he mainly meets other country singers in Ireland is at 24-hour service stations, in the middle of the night on the way home from gigs, coffee being the order as opposed to bubbles.

“Trust me, 24-hour petrol stations are a big meeting point for everybody. You meet other singers at the award shows, TV appearances and stuff like that, but otherwise it’s 24-hour petrol stations,” Mike laughs.

Over the last number of years many talk about a revival in the country scene around Ireland, but Mike is of the opinion that really it has held strong right throughout since the showband era in the 1950s. At present, from dances to concerts and festivals, country music in Ireland is thriving.

But, it is not a simple place to make a living. Country singers work notoriously hard. In the month of August for example, one of the busiest times for Mike and his band, they could work up to six nights a week. After each show Mike likes to come home and that means putting the key in the door somewhere between three and six in the morning.

“With touring we’re not so bad here in Ireland, we’re lucky, it’s very small. We haven’t far to go as they say. Some gigs work out well for some of the guys working with us and some work out bad,” explains the country singer.

“Some of our guys live in Donegal, so when we’re down in Kerry it’s a long spin for them. I’m very lucky where I am here in Portumna, it’s very central here now for everything. Two to three hours brings me a lot of places. I try and get home every night if I can. I love getting home, I don’t like staying away.”

Galway guy

For Mike, home is in Portumna with his wife Liz and their dog Snoopy. The little white Bichon Frise at the age of nearly 14 still looks like a puppy and most definitely rules the roost.

It’s easy to see, even spending a short period of time with Mike, how he fits so well into the country music world, he’s a very laidback person.

Growing up, most of Mike’s friends were listening to AC/DC and Guns N’Roses. He too liked these bands, but country was always his great love musically, an interest inherited from his parents.

“I grew up with music being a huge thing at home. Mam was always involved in it so that was a huge part of our lives. The first instrument I learned was the accordion. I started on that and maybe a little bit on the piano.

“I played a bit on the guitar as well, badly, I’m still very bad at it,” Mike smiles. “I don’t play it on stage. I’d only pick the guitar up now to maybe learn a song or something.”

Moving towards music

Mike’s initial career trajectory had nothing to do with music, but in fact plumbing.

“I left school early to work as a plumber. I would have always loved to be involved in music, but never got the opportunity earlier,” Mike reflects. “I was always involved in buildings, my dad was involved in construction.

“I would have been off working with him and helping him out doing a bit. I have no doubt if I wasn’t in the music I would definitely be involved in some way in building. Whether it’s plumbing or some other end of it.”

Irish Country Living contends that he must be very handy around the house so. To which Mike chuckles and informs us that, no, he’s forgotten it all.

Mike’s mother gigged locally and that’s how he first started performing. Gathering some confidence from singing with her in lounges, he went on to form a wedding band in 2001 called The Badass Boogie Band. It was through this he met his now manager Willie Carty.

“Willie came across a song by George Strait, it was called What a Merry Christmas This Could Be. We let that off for the Christmas for the couple of weeks and it was a very fast moving thing really. The single was launched in the middle of December and the band was on the road the first week in January.

“There wasn’t much hanging around so there wasn’t. We put the band together and as they say I suppose, we haven’t looked back 14 or 15 albums later.”

Early days

With his deep, distinctive, dulcet tones, Mike can still recall the minute details of his first shows. The maiden voyage being in Longford.

“Our very first gig was in the Park House Hotel in Edgeworthstown. I think it was 11 January 2003, whatever that Saturday was anyway. The next night was in the Hazel Hotel in Monasterevin. They’re just two gigs that stand out in the back of my mind.

“The very first song we did was Country Roads. I think the second song was Stand Beside Me, if I’m not mistaken.”

Since these initial steps Mike has reached greats highs, including touring and recording with some of the biggest international country music acts. But still, in true country fashion, his feet are firmly on the ground at home in Portumna, or whatever petrol station he happens to be stopping off in!

For a full list of Mike’s tour dates see www.themikedenverband.com

On Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 September at 4pm the final of Ploughing for Stars, Irish Country Living’s singing talent search, will take place at the Ploughing Championships in the Farmers Journal stand. Finalists will battle it out to be crowned Ploughing for Stars champion each day, the prize being getting to sing with Mike Denver at one of his gigs. Everyone is invited to come along and watch!

Read more

The search is on! Are you an undiscovered singing sensation?

New kid on the block

Dancing queen