Mike Lindup

English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, born 17 March 1959, in London. Son of David Lindup and Nadia Cattouse.

He studied piano, percussion and composition, and sang in senior and chamber choirs at Chethams School of Music, Manchester, then graduated to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. There his musical experience spread to include playing orchestral percussion in concerts at the Royal Festival and Albert Halls, drums and keyboards in jazz ensembles and participating in pop workshops. He has also studied Cuban Popular Music and Dance at the National School of the Arts in Havana (1998).

He co-founded Level 42 in 1980 with Phil Gould, and Mark King. After initial uncertainty concerning their roles within the band, he eventually settled on providing the keyboards and lead/backing vocals. They were hugely successful during the 1980s with their brand of jazz-funk/funk-rock pop music, but due to personal issues within the group had completely disintegrated by 1994. He returned to his solo work and collaborations with other artists and bands.

Between 1994-98, he performed with the Latin jazz band Negrocan, and from July 2000 he collaborated with the UK/Brazilian band Da Lata, in which he played keyboards and percussion, while providing backing vocals. In 2006, he was persuaded to rejoin Level 42 by Mark King (who had reformed the band in 2001), and has once again become an integral part of the writing and touring set-up in that group; though he still performs and releases his own projects.

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