Mike Harding was born in Crumpsall, Manchester in 1944, into a working-class Irish-Catholic family.
His father was killed returning from a bombing mission just 4 weeks before Mike was born. This had a profound effect on his childhood and later life, and provided the inspiration for his haunting song, 'Bombers' Moon'. Much of the inspiration for his writing comes from his early years growing up in post-war Manchester.
His ability to commit those memories vividly to paper was encouraged by his English teacher at St. Bede's School, Father 'Foxy' Reynolds, now sadly dead, but whose teaching Mike will never forget.
Throughout the early years
Mike developed a love for music, playing in Skiffle and Rock bands in
the 60's. He has fond memories of sharing the bill with The Beatles, Gerry
and the Pacemakers, The Hollies, Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders and
the late Eric Spanner and the Rhythmaires.
Among his early musical influences, Mike lists Lonnie Donegan, Jesse Fuller and Lancashire folk-singer, the late Harry Boardman. Mike served his apprenticeship in the pubs and clubs of Great Britain and still joins in sessions in Manchester's Irish pubs if he gets half a chance!
After a chequered early career as dustman, bus conductor, road digger and carpet-fitter, Mike took a degree in Education, paying his way by working at night in Folk Clubs. Finally, the lure of the bright lights proved too much and he became a full-time entertainer instead of a teacher. His success as a live entertainer began in 1967 when, during a gig at Leeds University with The Edison Bell Spasm Band, he began to tell jokes to fill in the awkward pauses while the band tuned up. The patter became part of the act and when the jokes dried up he delved into his store of real-life stories for which he has become famous.
In 1975 the record 'The Rochdale Cowboy' flung him from folk music into the mainstream of live entertainment. Since then he has earned acclaim in all fields of his work including national concert tours, television and radio appearances, travel writing, comedy writing, poetry, playwriting, short story writing and photography.
A long-standing love of the countryside lead to his realising a life-long dream, when, in 1971, he bought a cottage in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. With this as his base, Mike walked and cycled and photographed and lived among the Dales farmers. He became President of The Ramblers for a 3 year term and is now a lifetime Vice-President. He is in constant demand to speak on environmental and ecological issues and has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
Other accomplishments include an outstanding performance in his first ever acting role as Vladimir, in Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton and a record-breaking role as Bottom in A midsummer Night's Dream at Dent Village Hall 1995.
He still has ambitions to be a film star and would like to appear in Coronation Street as the natural son of Albert Tatlock the outcome of a night of passion between the whiskered lollipop man and a lady air raid warden during the Salford Blitz.