Patto

Mike was often referred to in the press as Mike McGrath, a false public name given presumably to help maintain his family's privacy.  When Mike started writing, he didn't want to have a name that sounded like McCartney or a number of other similar sounding names of writers of the time.  Mike once played at Butlin's Holiday Camp with a group that had a lead guitarist named Johnny Patto.  He thought Patto was such an unusual surname that he decided to make it his own stage name.

He began singing during his school years with a skiffle group called the Skyliners in Hingham, Norfolk.  Mike sang and played guitar, and his brother, Phil, played the washboard.  Mike was very talented as a singer and a dancer.  He was a great amateur boxer as well.  He left school to become a garage mechanic apprentice, but eventually he decided to become a pro-musician.

The band changed their name to Patto in 1970 and began playing a heavier mix of rock and jazz styles.  At least in terms of recordings, it was with "Patto" that Mike began to really show the full versatility of his voice.  He could handle smooth ballads, screaming rock and roll, and the middle ground as well. 

From late 1971 to mid-1972, Patto released two more albums, "Hold Your Fire" and "Roll 'Em Smoke 'Em, Put Another Line Out".  Each was more adventurous in terms of production than the previous. With "Roll 'Em Smoke 'Em...", the band got loose and injected their humor into the music.  It is a great, entertaining album, but not as "serious" as their previous efforts.

Patto was known for playing great live shows.  The entire band was quite respected as musicians and entertainers.  Their looning antics are the stuff of legends whilst they did tours with The Faces, Ten Years After, Joe Cocker.