Michael Dempsey

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Lore & Background

Michael Dempsey has the distinction of being the only member of the Cure other than Smith to perform lead vocals on a released track, doing so for their cover of the Jimi Hendrix song "Foxy Lady" on the 1979 album. During sessions for the band's second album Seventeen Seconds, Dempsey criticized the shift in Smith's songwriting toward gloomy gothic rock. He left the Cure in November 1979 and was replaced by Simon Gallup. He returned to the band briefly in 1986 to appear in a new video for the re-released 1979 song "Boys Don't Cry". During his later days with the Cure, Dempsey had been filling in for the Associates on bass, and officially joined that band soon after leaving the Cure. He was a member of the Associates until 1983, appearing on the albums Fourth Drawer Down and Sulk. Following the death of Associates frontman Billy Mackenzie in 1997, Dempsey now serves as the band's archivist.

In Their Own Story

In November 1979, Michael Dempsey made the decision to leave the Cure after criticizing Robert Smith's shift toward gloomy gothic rock during the Seventeen Seconds sessions. He had already been filling in for the Associates on bass, and soon after leaving the Cure, he officially joined that band. He remained with the Associates until 1983, playing on Fourth Drawer Down and Sulk. Years later, in 1986, he returned to the Cure briefly to appear in a new video for the re-released "Boys Don't Cry". After the death of Billy Mackenzie in 1997, Dempsey took on the role of the band's archivist.

Reader's Guide

Michael Dempsey's career spans several notable bands. After leaving the Cure in November 1979, he joined the Associates, appearing on Fourth Drawer Down (1981) and Sulk (1982). During this period he also served briefly as a session and touring bassist for Roxy Music. He next joined the new wave band the Lotus Eaters and was a member from 1983 to 1985, appearing on their album No Sense of Sin (1984). In the early 1990s, Dempsey made several guest appearances with band Presence, which featured his former Cure bandmate Lol Tolhurst. He later composed music for the animated TV series PB Bear and Friends and scored the short animated film Swan Song. In 2008 he toured with an orchestral group assembled by Ron Geesin to perform the Pink Floyd album Atom Heart Mother. During this period he was also briefly a member of Levinhurst, another project headed by Tolhurst, appearing on their album Blue Star (2009). Dempsey now works in audio production and restoration for various companies, and founded his own firm MDM Media. In 2019, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Cure.

Did You Know?

• Michael Dempsey is the only member of the Cure other than Robert Smith to perform lead vocals on a released track, singing "Foxy Lady" on the 1979 album.
• He was born in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe) on 29 November 1958.
• Dempsey returned to the Cure briefly in 1986 to appear in a new video for the re-released "Boys Don't Cry".
• Following the death of Billy Mackenzie in 1997, Dempsey now serves as the Associates' archivist.
• He founded his own audio production and restoration firm called MDM Media.