I am Mike Willis, longtime guitarist and musician. Blues and jazz spring to mind as my primary fields but unexplored progressive jazzrock fits as well.
My discography as well as domestic projects will appear elswhere on this endeavor so, for the moment, I will leave it thus as it lays.
Greetings One and All!
Mike Willis
Starting in third grade on violin, the advent of the Beatles eclipsing Surf Music quickly caused Mike Willis to turn to the guitar. A succession of garage bands, school dances and fraternity gigs as well as studying with Ted Greene culminated in Neil Merryweather’s Space Rangers with Tim McGovern and Jamie Herndon on Mercury Records in 1975. Opening for Kiss and T Rex and hitting number five on the Billboard FM airplay chart, the album “Kryptonite†exemplified the Space Rangers.Various studio projects backing artists on 20th Century, Chrysalis and other major labels ensued, and after a Neil Merryweather solo project sold to Dureco Records in Holland, Merryweather and Willis soon reunited there on RCA Records with the band EYES. The album “Radical Genes†with Kees Meerman from Herman Brood and the Wild Romance on drums and Nina Hagen saxophonist Ken Spence was an eclectic mix of styles and saw Willis’ vocal recording debut.After touring in Europe promoting “Radical Genes,†Willis remained in Amsterdam collaborating with and backing Dutch artists such as Herman Brood and Peter Sjardin with Sjardin’s Terrible Surprise. Jam sessions with visiting celebrities such as Eric Burdon and a growing rep as a guitarist at large notwithstanding, Willis eventually decided to return to Los Angeles to pursue other various artistic eccentricities.A Journalism degree later, the requisite great American novel brewing just beneath the surface, Willis has since kept his musical beak wet appearing on projects such as The Works’ “Vicious Circle†where his collaboration with drummer Ed Marrow began (checkout Willis's lead guitar on "Prisoner of Passion").With projects such as “Of the Heart,†Willis balances his writing pursuits and musical endeavors which includes performing in and around Los Angeles with his trio Contraband.
