A beginning in Mobile, Alabama
Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Michael’s musical curiosity took shape early. He remembers being inspired by his friend Michael Miller performing as the Little Drummer Boy. The sight of another young person making music helped give shape to his own desire to play.
His first ensemble experience came in fifth grade, in a teacher-organized flutophone group. The little instrument had a white body and a red mouthpiece. Each student played a part, introducing him to a lesson that would remain useful throughout his life: listen to the people around you, know your part, and contribute to the whole.
His early music-making also included a drum kit he assembled himself from available materials. That willingness to build with what he had is part of the story behind BIG MIC. Curiosity became practice; practice became a way to express ideas and connect with other people.
Learning the language of an ensemble
Michael continued in the band at Booker T. Washington Junior High School and went on to Murphy High School in Mobile. His interests grew across percussion and woodwinds. Drums remained a central musical voice, alongside instruments that required a different kind of breath, phrasing and attention to melody.
From 1973 to 1975, he attended Texas Southern University and spent two years with its Ocean of Soul marching band. In 1974, he also played baritone saxophone in the university’s jazz band. Marching and jazz brought different demands: precision and collective energy in one setting, phrasing and musical conversation in another.
He recalls performing ‘Midnight Train to Georgia’ at the Astrodome among the memories of those years. Later experiences included playing with the Conroe Symphony Orchestra from 2006 to 2008 and serving as a guest drummer for Archie Bell. Across those settings, he carried his interest in both the discipline of an ensemble and the feeling that makes music reach people.
The musician and the person grow together
Michael served on active duty in the U.S. Army from 1975 to 1979. Music continued to be part of a wider life that included work, family, education and service. His perspective as an artist has been shaped by responsibilities beyond the stage and by listening to what people face in their daily lives.
His Christian faith is central to that perspective. Through Coat of Many Colors Ministries, Inc., he has devoted years to helping people gain independence through education and empowerment. That same concern for people runs through the music: the desire to encourage, teach, challenge and help someone move forward.
The artist’s story belongs alongside his other work while keeping its own identity. BIG MIC is the musician and storyteller. Here, the focus is the sound, the message and the relationship with the listener.
A drummer with more than one musical voice
BIG MIC’s musical interests extend across drums, percussion and woodwinds, including saxophones, clarinet, oboe and bassoon. The Aerophone is also part of his musical vocabulary. He values rhythm and melody together—the foundation that lets a groove move and the voice that gives a phrase its character.
As a drummer, he uses an open-handed approach and can lead from either side of the kit. That flexibility reflects a wider creative habit: look for the way of working that serves the music. His background in marching, jazz, orchestral and popular-music settings gives him different experiences to draw on when shaping a performance.
Why ‘an AI Artist with a Message’
For BIG MIC, AI-assisted creation is another chapter in a long musical journey. He uses AI in a collaborative creative process, developing songs around the lessons, questions and convictions he wants to communicate. He directs the purpose and makes the choices that shape the finished work.
The starting point is often a real-life question. What does honesty require? What happens after a harmful choice? How do people carry hope, take responsibility or make room for someone else? The aim is to give those ideas a musical form that people want to hear and remember.
Songs such as ‘Somebody Ought to Say It,’ ‘Ask Me Why’ and ‘Why Would I Lie to You’ reflect his interest in titles that open a conversation. A listener can enter through a familiar feeling or a direct question, then stay with the lesson beneath it.
One song. Two sides. One message.
Side A and Side B are a defining part of the BIG MIC approach. A shared lesson can be explored through different musical treatments, giving listeners more than one way into the idea. The Scripture Bridge connects the song’s subject with the faith that informs his work.
The format makes room for different listening preferences while preserving the purpose of the song. Sound invites attention; story gives the listener something to consider. BIG MIC wants the message to remain useful after the last note.
A message for people from all walks of life
BIG MIC’s audience is broad by intention. His commitment to education and empowerment reaches across race, age, income and position. The person with a title and the person doing the quiet work behind the scenes deserve the same respect.
His music is grounded in Christian faith and offered with that open invitation. People can come for the rhythm, recognize a situation in the story, and find a useful thought to take with them. Hope, integrity, compassion and personal responsibility are lessons that can travel.
The next chapter: music, people and opportunity
Groove Envoy carries the live-performance side of this vision. BIG MIC’s plan is to bring his original music to life with professional musicians and aspiring professionals who are developing their craft. The next chapter also includes an artist-development department, with attention to the skills needed both onstage and in public life.
The guiding principle remains simple: ‘Never sacrifice the mission for the opportunity.’ For BIG MIC, the opportunity matters when it helps the message reach someone. The mission is to honor God, help people and use music to leave something worthwhile behind.