Tributes paid to Bradford rock and roll 'legend' Mike Sagar of The Cresters

Tributes have been paid to teen idol Mike Sagar, of Mike Sagar and The Cresters, best known for their chart topping hit Deep Feeling.

The band, with brothers Richard and John Harding on guitar and bass with now successful comedian Johnny Casson on drums, were active until the 1980s.

Mr Sagar died last Monday, June 29, following a long illness.

Richard Harding, lead guitarist, has paid tribute to his “oldest friend” and said he was highly regarded for his musicianship and vocals.

“Mike was the best rock-and-roller Britain has ever produced,” said Mr Harding.

“He was a real character, a very talented man, an all-round good man, who was very much respected.

“We met when we were 14, when he was a wool sorter in Bradford in 1957, and went on to get a recording contract at Abbey Road in 1960.

“I will never forget the first time we met. He was my best friend, and it’s been a lifetime. All these years together, and we never once had a fall out.”

The band’s record Deep Feeling had reached Number 1 in Bradford, Mr Harding said, and had helped them secure a five-record deal.

Mr Sagar’s rock and roll hopes had been cut short in 1963 though, when he developed a polyp on his vocal chords and had to stop singing for some years.

He later returned to the country music scene, where he made a “massive mark” with his band Dillinger, said Mr Harding, before developing emphysema.

Mr Harding, who had spoken to Mr Sagar just a few days before his passing, said it was a “sad time” for his friends and fans.

“My thoughts are with his wife Tracy,” he added. “She was the best thing that ever happened to him.”

Mr Sagar was a former Grange Boys’ Grammar School pupil in Bradford and was a self-taught musician.

Tributes online said Mr Sagar was one of Bradford’s “jewels”. He was remembered as starting his career with a Bradford band called The Tennesseans.

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