Mike McKnight, Keyboardist / Programmer / Musical Director

You could spend an hour just digesting the breadth and depth of Mike McKnight’s career, but let’s just say he’s been the go-to guy for artists as diverse as Mariah Carey, Roger Waters and Madonna. That is just the tip of the iceberg…. To listen / watch: * Audio-only: click on the play button in the audio player above, or: * Video: watch the embedded video below or check it and previous episodes out on our YouTube Channel Discussion topics covered during the show (links will open in new tab):   Mike’s musical upbringing The Commodore 64 as music-making machine (and yes you can buy one now) The Sequential Circuits Max for Commodore 64 Dr T’s Keyboard Controlled Sequencer for Commodore 64 The Atari 1040ST as used on the Madonna Blonde Ambition Tour 1990 The Emu Emax 2 Sampler A short chat on Key Clique and Bo Tomlyn – here’s a great example of a DX7 sound bank Joining Earth, Wind & Fire Touring and recording with EWF Joining Mariah Carey’s production team Being ‘live’ versus putting on a show – the role of playback Work with the Who on their orchestral tour Working with Madonna between 1990 and 2004 Managing the technological challenges of a huge Madonna show Getting the gig with U2 and needing to break it off Working with Roger Waters over multiple tours Motley Crue ‘Anywhere There’s Electricity’ tour Mike takes questions from our Patreon supporters Mike’s film & TV work Helping set up Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s keyboard rig before The Rising tour. The JL Cooper Synapse Writing for Keyboard Magazine  Mariah Carey at Live 8 Tag a Keyboard Player: Greg Phillinganes Desert Island Discs: Can’t Buy a Thrill – Steely Dan, Ray of Light – Madonna, i/0 – Peter Gabriel, Self-Titled – Amanda Marshall, Aja – Steely Dan. Key links: Buy some keyboard related merchandise Drop us a line via the website, Facebook, Instagram, Threads