Carlos Michael Pinera (September 29, 1948 – November 20, 2024) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer who started professionally in the late 1960s with the group Blues Image, which had a number 4 hit in 1970 with their song "Ride Captain Ride". After the breakup of that group, he joined Iron Butterfly, and later formed the group Ramatam. Pinera was then the founding member of the band New Cactus, a later incarnation of the band Cactus. He was the lead guitarist for Alice Cooper from 1980 to 1982.
Career
Early years
Mike Pinera and his group Blues Image were co-founders and house band at Thee Image, a Miami Beach concert venue they opened and co-headlined on weekends, playing with such groups as Cream, Grateful Dead, the Yardbirds, The Animals, Frank Zappa and many more.[1] Blues Image soon signed with Atlantic Records where they scored the major hit "Ride Captain Ride" (1970), which Pinera co-wrote and sang.[2]
Pinera joined Iron Butterfly in 1970,[2] and recorded the album Metamorphosis.[2] He was one of the first guitarists to use the "Guitar Talk Box" which is featured on the song "Butterfly Bleu", which was written by Pinera. The album reached the top 20 and has achieved multi-platinum status.
In 1973, Pinera helped form The New Cactus Band.[2] The New Cactus Band consisted of Mike Pinera (vocals/guitar), Duane Hitchings (keyboards), Roland Robinson (bass) and Jerry Norris (drums).[3] They recorded the album, Son of Cactus, on Atlantic Records. In 1975, he formed the band Thee Image and they recorded two albums on Manticore Records,[2]Thee Image and Inside the Triangle, both produced by Pinera.
Solo career
In 1977, Pinera's first solo album, Isla, was released on Capricorn Records.[2] It was followed by Forever in 1979 on Capitol Records.[2] The songs were written and produced by Pinera. The Forever album contained the single "Goodnight My Love," which spent eight weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 70 in February 1980. It was also a hit in Latin America featured in Tele-Novelas Latin TV Series. Pinera joined the Alice Cooper band and he played in the band from the late 1970s to the early 1980s.
In 2012 Mike joined Rockzion and then completed an album called "Came To Believe" Composed of 7 songs. He worked with Rockzion's players Ronnie Ciago (drums, percussion, vocal BU) and Dennis Renick (keyboards, vocals) and Mike Pinera ( guitar, vocals). Mike and Dennis produced the album together. It was partially released in 2022 with 2 songs as a promo. The album will soon be released in 2025. This is the last work of Mike Pinera before he passed on November 20, 2024.
Personal life and death
Pinera was born in Tampa, Florida, on September 29, 1948.[2] He died of liver failure on November 20, 2024, at the age of 76.[4]
