ArtistInfo

Mick Pound

g, voc,
Musician of Rock
A.k.a. Mick Murphy (4)

"MIck Pound - RIP" "It is with heavy hearts that the Alleycats mourn the loss of one that has been an essential part of their family for so many years. Mick Pound, aka Mick 'Guitar' Murphy, joined the Alleycats back in August 2001 when original guitarist, Richard, decided to retire from music. Mick had previously been in the Dragons with me back in 1982, a band that soon changed it's name to Sonny King & the Sons Of Swing. Mick was a delight to work with and, though he moved on after a couple of years, we kept in touch subsequently." "Mick was the first person I thought of to replace Richard. Happily he agreed to join the Alleycats and soon made his own special niche. Over the eighteen years that the Alleycats have been in existence we've seen quite a few changes in personnel as people move around for various personal reasons. Mick even left for about eighteen months to try a different musical direction, but happily was persuaded to return again. In all, he has been one of the main stalwarts of the band." "Mick was diagnosed with MS many years ago, before he joined the Alleycats. It gave him paralysis in one arm which obviously prevented him playing, but only for a while. He was able to gain full remission, but the disease was always a slight shadow in the background during his time with the Alleycats. Towards the end of 2015 he started to develop problems, particularly with speech, that he initially put down to a flare up of the MS. When he eventually went into hospital for a full check up, the diagnosis was something far worse." "In May his family were given the news that he had Motor Neurone Disease and that his time with them was limited. Mick played his last gig with the Alleycats at the end of May 2016. He had more or less lost the power of speech, let alone being able to sing. But his guitar playing was as good as ever, if not better ! The effort exhausted him and it wasn't too long afterwards that he was taken into hospital for a while. This disease meant that he had lost the power to even swallow so had to be fed first in liquid form and eventually through a tube. Butch and I both visited him in hospital and he had lost an incredible amount of weight and could only converse in writing." "He returned home to spend the last remaining months with his loving wife and daughter and some of the guys visited him there. The end came much, much quicker than anyone had expected. He sllpped away on Sunday night, 6th November, a mere six months after the first diagnosis. Our heartfelt condolences go out to Monica and Emma Pound, of course, but the whole Alleycats family is feeling this loss deeply. Goodbye Mick, we loved you as only very good and close friends can !" - Taken From "The Alleycats" Facebook Page

Instruments

• Guitar
• Vocals

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