Mike Watson

Born in Sheffield, England, bass player Mike Watson has been in show business since the age of eleven.

He came to Sweden in 1964 as part of the Hi-Grades, American singer Larry Finnegan’s backing group during his Sweden tour of that year. Subsequently, Watson became a member of various Swedish bands, most notably Lenne and the Lee Kings (who scored two Number Two hits in 1966 with Stop The Music and L.O.D.), and Lasse Samuelsson’s Dynamite Brass.

Mike started working as a session musician in 1969, and did his first known ABBA-related session in July 1971 when he played bass on a Frida single, produced by Benny. Watson also contributed to People Need Love, the very first recording issued under the name Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid.

Although Rutger Gunnarsson was to be ABBA’s most frequently used bass player, Mike Watson played on notable tracks such as SOS, Mamma Mia, If It Wasn’t For The Nights, The Winner Takes It All, and Super Trouper. He is also the man dressed up as Napoleon on the cover of ABBA’s Waterloo album.

Today, Mike Watson is best known as a singer and performer in his own right. He was the leader of the cover band Little Mike and the Sweet Soul Music Band, who were very popular as live entertainers in the mid-1980s.

In 2019, the Swedish Musicians Union awarded him with the prestigious Studioräven, an award for studio musicians.

Website: https://www.littlemike.se/