Michael Softley was an English singer-songwriter and guitarist.
12 Facts About Mick Softley
1.
2.
Mick Softley's mother was of Irish origin and his father had East Anglian tinker roots, going back to a few generations.
3.
Mick Softley first took up trombone in school and became interested in traditional jazz.
4.
Mick Softley was later persuaded to become a singer by one of his school teachers, and this led to him listening to Big Bill Broonzy and promptly changed his attitude to music, to the extent of him buying a mail-order guitar and some tutorial books and teaching himself to play.
5.
Mick Softley ended up in Paris, where he came into the company of musicians such as Clive Palmer, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, and Wizz Jones.
6.
Mick Softley set up a folk club at The Spinning Wheel in Hemel Hempstead.
7.
Mick Softley went on to work with Peter Eden and Geoff Stephens, and his debut album Songs For Swinging Survivors, which was a purely folk record.
8.
Mick Softley did not look back on this time favourably claiming during production he had gone "through a lot of hells and no heavens, a terrifying amount of personal pain" to the extent that he quit the music business for over four years.
9.
Mick Softley recorded three albums during this period, which have a different tone from the first album, due to the variety of instruments and styles showcased on these albums, from upbeat rock and folk to eastern-inspired sitar pieces and skiffle.
10.
Mick Softley moved to County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, in 1984, eventually settling in Enniskillen.
11.
Mick Softley was a well recognised character in the town and he performed occasionally at the Belfast Folk Festival.
12.
In 2011, Mick Softley suffered a head injury after being knocked off his bicycle, and spent a considerable time in hospital recovering.