Mike Little, the Calgary keyboardist, producer and mentor, died of cancer on June 13 at the age of 54. The day before his death, he went to his basement to play his beloved 1969 Hammond B3 organ. It would not start. The instrument, signed by musicians like Ray Charles, James Brown and Deep Purple’s Jon Lord, had finally given out after decades of use.
A life in music
Little co-founded the Calgary band Hello Darlins and was a busy session player and in-demand producer. He built what his wife Candace Lacina calls a “keyboard emporium” in their home. Trained as a classical pianist, he moved from a small town on Vancouver Island to Calgary in 1993 to join a blues band. With no money, he lived upstairs at the King Eddy, hosting multiple blues jams a week in exchange for free rent.
Determined to master the Hammond B3 after hearing Crowded House and Deep Purple, he found one at Western Keyboards. He struck a deal with owner Brian Brown: in exchange for every piece of keyboard equipment he owned, Brown let him have the B3 on condition that Little continue renting it out. The first renter was the late Jon Lord of Deep Purple, who paid $500 for one night—equal to Little’s monthly income at the time.
Building a legacy
This kickstarted a lucrative business. Little accumulated more equipment and eventually founded KLM Backline, Canada’s biggest supplier of musical equipment for touring musicians. The original B3 remained the star. Ray Charles and James Brown both played it. Little toured twice with B.B. King’s band, taking the organ across the country. He had famous renters sign the back of the instrument.
Little became one of Canada’s most in-demand session players, mentors and teachers. A week before his death, he released his debut solo album, Keys to the Universe, showcasing his B3 prowess. He performed with Colin James, Long John Baldry, Rodney Crowell, Richard Marx, The Rankin Family, Tom Cochrane and George Canyon.
The final note
On June 12, Little went to play the Hammond B3. “It completely stopped working,” said Lacina. “It would need to be completely rebuilt. The original B3 with all of those signatures on the back died on the 12th of June and he died on the 13th. He had said ‘I’m sad to leave behind my B3.’ Then it died and I said ‘Honey, I think it just went ahead of you.'” Friends who witnessed it called it “grandfather clock kind of stuff.”
Lacina has been sharing stories to cope with grief, part of an outpouring of affection for Little. His talents and mentorship left a lasting mark on Calgary’s music scene.
