Mike Heron is a Scottish singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work in the The Incredible String Band in the 1960s and 1970s.
Heron began by playing in R&B and pop bands in Edinburgh, including The Saracens. In late 1965 he successfully auditioned to join a new trio, The Incredible String Band, with Robin Williamson and Clive Palmer.
While with ISB, Heron released a solo recording, Smiling Men with Bad Reputations, released in 1971. This took eclecticism to a new extreme, blending rock, folk and world music into an atmospheric whole. Contributing musicians included Pete Townshend, Keith Moon, Duncan Browne and Ronnie Lane (as “Tommy & The Bijoux”!), John Cale, Richard Thompson, Dave Mattacks, Simon Nicol, Dave Pegg, Dudu Pukwana, Elton John, and Steve Winwood.
After the ISB broke up in 1974, Heron formed his own band, Mike Heron’s Reputation, with three other members of the final “electric” ISB line-up - Graham Forbes, John Gilston, and Malcolm Le Maistre. Later known simply as Heron, the band recorded and toured until 1977.
In 1977/78, while still living in the Glen Row cottage near Innerleithen which had been the Incredible String Band’s home and headquarters, Heron recorded songs which were eventually issued as The Glen Row Tapes.
