Mike Rutherford is an English musician who has a net worth of $120 million. Mike Rutherford is well-known for being one of only two constant members of the band Genesis, which he has played since the band’s inception. He has been providing the band with bass guitar and vocal support. Additionally, he established the group Mike + The Mechanics.
The typical person on the street today will probably only know Genesis for their “soft rock” tunes from the ’80s and ’90s if you ask them about the band at all. Genesis originally hailed from the tail end of the British Invasion and arrived in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s on the back of a wave of progressive rock songs.
Mike Rutherford was a founding member and bassist/rhythm/lead/backup singer for the band. Mr. Rutherford stayed with the band even though the other members came and went several times throughout the years.
He would make a solo album whenever the band went on hiatus. As a result, he has been able to sustain a prosperous musical career for the better part of half a century.
In 1985, he also started the band Mike + The Mechanics in addition to his work with Genesis. Rutherford and B.A. Robertson’s song The Living Years from 1988 helped the band achieve fame, and it was for this song that Rutherford received an Ivor Novello Award. After a string of successful albums, the band called it quits in 2004. Mr. Rutherford has just resumed performing and touring.
Genesis embarked on a worldwide tour in the mid-1980s to promote the album Invisible Touch. This tour was massive, taking in a total of 111 performances across 59 cities and 16 countries, and attracting an estimated audience of 3,000,000. Around the time Genesis was wrapping off its massive tour, they were voted Band of the Year in Rolling Stone magazine’s annual reader poll.
At age 8, Rutherford got his first guitar, and by age 9, he was performing with his first band, The Chesters. He first started writing songs with fellow guitarist Anthony Phillips, with whom he created the band Anon when he was 13, and then formed Genesis when he was 15.
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Mike Rutherford’s Early Life and Education.
Mike Rutherford’s parents, Anne and William, were both former captains in the Royal Navy, and they had Mike on October 2, 1950, in Chertsey, England. Nicolette is his older sister’s name. Young Rutherford’s introduction to the guitar at age eight sparked an early interest in music.
After that, he joined his first band, the Chesters. Rutherford attended the preparatory school the Leas, followed by the elite boys’ school Charterhouse. At the latter school, he became a member of the student band Anon, which performed covers of songs by the likes of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and R&B performers of the day. After much discontent at Charterhouse, Rutherford was expelled.
Mike Rutherford’s Genesis.
Rutherford and his fellow Charterhouse classmates Tony Banks, Anthony Phillips, Peter Gabriel, and Chris Stewart established the rock band Genesis in 1967. They tracked out older Charterhouse grad and record producer Jonathan King, who eventually got them a deal with Decca Records.
The band then issued its first studio album, titled “From Genesis to Revelation,” in 1969. In addition to causing the band’s brief breakup, the record was a commercial failure and ultimately led to their departure from King.
After some time apart, Genesis reunited for a tour in support of their second album, 1970’s “Trespass,” which was released after the band signed with Charisma Records. Thereafter, Phillips left Genesis, to be replaced by Phil Collins, and the band welcomed new members Steve Hackett on guitar and bass. Genesis, by 1971, was shifting their focus more toward progressive rock with the publication of “Nursery Cryme.” The next year, with the album Foxtrot, the band earned their first top-10 album in the UK.
Selling England by the Pound,” released in 1973, did even better, reaching the top three of the UK Albums Chart. Albums like “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway,” “A Trick of the Tail,” “Wind & Wuthering,” “…And Then There Were Three,” “Abacab,” and “Invisible Touch” helped keep Genesis popular throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Later on, the band got back together for tours after releasing their last studio album, “…Calling All Stations…” in 1997.
Rutherford, Genesis’s rhythm guitarist, played electric and acoustic 12-string guitars in a distinctive manner typified by simple chords and melodic progressions built on a single note. When he was promoted to lead guitarist in the late ’70s, he began to emphasize sustained notes, creating resonant soundscapes.
Mike Rutherford’s Mike + the Mechanics.
Displeased with his solo work and believed he achieved best while collaborating with others, Rutherford launched the side project Mike + the Mechanics in 1985. Originally, the rock quartet included Rutherford, pianist Adrian Lee, drummer Peter Van Hooke, and vocalists Paul Young and Paul Carrack.
Successful hits like “Silent Running” and “All I Need is a Miracle” from Mike + the Mechanics’ self-titled debut album propelled the band to prominence.
The group’s second album, 1988’s “Living Years,” was even more popular, with its title tune topping the Billboard Hot 100. Word of Mouth, Beggar on a Beach of Gold, Rewired, Let Me Fly, and Out of the Blue were some of Mike + the Mechanics’ subsequent studio efforts.
Mike Rutherford’s Other Music Appearances.
For the soundtrack to “Against All Odds” (1984), Rutherford collaborated with a number of performers, including his Genesis comrades Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel. The song “Making a Big Mistake” was written and performed by Rutherford.
Rutherford was among the many famous guitarists that performed at the 2004 Strat Pack Concert to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster electric guitar. He later joined Ed Sheeran and Nick Mason to perform during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London’s closing ceremony.
Mike Rutherford’s Personal Life.
Rutherford wed his beloved Angie in 1976. They’re the parents of Kate, Tom, and Harry. The pair spends time in both Loxwood, England, and Cape Town, South Africa.
In 2014, Rutherford published his autobiography, titled “The Living Years: The First Genesis Memoir.” Thomas Dunne Books collaborated in the writing of this.
Mike Rutherford’s Catalog Sale.
Mike, along with fellow Genesis members Phil Collins and Tony Banks, sold the rights to their music collection to Concord Music Group Inc. in September 2022 for $300 million.
Mike Rutherford’s Real Estate.
New York City loft condo that cost Mike Rutherford $5.03 million in 2008. In the end, he did a complete overhaul of the house. Among the many high-end amenities found in this residence are a gourmet Miele kitchen, floor-to-ceiling windows, an open floor plan, a library, and spa-like baths. Mike put the home on the market in 2013 for a little under $8 million. He got his asking price in June 2013.
