Tributes to 'phenomenon' music promoter
BBCA music promoter and record store owner has been remembered as a "phenomenon" following his death, and as a man who could get on as well with royalty as he would with Motörhead singer Lemmy.
Mike Lloyd, 82, ran Music Mania in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, and died while travelling home from the United States.
"Whatever music event you've been to, every show you've been to in the area, the chances are Mike Lloyd's got his fingerprints on it," said his friend, actor Tim Churchill.
Joe Hearson from the City of Stoke-on-Trent Symphony Orchestra said: "Without him, there wouldn't have been any classical music in Stoke."
He added: "Without him, audiences would have to have travelled to Manchester and Birmingham to see these world-class orchestras.
"But instead they came here and I think that's a legacy that no one will ever be able to take away from him."
Born in Walsall, Mr Lloyd was awarded an OBE for his services to classical music.
He was made honorary freeman of Stoke-on-Trent in 2025 for "an exceptional commitment to enriching the cultural and musical landscape of Stoke-on-Trent".
Anne Riddle was in charge of The Wheatsheaf pub in Stoke in the 90s, booking acts like Oasis, and knew Mike well.
"He could mix and mingle with whoever," she said. "So no doubt when he received his OBE, he would've got on with the King. I mean, he would get on with King Charles as easily as he would with [Burslem-born] Lemmy."
Stoke-on-Trent Business Improvement District member Paul Williams remembered Mr Lloyd's love for story-telling.
"I watched The Police at the Bingley Hall in Stafford. He then started to tell me stories about the panic that was happening behind the scenes to make sure that that concert went on.
"In many ways that, that sort of epitomises what the whole Mike Lloyd music phenomenon was about.
"This immersive, one-stop musical experience that you had when you went into one of his shops, you had the same experience when you had conversations with him."
'Do his best'
Mr Churchill, who has starred in the Mitchell Arts Centre Panto for years, said he would miss hearing his friend's laughter at the back of the auditorium.
"He would stand and rip the tickets on the front door just so he could meet people," he said.
"He was the producer of that panto, but he got involved with picking up the litter, with ripping the tickets, with showing people to their seats. That's who he was."
Former Stoke-on-Trent councillor and mayor Anthony Munday worked with Mr Lloyd for many years and said they shared "a great passion" for the city.
"Mike was always looking to do his best for the city and its people, putting on shows and events," he said. "He'd always come to me when I worked for the council to say 'why can't we do this? Why can't we do that'?
"He's forgotten more about the entertainment world and the venues around Stoke-on-Trent than anyone else knows."
