Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael B. Whit.
Hi Michael, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I just want to say that I’m grateful to be talking with Voyager; it is truly an honor to share my story with y’all. Well, I grew up the youngest of seven in a small town in southern Illinois, actually just a stone’s throw outside of St Louis, Missouri.
My sisters and I were reared up in the home by our tender-hearted Mother, who took care of us, working off and on as a seamstress and shoe factory worker, in unity with our stouthearted Father, who preached the gospel and provided for us by working in the coalmines & the local copper factory. This year they’ll celebrate 47 years of marriage, and I feel so blessed about that.
I’m a coal miner’s son & a P.K (for those that don’t know, that stands for Preachers Kid). I’d say, I grew up in a pretty normal all-American lifestyle where (outside of being one of the only black families raising & riding horses through the neighborhood & our strict religious background) we all played sports, fished, hunted, and went to church and because my family was in ministry we had a lot of church like A LOT, a lot.
My relationship with music blossomed in the church. In my community, music and church go hand and hand. My alarm clock was the wall-shaking sound of mama praying, praising, and singing while marching from room to room. Public speaking, entertaining, playing instruments, and singing were all on the syllabus at church. Little did I know, but I was being groomed to be a performer, have my life on display and be a decent role model.
I was an underpaid roadie for my dad (he played drums in my aunt’s band), Wilma, and The Messengers. I eventually struck out and started my first band at nine years old with a group of guys from the neighborhood; we were called the Tudor Street Band.
I played acoustic and sang lead, my drummer played buckets and anything he could find, and my keyboard player carried a battery-operated Casio. Whenever we weren’t playing football, we would just have fun entertaining and performing on the street for the people in the neighborhood. “Pull Your Pants Up, I Look Good” was our hit single that we wrote about a roofer we saw working with his crack showing. We had great times.
My passion for music grew and developed fast, and by the time I was 14 years old, I was signing my first Major music contract. I think that’s when people started to understand and recognize that I had something special.
I went through and survived the record industry shuffle early enough in my career to recover, pivot, and rise to where I am today. Contract-Free, On My Terms & Making the music that I resonate with most.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Like most things worth having, there is always a level of resistance. My first obstacle was convincing my ultra-orthodox religious parents that I would be taking my talents to the bar & club.
I felt like I let them & my entire family down. It took a 7-foot NBA player and 6’6 record label exec to stand in my parent’s living room and plead with my 4’11 Mama to allow me to go with them to conquer the world. Eventually, I got my way, and it was off to the races.
I just loved music; I didn’t love the business at first, mainly because I didn’t understand it. I did not prepare for the sometimes creative restrictions or the feelings of being put on a shelf until the label could find out what to do with you. It was a learning curve that required patience that I didn’t have.
I faced tons of rejection, went to a few writing sessions in New York, and they bought me a one-way ticket back to the midwest and told me I was good enough. It hurt me for a bit; I dealt with the insecurity in my music for a stent; then, I remembered who I was and bounced back with a couple of billboard records and an award nomination.
I could have stayed down and given up, but I chose to get better and prove the doubters wrong.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Singer/Songwriter and producer, and artist all in one; outside of that, I raise horses and love my family.
I’ve been called a wordsmith; I love playing with and commanding the English language, although I think that singing songs and making them connect to the listener’s soul is my strong point.
My parents call it singing with the anointing, even if I mention whiskey in my lyrics or the occasional profane word. I try to keep it clean for them, though.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Loving Rissi Palmer’s podcast “Color Me Country,” of which I’m a member of the class of 2022 artists to watch. This podcast keeps me in the know regarding today’s country music.
I’m reading “Developed In The Dark” by Larry C. Hill, and it is jaw-dropping. Reading his book has helped me deal with some of my seemingly insurmountable challenges.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@michaelbwhit.com
- Website: www.michaelbwhit.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelb.whit/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Michaelbwhit
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichaelBWhit1
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ68Tm2HTaUgN4XLRji6ARQ/videos
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/michaelbwhit
- Other: https://l.instagram.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Flinktr.ee%2FMichaelbwhit&e=ATO76PGVvXLijivP9lpll1arsImp8zNBn_p749ny8HiWA6fuuNbThozAV5lQK4Cee6tV7A2T61uHDJbzbQ6RCw&s=1
