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Biography:
The most enigmatic member of the original Charlatans (the San Francisco '60s band of that name, not the more famous later British one), pianist Mike Ferguson looks a good decade or so older than his bandmates in mid-'60s photos. It was he who was most responsible for the barrelhouse blues/saloon feel of much of their material as heard on the sole single they released while he was in the group, &"The Shadow Knows"/&"32-20." Fortunately, many more recordings on which he plays survive, some of which were issued on the 1996 compilation The Amazing Charlatans.

George Hunter of the Charlatans recalled that he met Ferguson on an unemployment line and knew him from Ferguson's Magic Theater for Madmen Only boutique. He wasn't wholly reliable for turning up to gigs and rehearsals and was replaced by Pat Gogerty around late 1967. Ferguson then played piano, wrote some material, and occasionally sang on Tongue && Groove's self-titled late-'60s album, which sounded rather like a less-freaky Charlatans with a woman lead singer (Lynne Hughes, who indeed had sometimes performed with the Charlatans). Ferguson died about a decade later. Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

Member Of:
The Charlatans
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