The Mirage's introduction to music came while the quintet were members of a teenage Skiffle group in their native Hertford, England in 1960. They cut their teeth on this genre as it was enjoying an incredible resurgence in popularity. The craze raged throughout England in the late 50's and early 60's, influencing the likes of John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones.

Their first record contract came courtesy of CBS in early 1965; it would be their first of three record companies the band would become contracted to over the span of four years. Two singles were recorded and released in 1965 and are of little interest to psychedelic record collectors as both releases are very much bubble-gum-type records. However, it is interesting to note that their second single for CBS, titled "Go Away", was written and produced by three members of The Hollies, namely Graham Nash, Alan Clarke, and Tony Hicks. After their two-single obligation to CBS was fulfilled, the Philips label signed The Mirage in 1966. It was during this two-year stint at Philips that saw the group release their best psychedelic work.

The Mirage released their first Philips single in 1966, choosing to cover "Tomorrow Never Knows" from The Beatles' "Revolver" album. The group proceeded to emulate The Beatles not so much in sound, but by using the studio as an extended instrument, employing the latest studio advancements to create some interesting sounds and effects, including a rare-for-the-times phase like effect used in conjunction with the piano. The band's more commercial approach to the song resulted in a more mainstream work than the Beatles original and received some significant local radio airplay.

The Mirage spent the remainder of '66 touring the UK club circuit and returned to the studio in early 1967. With studio time a precious commodity in those days, four singles were recorded in one session in early February. "Hold On" b/w "Can You Hear Me" was a grand departure from what they had put together for their first Philips single. Very conventional in sound and composition, it lacked the psychedelic feel they had previously captured so well. Their third release in April '67 was a return to basics, once again using studio wizardry to give the record a serious psych texture. "The Wedding of Ramona Blair" (b/w "Lazy Man") is a fun blend of psych/pop weaved together in a story-song format.

Early 1968 saw the band switch labels yet again, this time to Page One Records. The Mirage released two further singles that met with limited success and airplay. "Mystery Lady" b/w "Chicago Cottage" was released in July '68 and "Carolyn" b/w "World Goes On Around You" was their final release in 1969. Although the original members had managed to tough it out and remain intact for the better part of four years and had managed to survive three record company changes and countless live gigs, it was one major personnel change in October '68 that caused the band to fold. Lead singer/guitarist Dee Murray and drummer David Hynes both left to join The Spencer Davis Group. Hynes played drums for Spencer Davis until late '69 before moving on to play bass for Elton John's backing group. Other incarnations of The Mirage with different personnel appeared in 1970 as Portobello Explosion, which then evolved into Jawbone in 1971.

Much of The Mirage's recorded works have made their way onto compilation albums that feature the era. "Wedding..." was used as part of a UK psychedelic compilation album titled "The 49 Minute Technicolor Dream". A previously unreleased track, "I See The Rain", made its way onto another compilation called "Psychedelia Volume 4". Their cover of "Tomorrow Never Knows" can be found on "Circus Days Volume 3", yet another UK psych compilation.