Michael Archer

About Michael Archer --

I was born in Fort Knox, Kentucky, but grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana and will always call it home. My mom, to whom I’m still very close, still lives there along with my grandmother and my younger sister, Shelly. I also have four very rambunctious, but adorable, nephews in Indiana and make time to visit with them as much as possible.

My musical inspirations are John Mellencamp, Jimmy Buffet, Jim Croce and Bruce Springsteen. Their music speaks to the soul of the common man – those of us who grew up knowing what it was like to work hard for everything you get and appreciate the success. Their songs are stories of life and I want to be able to tell my stories in the same manner that they have, as I think all of our life experiences link together to help each other. I learn from others as I hear their songs and music and listen to their stories. I’m inspired by them and I want to offer the same inspirations to the future generations.

I must admit though that music was not the first love of my life, but as we all know the first love isn’t always the strongest or longest lasting one. Sports was my passion for the first 20+ years of my life. I lived and breathed basketball and also excelled at baseball. While my friends were trying to steal that first kiss, I was playing basketball with the adults at the YMCA and holding my own with them. I was up at 6 AM many mornings for practice or to run and pushed myself to the limit every single day, striving for the ultimate success – whatever that is. 

My sports career was very successful and rewarding. I was even a High School All American, of which I’m still very proud. Through college at Indiana/Purdue University, basketball was a key focus for me, but something was missing. After spending time in Manchester, England playing professional basketball, I realized that my destiny was not with sports and found my love for music. So, this meant a brand new start. What was I supposed to do with this new love?

I bought my first guitar in 1991, but didn’t begin to play it until 1999. My cousin, Larry Edwards of Franklin, Indiana gave me my first lesson. I played those chords over and over again until I got them right. The passion, drive and dedication that I had exhibited for sports for so many years now were going into my music. My first live performance was playing guitar for a band that opened for Joe Diffie in 2000 in Coshocton, Ohio. As life happened (which we all know it does), I made the decision to get back to basics. I packed up, moved to a small rural town in Kentucky and I truly began the journey of finding myself by finding my music. I made my home in Casey County, a community with a population of about 2,000 prior to moving to Boyle County in the summer of 2006.

My first solo performance was at a small restaurant (Two Roads Café) in Danville, Kentucky in 2003. This experience matched the high of hitting a winning shot and truly validated that music is my destiny. Throughout the next few years, Danville and its surrounding communities welcomed me with open arms, whether it was with one of my local bands playing at a fair or playing acoustic solo in a small restaurant setting. 

Through my music, I also came to realize that I enjoyed being an entertainer in other arenas (no sports pun intended – lol). I signed up for acting classes and landed some very interesting roles in a few movies, did a commercial and worked some on TV (pilots, ESPN and news shows). I feel that my experience with acting has helped me be a better performer on stage with my music. It has taught me more about expressing myself and “getting into the role” of the character in the songs I sing for you. Being multi-talented (sports, music, acting) has opened doors for me and allowed me to expand my horizons. 

I have made some wonderful friends along the way and will always cherish those who were a part of making my dreams come true. The support, the encouragement, the constructive feedback when I missed a shot, missed a note or flubbed a line…all those things helped get me where I am today. Those friends and my family make it all worthwhile and they will tell you that the most important traits to me are honesty and meeting commitments.