Mike and Michelle Jackson
Encyclopedia
Mike and Michelle Jackson were an Australia
n multi-instrumental duo principally known as children's entertainers. Between 1979 and 1986, the pair featured in a national TV Show (Playmates on ABC Television
), created ten albums (three Gold and one Platinum), produced three songbooks and they teamed up with Western Australian author/storyteller Kel Watkins to create an instructional book, String Games for Beginners. They had two albums released through A&M Records
in Canada
and toured extensively throughout Australia, Canada, New Zealand
and the U.S. (Alaska
).
Festival and toured Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the U.S. almost non-stop for 7 years. Between tours they created three songbooks, co-wrote an instruction book for string figure
novices and recorded ten albums - two collections of Australian folk music
for adults and eight for children. The bulk of their thousands of performances together were Arts in Education performances designed to introduce children to a wide range of unusual instruments and encourage them to play music.
Mike and Michelle's children's albums were a huge success with their second, Playmates going Platinum and the rest of their first four kids' disks going 'Gold' in Australia. They had two North American releases, Bunyips, Bunnies and Brumbies and Playmates, which were released in Canada on Sharon, Lois and Bram's Elephant Records label, distributed by A&M Records. They were featured artists on the ABC TV programme Playmates and regular contributors to many other 1980s Australian children's shows.
In 1986 the pair went their separate ways. Mike Jackson has continued touring, writing and recording both in Australia and internationally.
, UK) emigrated to Australia in 1970. He taught himself harmonica
in high school and acquired a taste for comic songs from his grandfather and the radio. He branched out onto other instruments and acquired a reputation for being able to get a tune out of almost anything.
Michelle Jackson (born Noosa Heads, Queensland
, Australia) already played guitar
; fiddle
; and mandolin
when she met Mike and quickly added a number of other instruments to her list of skills.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n multi-instrumental duo principally known as children's entertainers. Between 1979 and 1986, the pair featured in a national TV Show (Playmates on ABC Television
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
), created ten albums (three Gold and one Platinum), produced three songbooks and they teamed up with Western Australian author/storyteller Kel Watkins to create an instructional book, String Games for Beginners. They had two albums released through A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
in 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...
and toured extensively throughout Australia, Canada, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and the U.S. (Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
).
History
Mike and Michelle, both singers and multi-instrumental musicians, met on stage at the 1979 Kapunda Celtic MusicCeltic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
Festival and toured Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the U.S. almost non-stop for 7 years. Between tours they created three songbooks, co-wrote an instruction book for string figure
String figure
A string figure is a design formed by manipulating string on, around, and using one's fingers or sometimes between the fingers of multiple people. String figures may also involve the use of the mouth, wrist, and feet. They may consist of singular images or be created and altered as a game, known as...
novices and recorded ten albums - two collections of Australian folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
for adults and eight for children. The bulk of their thousands of performances together were Arts in Education performances designed to introduce children to a wide range of unusual instruments and encourage them to play music.
Mike and Michelle's children's albums were a huge success with their second, Playmates going Platinum and the rest of their first four kids' disks going 'Gold' in Australia. They had two North American releases, Bunyips, Bunnies and Brumbies and Playmates, which were released in Canada on Sharon, Lois and Bram's Elephant Records label, distributed by A&M Records. They were featured artists on the ABC TV programme Playmates and regular contributors to many other 1980s Australian children's shows.
In 1986 the pair went their separate ways. Mike Jackson has continued touring, writing and recording both in Australia and internationally.
The Duo
Mike Jackson (born Boston, LincolnshireBoston, Lincolnshire
Boston is a town and small port in Lincolnshire, on the east coast of England. It is the largest town of the wider Borough of Boston local government district and had a total population of 55,750 at the 2001 census...
, UK) emigrated to Australia in 1970. He taught himself harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
in high school and acquired a taste for comic songs from his grandfather and the radio. He branched out onto other instruments and acquired a reputation for being able to get a tune out of almost anything.
Michelle Jackson (born Noosa Heads, Queensland
Noosa Heads, Queensland
Noosa Heads is one of the three major centres of the Noosa region on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. It is located north of Brisbane, the state's capital. The Noosa River forms one boundary of the town, the headlands of the Noosa National Park another...
, Australia) already played guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
; fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
; and mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
when she met Mike and quickly added a number of other instruments to her list of skills.