Michael Dempsey

Michael Stephen Dempsey, born on 29 November 1958 in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe), is an English musician and composer best known for his seminal role as the original bassist of the iconic post‑punk band The Cure. Growing up in Crawley, West Sussex, Dempsey forged a lifelong friendship with future bandmates Robert Smith and Lol Tolhurst, and together they formed the early incarnation The Obelisk in 1972, which evolved through Easy Cure to become The Cure in 1978. Dempsey's distinctive bass lines can be heard on the band's debut single “Killing an Arab” and their inaugural album Three Imaginary Boys (1979), and he uniquely contributed lead vocals on the Jimi Hendrix cover “Foxy Lady”. After voicing artistic concerns over the band's shift toward gothic rock, he departed in November 1979, later returning briefly for the “Boys Don’t Cry” video in 1986. Throughout the 1980s he expanded his repertoire, joining The Associates (appearing on Fourth Drawer Down and Sulk), briefly touring with Roxy Music, and becoming a member of the new‑wave act The Lotus Eaters. His later career includes collaborations with Presence, scoring the animated series PB Bear and Friends, and performing with an orchestral ensemble dedicated to Pink Floyd’s Atom Heart Mother.

In the 2000s Dempsey turned his focus to audio production and preservation, founding MDM Media and contributing his expertise to various restoration projects. He also served as archivist for The Associates following the death of frontman Billy Mackenzie in 1997, ensuring the band’s legacy endures. Continuing to work alongside former bandmate Lol Tolhurst in projects such as Levinhurst, Dempsey remains an influential figure in the evolution of punk, post‑punk, and new‑wave music. His contributions were formally recognized in 2019 when he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Cure, cementing his status as a pivotal architect of modern alternative rock.