Spike Wells

As well as playing with Hayes, in both his quartet and his big band, until the saxophonist's death in 1973, he spent a year in Humphrey Lyttelton's band, and also worked with many visiting soloists at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, including Stan Getz (with whom he toured Scandinavia), Roland Kirk, Art Farmer, Johnny Griffin and James Moody.

In 1968 Wells began a PhD course in philosophy at London University, living in a house that was also home to bass player Ron Mathewson, alto sax player Ray Warleigh, trombonist Chris Pyne and pianist Mick Pyne. Mathewson was then playing in the quartet of tenor player Tubby Hayes, and asked Wells if he would be interested in joining the group. He arranged an audition with Hayes and guitarist Louis Stewart, at which "We played a blues, and Tubby looked at Ron and Louis and then said, 'Do you want the job?' Want the job. With the greatest jazz quartet in England?" Wells abandoned his PhD and became a professional musician. He played in the quintet of pianist Lionel Grigson, who had a regular weekly gig at The Troubadour coffee house in Old Brompton Road, with such musicians as Chris Bateson (trumpet), Pete Burden or Paul Zec on alto, and John Hart or David "Happy" Williams on bass.

He took up playing drums in his early teens: "I suppose the thing that really knocked me out about jazz was the rhythm, so I thought if I'm going to be in a jazz band I want to be the drummer." He later had lessons from former Miles Davis drummer Philly Joe Jones, who lived in London in 1967–69, and Wells was also very influenced by another of Davis's drummers, Tony Williams.

Michael "Spike" Wells (born 16 January 1946) is an English jazz drummer and priest.