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Michael Lewis was a child
prodigy in music. His first instrument was the "couch"
keyboard, later graduating to the plastic guitar, followed by
the ukalele and at last, the age of 5 found him gripping his
first guitar -- bought new for $14.00. He strummed it to death
until his parents, crying for mercy, arranged for Michael to
have guitar lessons at the age of 11. But for his parents, things
went from bad to worse. Now that Michael possesed the basics,
he would often stay up late at night practicing til 2 or 3 in
the morning, even on school nights! All the while keeping them
awake. A few years later, Michael began playing jazz in high
school as the guitarist for the Gunderson High School jazz band
in San Jose California. After graduating in 1981, Michael studied
jazz under Dave Eshelman at San Jose City College. He
also studied privately with several excellent jazz guitarists
in the bay area of California including Berkley School of Music graduate Jeff
White. Recently, Michael
resumed his studies at the
Nashville Jazz Workshop under
the guidance of Roger
Spencer, Lori Meecham and Shane Roberts, graduate of
UT Knoxville. The
parents' patience paid off and now they can choose to listen
to Michael's CD's -- during normal operating hours of course.
Along with his interest
in music, Michael had a knack for production spending his
spare time making recordings on any equipment he could get his
hands on. He would spend hours at a nearby church making cassette
to cassette recordings, utilizing the churches instruments (everything
from the big organ to the box of percussion) and inviting friends
over to help him make primitive recordings to give to his family
and friends. The investment of time was to pay off years later.
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Michael was engaged in
his teens, married young and moved to Southern Oregon where he
opened his first studio in 1985. Since then Michael has logged
over 25,000 hours
of studio time on
dozens of projects at every level. He has toured as a sideman
for Dove Nominee Jamie
Slocum (Curb Records)
and spent 4 years as the guitarist for the Radio Daze Big Band (Michael still subs in with them on occassion.)
Michael tours frequently and, when at home, works as a producer and full-time musician in Nashville, TN
where he and his wife, Margie, are raising their children.
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