Kevin MacMichael
Encyclopedia
Kevin Scott MacMichael was a Canadian
guitarist
, songwriter
and record producer
, best known for being a member of the 1980s English
based pop
-rock band
, Cutting Crew
, who had a number-one hit in 1987 with "(I Just) Died in Your Arms
". Cutting Crew was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist
in 1987
.
MacMichael was born in New Brunswick
and raised in Dartmouth
, Nova Scotia
. He played with the Nova Scotia band Chalice and in 1978, he joined the band, Spice. In the early 1980s he was part of the Halifax
band, Fast Forward, when he met Nick Van Eede
, who was touring Canada
as vocalist with the band The Drivers. MacMichael left for the United Kingdom and founded Cutting Crew along with Van Eede in 1985. After Cutting Crew's run of success ended and Virgin Records
let them go, he worked with Robert Plant
playing guitar and composing songs for his 1993 album
, Fate of Nations
.
His interlude with Plant was short-lived: MacMichael recalled when he auditioned for Plant, '"Play me something," he said. He's about my age so the first things that came to mind were songs by Buffalo Springfield and Moby Grape. His jaw just dropped and he picked me up off the sofa and said: "Never leave me."' The partnership lasted the single album and a world tour before Plant reunited with Jimmy Page, but the album's single "Calling to You", on which he played guitar, resulted in a Grammy nomination.
After nine years in the UK, MacMichael returned to Nova Scotia where he collaborated with number of Canadian East Coast musicians including Chris Colepaugh & The Cosmic Crew
, The Rankin Family
and Sons of Maxwell
. He died in Nova Scotia of lung cancer
in 2002.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, best known for being a member of the 1980s English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
based pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
-rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
, Cutting Crew
Cutting Crew
The Cutting Crew is a pop rock band formed in England in 1985, best known for their #1 hit, " Died in Your Arms".-Career:Vocalist Nick Van Eede founded the group along with Canadian guitarist Kevin MacMichael in 1985, and the two made demos that led to a recording contract, before bassist Colin...
, who had a number-one hit in 1987 with "(I Just) Died in Your Arms
(I Just) Died in Your Arms
" Died in Your Arms" is a power ballad written by Nick Van Eede and introduced by his band, Cutting Crew, in 1986. It was their biggest hit, peaking at #1 in the United States, Canada and Finland, and reaching the top five in the UK, South Africa, Sweden and Switzerland.-Background of the music and...
". Cutting Crew was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist
Grammy Award for Best New Artist
The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967...
in 1987
Grammy Awards of 1987
The 29th Grammy Awards were held in 1987. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.-Award winners:*Record of the Year**Russ Titelman , Steve Winwood for "Higher Love"*Album of the Year...
.
MacMichael was born in New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
and raised in Dartmouth
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Dartmouth founded in 1750, is a community and planning area of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. Located on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour, Dartmouth has been nicknamed the City of Lakes after the large number of lakes located in the city.On April 1, 1996, the provincial...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
. He played with the Nova Scotia band Chalice and in 1978, he joined the band, Spice. In the early 1980s he was part of the Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
band, Fast Forward, when he met Nick Van Eede
Nick Van Eede
Nick Van Eede is an English musician, producer and songwriter. He is best remembered for singing and writing the 1987 U.S...
, who was touring Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
as vocalist with the band The Drivers. MacMichael left for the United Kingdom and founded Cutting Crew along with Van Eede in 1985. After Cutting Crew's run of success ended and Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
let them go, he worked with Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
playing guitar and composing songs for his 1993 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Fate of Nations
Fate of Nations
Fate of Nations is Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant's sixth studio album. It was released in 1993 and re-released in a remastered edition on March 20, 2007. It features former Cutting Crew guitarist Kevin Scott MacMichael. The lead singer of Clannad, Máire Brennan is featured on the track "Come...
.
His interlude with Plant was short-lived: MacMichael recalled when he auditioned for Plant, '"Play me something," he said. He's about my age so the first things that came to mind were songs by Buffalo Springfield and Moby Grape. His jaw just dropped and he picked me up off the sofa and said: "Never leave me."' The partnership lasted the single album and a world tour before Plant reunited with Jimmy Page, but the album's single "Calling to You", on which he played guitar, resulted in a Grammy nomination.
After nine years in the UK, MacMichael returned to Nova Scotia where he collaborated with number of Canadian East Coast musicians including Chris Colepaugh & The Cosmic Crew
Chris Colepaugh
Chris Colepaugh and the Cosmic Crew is a rock band formed in 1996 from Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada.-History:Chris Colepaugh and the Cosmic Crew first started in 1996 with Chris Colepaugh on lead guitars and vocals, Lynn Daigle on bass and Craig Watson on drums. Craig Watson, Chris’s long-time...
, The Rankin Family
The Rankin Family
The Rankin Family is a Canadian musical family group from Mabou, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The group has won many Canadian music awards, including 15 East Coast Music Awards, six Juno Awards, four SOCAN Awards, three Canadian Country Music Awards and two Big Country Music Awards.- Career...
and Sons of Maxwell
Sons of Maxwell
Sons of Maxwell is a Canadian music duo who perform both traditional Celtic folk music and original compositions with a pop-folk sound. The duo consists of brothers Don and Dave Carroll, originally from Timmins, Ontario, now living in Halifax, Nova Scotia...
. He died in Nova Scotia of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in 2002.