MUSIC

Michael grew up in a musical family during the 50s and 60s: his grandfather was a well-known big band leader and his father sang the songs of Sinatra and Bennett constantly in the home. During high school, he fell in with a group of musical friends, including John Harris who taught him to play guitar. Soon, he and Harris joined the high school folk club where they sang the songs of Gordon Lightfoot, Peter, Paul and Mary, and Bob Dylan. Michael and his friends began performing at libraries, community centres, churches and union halls. In 1971 he and Harris produced music for Viet Rock, an anti-war musical of the day and later the two of them hitch-hiked to Nova Scotia to record their own songs, at least one of which was picked up by a group called "Rocky Raccoon" and released as a single.

In the winter of 1972 Michael helped a hitchiking musician by the name of Stan Rogers get to a gig in Hamilton. In return, Rogers invited him to the club and introduced him to musicians Paul Campbell and Doug MacArthur. Rogers suggested Michael move to London Ontario where there was a flourishing music scene centered around the Smales Pace Coffee House.

Several months later, Michael moved to London and started working at Smales Pace cleaning windows and washing dishes. Over the next few years, he met many of Canada's finest singer-songwriters and musicans, people like Willie P. Bennett, Ken Palmer, Doug McArthur, Marianne Grittani, David Whiffen and Jackie Washington among others. While living with Bennet and Palmer (of Dixie Flyer fame), Michael immersed himself in bluegrass, country and rockabilly music. In 1980 he recorded his first album with the bluegrass band New County Line and later presented the music he loved on local university and college radio as well as continuing to perform.

During the 80s, Michael married and started a family. He also began an academic career studying English Literature, earning a BA and MA in the process. In 1988 he moved to Scotland to take up a PhD at the University of Edinburgh. It was while in Scotland that he returned to music, playing for children at the Rudolf Steiner School, a school where he started teaching English in 1995. Following a stint with the folk band Medicine Hat Band (memorable performance at the Commonwealth Conference), Michael focused on his work with children and began to hone his storytelling and singing skills. He became a registered member of the Scottish Storytelling Centre and in 2003 he relased a CD of sing-a-long songs for the young-at-heart on the Beenie’s Hoose Music label.

In 2003, Michael also started playing with a musical collective known as the Kings of Cheeze playing original acoustic music that explores roots, rock, and world music. They have gone on to become one of the more innovative and eclectic bands in Scotland. He continues to perform and record and is a member of the Barebottom Daredevils band.

See Scottish Storytelling Centre www.scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk

MySpace web site www.myspace.com/docmichaelwilliams

Beenie's Hoose Music www.beenieshoose.com

Kings of Cheeze www.myspace.com/kingsofcheeze