Mike Gentry
| Shows at the Purple Fiddle |
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“Singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Mike Gentry is among the very best Michigan-based musicians playing today. He’s brilliant at coffeehouse-approved acoustic music, blistering hard rock, and most styles in between. Mike is a superlative player, compelling singer, and brilliant songwriter. Best of all, audiences love the guy and his songs!” – Jas Obrecht, Guitar Player magazine
Mike Gentry’s love for music kicked in early in life. He credits Elvis Presley with being his first musical influence. Mike began playing guitar while attending Dexter High School and fronted the local bands Max and True Story. In 1986 he moved to Hollywood to study at the Guitar Institute of Technology/Musicians Institute, where he learned his craft first-hand from Paul Gilbert, Keith Wyatt, Tommy Tedesco, Howard Roberts, and other luminaries.
From 1989 until 1994, Mike worked at A&M Records in Hollywood. After the 1994 Northridge earthquake, he moved back to Michigan to attend Eastern Michigan University, where he studied music education. In 2003 he and his band Shining Farmer released their self-titled CD. For a dozen years Mike was the director and guitar and drum instructor at SE Michigan’s National Music Workshop’s Day Jams program.
These days, Mike regularly performs as a singer-songwriter around South-Eastern Michigan, appearing at the Plymouth Coffee Bean, Black Fire Winery, Crazy Wisdom Bookstore and Tea Room, Dearborn Brewing, and many other venues.