Mike d'Abo
Mike d'Abo is an English singer and songwriter born on March 1, 1944. He’s best known as the lead singer of Manfred Mann from 1966 to 1969 and for writing Handbags and Gladrags and Build Me Up Buttercup, the latter a major hit for The Foundations. With Manfred Mann, he had several top twenty UK hits including Semi-Detached Suburban Mr. James, Ha! Ha! Said the Clown, and the No. 1 hit Mighty Quinn. He is the father of actress Olivia d'Abo.
Early life and education: He was born Michael David d'Abo in Betchworth, Surrey, to Dorothy Primrose (Harbord) and Edward Nassau Nicolai d'Abo. He has Dutch and Dutch East Indies ancestry and is related to Edward Harbord, 3rd Baron Suffield. He went to Wellesley House Prep School, Harrow, and Selwyn College, Cambridge. He started making music while at Harrow and led a group called A Band of Angels before joining Manfred Mann in 1966, replacing Paul Jones.
Career highlights: His first big hit with Manfred Mann was Semi-Detached Suburban Mr. James. He helped record the As Is album and the single Just Like a Woman. He wrote Handbags and Gladrags for Chris Farlowe, which became a hit and has been covered by many artists. In 1968, he co-wrote Build Me Up Buttercup with Tony Macaulay; The Foundations’ version sold millions.
Other work: He appeared on stage in Gulliver Travels and sang on the original recording of Jesus Christ Superstar. He wrote songs for The Fortunes and Colin Blunstone, and in 1970 he scored the music for the film There’s a Girl in My Soup. He released an album with Mike Smith called Smith & d'Abo in 1976.
Later life: In the 1990s and 2000s, he did radio work, including The Golden Years on BBC local stations and Late Night West on regional radio. The original Manfred Mann group re-formed as The Manfreds in 1991 without Mann, and d'Abo now appears on select dates with them.
Personal life: He has been married three times. His children include Ben and Olivia d'Abo with his first wife Maggie London; a son Bruno with his second wife Karen; and twins Ella and Louis with his third wife Lisa Weaver. He is the cousin of actress Maryam d'Abo.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 02:47 (CET).