Mike was one of a kind. He was my mentor when I started frequenting the Gilded Cage coffeehouse in Center City Philadelphia, and he encouraged me to play harmonica when I was just a novice at it.   A group us, including Mike, Jerry Ricks, and I would catch Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry shows whenever they'd come to Philly, and hang out to jam with them all night. Mike, I like to say, was Brownie to my Sonny.         

I'll never forget Mike's leading hundreds of campers at Second Beach during the 1964 Newport Folk Fest. He was the ultimate song leader, and could entertain audiences of all types and ages.

Not one to hustle for many out-of-town gigs, he preferred to work locally, and it seemed he could set up gigs where none had existed before. He really knew the Philly scene inside out.   Occasionally he would spend time away in such places as Ireland, Israel, California, and Florida.

Thanks, Mike....somehow we'll carry on without you.

Saul Broudy