Mike Gibbins - In The Meantime - 2003
Michael George Gibbins (12 March 1949 – 4 October 2005) was born in Swansea, Wales. He began playing drum when he was fourteen. He played in local Swansea bands The Planet, The Club Four, and The Misfits before joining The Iveys in 1965 at the age of 16. A year later, The Iveys had moved to London and were touring the U.K. with David Garrick. Garrick had just had a hit with his cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Lady Jane” and needed a touring band and The Iveys got the gig. Another year later and The Iveys were the first artist signed to The Beatles Apple Records. By the end of the decade, The Iveys had become Badfinger.
Mike would quit Badfinger twice due to personalty conflicts with Tommy Evans. Badfinger had to replace Mike with Rob Stawinsky from the band Sky for one U.S. tour. Mike returned to Wales and recorded some solo demos in 1972 before being coaxed back to Badfinger.
After Pete Ham’s suicide in 1974, Mike returned to Wales and the Swansea music scene. In 1976, he joined Martin Ace’s band The Flying Aces and toured the U.K. In 1977, Mike would play drums for Bonnie Tyler’s hit song and album “It’s a Heartache”. Tyler and her band, including Mike, would tour the U.K. and Europe. Other sessions would follow for acts such as Digby Richards and David Tipton until Joey Molland and Tommy Evans called and asked him if he wanted to fly out to California and take over the drum responsibilities for the reformed Badfinger. As soon as Mike arrived he was thrown into the studio. The band was already behind in studio time due to delays with the previous drummer. Mike immediately butted heads with producer David Malloy and after a couple of days he was dismissed.
In the early 1980s, Mike would relocate to Michigan. He took part in a couple of Badfinger tours with Tommy Evans, including a disastrous episode where the band was stranded in Milwaukee for two months. In 1984, he did a Badfinger tour with Joey Molland. In 1986, Mike and Joey put together a new Badfinger band. Mike would tour off and on with this Badfinger band until 1990 when he would retire from touring.
In the mid 1980s, Mike would move to Florida; longing for warmth and sunshine. Mike was fairly inactive musically in the early ’90s. By the mid ’90s, Mike had a home studio built and had became acquainted with Rick Warsing, a guitarist who used to be a member of the touring version of The Archies. Mike and Rick would record Mike’s fist solo album, A Place In Time, which was released on Forbidden Records in 1997. Mike would follow up that album with several independently released discs; More Annoying Songs in 2000, Archeology in 2002, and In The Meantime in 2003.
On October 4 2005, Mike passed away in his sleep from a brain aneurysm. He was survived by wife Ellie and their sons Adam and David and son Owen from his first wife Gaynor.
01. In The Meantime
02. Band of Hope
03. Guillotine
04. Lean On Me
05. Tonite
06. Toadstool (Drum Solo)
07. Grace Under Fire
08. Heaven Knows
09. Come And Get It
10. Beat You On The Draw
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