"He once had his toes amputated so he could stand closer to the bar." -- Mike Harding
Mike Harding (born 23 October 1944, Crumpsall, Manchester, Lancashire) is an English singer, songwriter, comedian, author, poet and broadcaster. He is known as 'The Rochdale Cowboy' after one of his hit records. In addition, at various times of his life, Harding has been a stand-up comic, photographer, traveller, filmmaker, playwright, and musician.
Harding's father, Louis Arthur "Curly" Harding, was a navigator in the RAF. who was killed during World War II, a few weeks before his son's birth. Harding is of Irish descent on his mother's side.
He was educated at St Anne's, Crumpsall, and St Bede's, Manchester. After a varied career as a road digger, dustbin man, school teacher, steel erector, bus conductor, boiler scaler and chemical factory worker, he took a degree in English and Education at the University of Manchester.
Harding began performing as a folk singer and a member of several local Manchester bands in the 1960s, making his first recordings for the Topic label. He began telling jokes between songs, eventually extending them into longer humorous anecdotes which became the main focus of his act. He released his first album, A Lancashire Lad, in 1972, followed by Mrs 'Ardin's Kid in 1974. In 1975, the single release of "The Rochdale Cowboy", which reached #22 in the UK pop charts, brought him national attention.
As a stand-up comic he made several series for the BBC and appeared on numerous TV and radio programmes, including two series of travel films in Ireland and the Appalachian mountains of America. He also played rock and roll with his band, The Stylos, with the Lowe Brothers. He has had many albums and singles released. Singles include "The Rochdale Cowboy/Strangeways Hotel" and the "Man 'nited Song". As well as comedy, he has released albums of serious songs, most notably Bombers Moon, the title track of which tells of his father's death. The album also contains "The Accrington Pals" and cover versions of Bruce Springsteen's "Factory" and Eric Bogle's "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda".
Harding composed the music scores for DangerMouse, Count Duckula (he also sang the main and end titles with Doreen Edwards), The Reluctant Dragon and The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship for Cosgrove Hall.
As well as being an acclaimed musician and comedian, he wrote The Armchair Anarchist's Almanac, a humorous A-Z book; two collections of anecdotes, jokes and songs entitled The Unluckiest Man in the World and The 14½ Pound Budgie; and a comedy/thriller/fantasy, Killer Budgies. His other books include a series covering aspects of his interest in British folklore and history ... The Little Book of the Green Man, The Little Book of Stained Glass, The Little Book of Gargoyles, and The Little Book of Misericords; and the loosely factual autobiography, You Can See the Angel's Bum, Miss Worswick! He has also read two of his short stories for Afternoon Story on BBC Radio 4. In 1986 Harding wrote the foreword to Barry Pilton's book, One Man and His Bog.
He more recently made a series of fourteen short films on minority religions in England for the BBC's Heaven and Earth show, and since 1999 has presented the BBC Radio 2 flagship folk and roots programme, The Mike Harding Show, every Wednesday from 7pm to 8pm. Since 2000 Harding has presented the annual BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.
Harding is a dedicated hillwalker and a former president, and now life vice-president of the Ramblers' Association. He writes a regular column for hiking magazine The Great Outdoors and campaigned for 'Right to Roam' legislation in the UK.
He is one of the patrons of the Wensleydale Railway, a group set up to re-open the once mainly derelict line between Northallerton and Garsdale in Yorkshire, near where he now lives.
