Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford (born 2 October 1950) is an English guitarist, bassist, and songwriter who co-founded the rock band Genesis in 1967. Rutherford and keyboardist Tony Banks are the group's two continuous members. Initially serving as Genesis's bass guitarist and backing vocalist, Rutherford also performed most of the band's rhythm guitar parts—frequently on twelve-string guitar—in collaboration with successive Genesis lead guitarists Anthony Phillips and Steve Hackett. Following Hackett's departure from Genesis in 1977, Rutherford assumed the additional role of the lead guitarist on the band's studio albums (beginning with ...And Then There Were Three... in 1978). Rutherford was one of the main Genesis songwriters throughout their career and wrote the lyrics for some of the band's biggest international hits, such as "Follow You Follow Me", "Turn It On Again", "Land of Confusion" and "Throwing It All Away". He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010. In addition to his work with Genesis, Rutherford released two solo albums in the early 1980s. In 1985, he formed Mike + the Mechanics, which became a chart-topping act and significant live draw in its own right. The group earned Rutherford an Ivor Novello Award for the 1988 single "The Living Years", as well as two Grammys.
Mike Rutherford has 76 screen credits in a career dating back to 1972. Signature works include Mike + The Mechanics | Live in Berlin 2017, Neil McCormick's Needle Time with Mike Rutherford, The Mechanic. Explore the interactive character relationship maps on each title page to trace how their roles connect across franchises.
