Mick Talbot

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Mick Talbot was born in 1958 in Wimbledon, London, and is an English keyboard player, songwriter, composer and producer. He became known as a co-founder of The Style Council, the soul and jazz collective he formed with Paul Weller, the former singer of The Jam. They began working together in 1982, and the first records came out in early 1983. Earlier, Talbot had played with the Merton Parkas, a group from the mod revival of the late 1970s, and with The Bureau, in whose video for Only for Sheep he appears.

Music and breakthrough

After the end of The Style Council in March 1990 he continued to play with Weller on his solo albums. With his former bandmate Steve White he made albums as Talbot/White. In 1995 and 1996 Talbot and White released the instrumental albums United States of Mind and Off the Beaten Track, with the bassist Yolanda Charles and guests, including Weller. He also played with White and the bassist Damon Minchella, formerly of Ocean Colour Scene, in the jazz-funk band The Players. He was also a member of Dexys Midnight Runners in 1980 and of Dexys from 2003 to 2013, played keyboards with Galliano and on the album Road to Freedom by Young Disciples from 1991, and toured with Candi Staton in 2009. In 2014 he worked with Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey on Going Back Home.

Influence

His Hammond organ and piano gave the Style Council a jazzy, soulful colour that went beyond the guitar pop of the time. In this way he showed how a 1980s mod could build a soul sound of his own. His album Back To Business was released in 2022.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 2022Back To Business