I started out writing, singing and performing in various bands.  The guys that gave me my first big break were Hugo & Luigi.  They were the producers of all Sam Cook's hits, The Lion Sleeps Tonight and they wrote Elvis' "Can't Help Falling In Love With You". Bruce Springsteen even sings that song.  In fact, I went to lunch with Luigi only a few months ago.  The first project I did for Hugo & Luigi was The Balloon Farm who had a Billboard Top 40 hit called "Question Of Temperature". I sung, played lead guitar, wrote and arranged it. I had also written several hits for David Cassidy and The Partridge Family.  Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted went to number one and sold well over a million copies.

 I then went on to produce and write all the lyrics for Sir Lord Baltimore a power trio on Mercury Records.  They toured with Humble Pie (Peter Frampton & Stever Marriott) and Black Sabbath (with Ozzie Osbourne). I then discovered Bruce Springsteen and produced his first three records and managed his career as well.  I was largely responsible for getting him on the covers of Time & Newsweek in the same week.  No one ever duplicated that publicity coup to this day.

I have completed a musical entitled “In The Shadows Of The King”. The musical is broadly about how all of us young rockers, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Rod Stewart, myself to name a few were all trying to emulate Elvis after his first string of successes. However, all of us realized that if we were to make a name for ourselves we’d have to find our own original unique voice if we were ever to come out from the shadows of The King. It is also about everyone finding out what is unique about themselves and following that unique road wherever it takes them.

For more information on investing or finding out more about the musical. e-mail Mike Appel directly: mjjappel@si.rr.com