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Micky married Julie on 25th September 1965 and it wasn’t long before he was in a folk trio with Julie and John Woolsgrove. The trio played with folk bands like Pentangle and were once booked at the Marquee Club in Wardour Street. A year later they were doing a live recording of Wally Whyton’s Country Meets Folk programme on BBC Radio 2.  (This programme ran from July 1967 – May 1972). Micky and Julie were the folk act and the country act was Jamie, Jon and Gerry Hogan (later Albert Lee joined the act and they became Country Fever). Gordon Huntley was also there to play the programme into the break. It’s Gordon that first introduced Micky to the pedal steel guitar which would soon be his instrument of choice.
Shortly after this, Micky formed his first country band Nashville Skyline. The line-up was Micky Byrne (guitar), Graham Walker (lead guitar) Julie Byrne (vocals), Mick Christmas (vocals), Mike Roberts (bass) and John Eastern (drums). Micky learnt to play pedal steel guitar at this time. (Graham Walker went on to play with The Yellowstone Picnic Band and Hickory Lake. He now plays with Carole Gordon and is lead guitarist with country band Shure Thing)
In 1969 Nashville Skyline were booked for a two month tour of US bases in Germany. Before the tour even started Micky, Julie and guitarist Graham Walker pulled out and ‘somebody’ placed an ad in Melody Maker looking for a guitarist to join a country band, for an imminent tour. Geoff Gibbs answered the ad and got the job although he didn’t know at the time that Micky, Julie and Graham weren’t going.
He decided to go anyway and the band made their way to Germany with replacement musicians but initially without a girl singer. The tour had been promoted as ‘six piece country band with girl singer’. The tour manager assured them that a girl singer would be making her own way to Germany. When singer Jo Collins arrived, they found out she was a short blonde folk singer who didn’t know any country songs.  It didn’t help that the promoter had sent out advance photos that included Julie looking very sexy, tall and leggy!
The opening week didn’t go well due to a lack of suitable material. Jo did a 45 minute spot singing folk songs and the band did a comedy session – not exactly what the venues were expecting. After the first month the drummer went home and the German agent had to find a replacement drummer but he spoke little English. Despite these problems, by the end of the tour Geoff felt they had developed quite a tight sound. Jo Collins received an MBE in 2001 for services to music including founding the Chickenshed Theatre Co. in 1974; she still runs it today.
On returning to England, Geoff decided to look up Micky and Julie to tell them about their lucky escape! He immediately struck up a lasting friendship and did a few dep jobs with them and would, in time, join the band.
With Nashville Skyline touring in Germany, Micky and Julie formed a new band Julie Byrne and Nashville Cats, releasing a vinyl album The Nashville Sound on Boulevard records (4083) in 1972. Another vinyl album Smash Hits Country Style credited to The Nashville Cats was released on Windmill Records in 1973. The musicians aren’t listed and listening to the album it’s unlikely that this album is Micky and Julie.
In 1976 Julie recorded a solo vinyl album, Rambling Rose on the Folk Heritage label (FHR079). Musicians are listed as Mick Byrne (pedal steel guitar), Bambi Burkhardt (lead guitar), Bill Friend (bass), Pete Banham (drums), and Dean Taylor (fiddle). This was to be Julie’s last vinyl album.
The band released two cassette albums in 1979, the first was Julie Byrne and the Nashville Cat. Note the name change from Nashville Cats to Nashville Cat. Musicians listed were Julie Byrne (vocals). Mick Byrne (Pedal steel guitar and vocals), Neil MacDonald (lead guitar and fiddle). Mal Read (bass). Derek Reaks (keyboard) and Graham Walker who had returned to the fold but switched from lead guitar to drums. The second 1979 cassette album was credited to the Julie Byrne Country Band but musicians are not listed. This cassette album was reissued in 1980 on a different label with a different cover photo but with the same tracks.
Another undated cassette album also called Julie Byrne and The Nashville Cat shows Micky and Julie with Graham Walker back on lead guitar, Mal Read on bass and an unknown drummer.
By 1982 the lineup was Micky Byrne (pedal steel and lead guitar), Julie Byrne (lead vocals), Nigel Sharpe (lead guitar), John Berry (bass) and Rick Winters (drums).  John Berry joined the band in 1981 and stayed until 1983; he went on to join Les Gray in Mud until his death in 2004. He then joined Slade and is still with them.  Drummer Bill Johnson also joined the band in 1982 replacing Rick Winters. Julie learnt a few easy songs on pedal steel but she never had any interest in playing an instrument.
In 1983 the band came off the road as Micky was once again unwell and he underwent a triple heart by-pass in 1983. Having recovered, Micky was soon back playing and in 1984 he had a break from the band and did a 6 month stint in the Upper Midwest States, playing 6 nights a week with a US 6-piece band called the Dean Miller Show working with lead guitarist Johnny Spaugh who remembers him as a great steal player. One of their gigs was at The Grain Bin in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on 21 April 1984. A CD album, The Dean Miller Show, was recorded during Micky’s time with the band.
Having returned to the UK, Micky and Julie reformed their band as the Julie Byrne Band. The new band included Frog Goddard on drums who joined about 1985. Frog started playing drums about 1963 and was initially into modern jazz, then pop and rock. He had a recording contract with EMI when he was in a glam rock band called Giggles in the 70s.  They toured and played with many bands including Queen, Sweet and Genesis. After some time time on the road with rock bands he formed his own country band Stampede and played in a couple of other country bands before Julie asked him to join.
In 1991 the line up was Julie Byrne (lead vocals), Micky Byrne (pedal steel guitar, lead guitar and vocals), Geoff Gibbs (lead guitar), Bill Friend (bass and vocals) and Frog Goddard (Drums).  
Bass player Bill Friend had played with Julie before on her solo album in 1976 and first played with Geoff Gibbs in the early 1970s when he joined Geoff’s newly formed band Truckstop playing a mix of rock and country and western swing; the band also included pedal steel guitarist Les Hill. Truckstop didn’t last long; rock venues said they were too country, and country venues said they were too rocky! Before joining Micky and Julie, Geoff had been working with various bands on the Irish circuit, as well as English country bands, including Tomahawk and Hobo. Bill had previously worked with rock band ‘Dr. Marigold’s Prescription’, who started their career in 1968 as the backing band for Billy Fury after the departure of The Blue Flames (with Georgie Fame). Jeff didn’t see Bill again until he went to see Micky and Julie playing and was surprised to see him on bass; Geoff joined the band shortly after. Geoff was also a member of many country bands including The Alamo, Dougie Dee and The Saddletramps, Denny Dennis Band, Coolwater, Chrissie Lane Band etc.
Micky and Julie also worked as TV extras on programmes like East Enders and The Bill. I remember seeing Julie once playing a prostitute and I know Micky often played a biker in Boon.  Micky told me that he once had a small speaking which meant he was listed in the end credits.
Another health scare forced Micky back into hospital in 1993 for the removal of a brain tumour. But he carried on with the band after recovery until about 1995 when the band came off the road due to Micky’s continued ill health. Frog Goddard went on to join Barry Westbrook’s Mean Business and then The Garry Blackmore Band.  Geoff Gibbs went on to join a band called 60plus, so named because they played 1960s music and they were all over 60. When their bass player moved up north he invited Bill to join. The band stayed together till just after covid, eventually breaking up when the singer had a bad accident that left him paralysed from the waist down. Neither Geoff nor Bill has played since although they remain good friends.
In 1996 Micky had a quadruple heart by-pass which unfortunately led to serious complications during surgery and he suffered a heart attack on the operating table. This left him with a badly damaged heart and he was assessed for transplantation at Harefield Hospital in West London. The assessment took five days, and every conceivable test was done. He was told he had to be ill enough to need a transplant, but strong enough to survive the operation. He was put onto the waiting list. While he was on the transplant list, Carlton television asked him if he would allow filming of his transplant, should a donor come up for him whilst they were making a documentary about Prof. Sir Magdi Yacoub the world renowned heart transplant surgeon. Micky agreed. 
The seven hour operation took place on 9^th March 1999. Everything went well, with the exception of some damage to his vocal chords, which does occasionally happen during transplantation because of the breathing pipe accidentally catching the vocal chords.  He was concerned it might have jeopardized his career as a singer musician. He was back home after seventeen days, and never experienced any rejection throughout his life. Within four months his voice had returned and he was soon able to resume his career as a musician. The Carlton TV programme was made and was called ‘The Life Saver’; it was broadcast on 22^nd March 2000. At the end of the documentary Micky sung Achy Breaky Heart!
Having recovered from his heart transplant, Micky went on to play in a number of established country bands. He joined Henry Smith’s Country Dreams in 2003 and stayed with them for about five years.  The line up was Henry Smith (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Micky Byrne (pedal steel guitar), Robbie Burns (lead guitar), Jonny Harris (bass) and Noel Ryder (drums).
He was also a member of Roger Humphries band Alive ‘n’ Pickin’. Roger Humphries (lead vocals and lead guitar), Micky Byrne (pedal steel guitar and lead guitar), Barry John Day (bass) and Phil Gilbert (drums). Harley Dave also played regularly with the band.  The Swindon based Dusty Rhodes Band was another band that Micky was a member of post transplant.
In 2010 when pedal steel player Ken Byng wanted to leave Ridgeway Country Micky did a few gigs with them but they eventually settled on Jim Martin (a different Jim Martin!) to replace Ken Byng.
Micky and Julie did sing together again but only at venues close to their Grays (Essex) home where Micky had built a music room. In later years Julie didn’t want to sing or socialise very much.  One of these venues was the Orsett Cock pub where there was a country night which was originally run by Dave Gregory from the Powder Pioneers and, after Dave died, local country singer Geri Castle took it over. Micky had a special 10^th anniversary celebration of his heart transplant at the Orsett Cock on 9^th March 2009 with a cake that featured a picture of his transplant team. Another local venue where Micky played was Daniel’s CMC at Daniel’s Bar, Chadwell St.Mary.
Julie was diagnosed with cancer during the pandemic and after a long battle with ill health she passed away on 22nd January 2021. Micky’s health steadily deteriorated after being diagnosed with having another benign and inoperable brain tumour which caused him to have seizures; he also had Parkinson’s Syndrome and Alzheimers Disease. Micky went into a care home in December 2021 and passed away on 13 July 2022.
Despite his health problems, Micky studied martial arts for over 35 years. Firstly he trained with the renowned Bob Breen, but after his first heart bypass in 1983 he began training more locally to home with the famous ‘street defence’ instructor Jamie O’Keefe. He studied hard with Jamie, and eventually took his grades and achieved a 3rd Dan black belt in ‘street’ karate. This is very different to normal club karate, and teaches a pupil how it is on the street, real self defence.  He went on to teach this style for a few years in the basement of a music shop he managed in Manor Park, East London. All his Dan gradings were taken after he recovered from major operations. The last being after his heart transplant. He took his 1st, 2nd & 3rd Dan gradings at the highest personal 1-1 level with Jamie O’Keefe. Jamie is now a 7th Dan black belt.
Speaking to a number of musicians while preparing this biography it’s clear that Micky was one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. A true gentleman!