Mike Tramp – Musician (White Lion / Solo Career)
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Mike Tramp
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Mike Tramp. After making a nationwide name for himself in his home country of Denmark, with a band called Mabel, Mike set sail for the musical shores of America. Early in the 1980s, Mike Tramp formed the rock band White Lion. Selling millions of records across the country, White Lion charted top 10 hits like “Wait”, and “When the Children Cry”. Over the years, band members have come and gone on their way to five albums between 1985 & 2008; but one thing never changed… their fearless leader Mike Tramp has always put the music first. In this episode, Mike and I chat about his getting into the music business as a teen in Denmark, and what that was like with his band Mabel. Then we talk about why he felt the need to come to New York to start the rock band White Lion. Naturally we discuss this band’s success, and specifically my favorite of their songs “When the Children Cry”. We dive into the meaning behind the lyrics, and I give my own interpretation of its meaning at the time to a pre-teen me. Mike graciously lets me play that track, and then we move onto his newest project. In 2023, 2024, & 2025, Mike has released the albums: “Songs of White Lion”, “Songs of White Lion Vol II”, & “Songs of White Lion Vol III”, respectively. He explains why he felt the need to do this and even lets me play one of the new tracks from this third installment. Along the way, we discuss some of Mike’s early influences like: Thin Lizzy, Ronnie James Dio, Freddy Mercury, and more. Mike Tramp is everything you hope an 80s rock front man would be. Great guy, open and honest, and generous with his time and talent. Follow Mike on all the socials, find him playing live all over the world, and check out his 16 solo records as well as the newest “Songs of White Lion” installment.
