Mike Scott (Scottish musician)
The visionary Scottish songwriter who chased the 'big music,' weaving folk, rock, and poetic mysticism into anthems like 'The Whole of the Moon.'
Born 1958 (age 68)·Scottish songwriter and musician·Birthday: December 14·Baby Boomers
Biography
Mike Scott is a musical pilgrim whose restless spirit has defined The Waterboys as less a band and more a rolling creative collective. From the post-punk fervor of their early albums, he steered towards a expansive, soul-stirring sound he dubbed 'the big music,' culminating in the folk-rock masterpiece 'Fisherman's Blues,' recorded in Ireland. That album's title track and the enduring anthem 'The Whole of the Moon' showcase his gift for marrying grand, cinematic imagery with melodies that feel instantly timeless. Scott has repeatedly dissolved and reassembled The Waterboys around his songwriting, exploring everything from hard rock to literary adaptations. He remains a fiercely independent artist, a seeker whose work is a map of his spiritual and artistic curiosities.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Mike was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Mike Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Mike's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Wrote and recorded 'The Whole of the Moon,' a song ranked among the greatest UK singles of all time.
- Created the critically acclaimed album 'Fisherman's Blues,' a landmark fusion of rock and traditional Irish music.
- Founded and has led the ever-evolving rock ensemble The Waterboys as its sole constant member since 1983.
- Published a well-received autobiography, 'Adventures of a Waterboy,' in 2012.
- Composed and performed the music for a stage adaptation of W.B. Yeats's poems, 'An Appointment with Mr. Yeats.'
Did You Know?
He is a dedicated follower of the Indian spiritual teacher Sri Chinmoy.
He lived in a spiritual community in Findhorn, Scotland, for a period in the 1990s.
He can play over a dozen instruments, including the bouzouki, mandolin, and Hammond organ.
The name 'The Waterboys' was inspired by a line in Lou Reed's song 'The Kids.'
““I'm looking for the big music, the big sky, the big picture, the big feeling.””
