Mike has been in bands since he was thirteen and has played with all kinds of folks, even academy award winner Robert Duvall. He has recorded on multiple albums and in several studios in Dallas over the years. Not only is he a teacher, he is a performer as well.

While at McCord Music Company, Mike was not only tutored by Terrill Gardner, but worked side-by-side with musical greats like Chuck Rainey (recorded with Aretha Franklin, Ricki Lee Jones, and a host of others), Greg Bissonett (UNT drummer who went on to play with David Lee Roth, Ringo Starr, and many more), Mac Dougherty (jazz guitar teacher at Berklee College in Boston), and Christopher McGuire (classical guitarist extraodinaire who auditioned for Andres Segovia in Spain).