Mike Dunbar - ProfilesArchive

About Me

I've been blessed with the love of music since I was a kid. For years I worked at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, teaching guitar, banjo, voice and music theory. Also in Chicago I played the folk/acoustic nightclub scene. For the past 25 plus years, I've been living in Nashville Tn, where I write and produce instrumentals, play upright and electric bass for country, americana and bluegrass artists, and do session work.I'm also a moderator and mentor at JPFolks.com, a great music networking websiteOn the four songs here, I've played all the parts either acoustically or with midi keyboard and sung any male vocals, some vocals are synthesized. You can find out a lot more about what I do on my website. Also, if you get on my website, you can check out my singer/songwriter acoustic 2002 album. This winter I'll be finishing another acoustic singer/songwriter album titled "Folklike."As a bass player, I've backed up a lot of folks, including Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, John Prine, Townes Van Zandt, Leroy Van Dyke and Donna Fargo. Currently, I've been working with Razzy Bailey, George Clark and Dixie Flyer, Dave Leatherman and Stone County, Bernadette, Sandi Kaye and New Hickory, and Will Clements. Razzy's a great guy and good friend who's had 9 number one Billboard Country hits. George is a terrific bluegrasser on the festival circuit who can also play piano like Jerry Lee. Dave Leatherman is a seasoned bluegrass singer who has won SPGMA traditional bluegrass vocalist of the year. Bernadette, from Co. Donegal Ireland, is an international star in both country music and Irish music. Sandi Kaye, husband Jim Frable and sometimes daughter Cassie are New Hickory, Sandi sings bluegrass country and some rock as well as doing tributes to Dolly, Loretta and Connie Smith. Her husband Jim Frable can play, probably, any insturment well including piano, guitar, steel , banjo, and fiddle. Will Clements is a fine traditional country singer and songwriter in Huntsville Alabama.The music playing here and in my music store below runs from acoustic fingerpick tunes to sci-fi electronic sountrack, to 80's pop, my singer/songwriter stuff, old old school R&B instrumentals and orchestral soundtrack themes. I hope you enjoy some of this. I'll change the songs above from time to time.So Long and God Bless, Mike ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ -----

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 13/06/2007
Band Website: mikedunbarmusician.tripod.com
Band Members: Just little old me.
Influences: Musical influences include:Razzy Bailey, Ray Tate, Jim Post, Brian Austin Whitney, Steve Goodman, Donna Fargo, Win Stracke, Lesley Schatz, John Prine, Bernadette, Bob Gibson, Kendall Kardt, Betsy Redhed, Big Jim Murphy, Steve Levitt, Townes Van Zandt, Tom Cerone, Mac Elsensohn, Dr. Alfred Gras, Bill Hansen, Willie Rainsford, Dave Signs, Susie Monick, Alvin McGovern, Steve Bivins, Joanne Cash Yates, John Heinrich, Henry Strzelecki, Marv David, Richard Dobson, Billy Stone, Leroy Van Dyke, Ginger Boatwright, Fred Holstein, Louise Dimicelli, Joe Sun, Roger Ball, Chas Williams, Sandi Kaye, Jim Frable, Fred Satterfield, Robert Thames, Richard Clark, Mike Daly, and of course, Jim Unger.I could go on for days, I'll add to this as time permits.
Sounds Like: Leo Kottke, Ramsey Lewis, Tangerine Dream, Gordon Lightfoot, Kraftwerk, Bert Jansch, Doc Watson
Record Label: Mike Dunbar Music
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

The Glamor of the Road

It's 4am our time, 5am local. We've just pulled up to a motel some 30 miles from the festival. It took thirteen hours to get here, no chance for sleep, the singer left days before but the rest of us h...
Posted by on Thu, 18 Oct 2007 07:51:00 GMT

Tips for session musicians

I've been playing on recording sessions since 1968. Having worked as a producer, bassist, guitarist, background singer, harmonica player, conductor, keyboard player, arranger, percussionist and jaw ha...
Posted by on Wed, 17 Oct 2007 10:27:00 GMT

Feel is the real deal

Some call it feel. Some call it emotion. It definitely includes believability. The feel of music trumps everything else.You can play or sing every note perfectly in tune. Play them exactly correct acc...
Posted by on Tue, 16 Oct 2007 09:14:00 GMT

Want to play better? Listen!

Want to play better? Sing better? Write better? Then listen. That's it, just listen. I know some amazingly talented musicians who have an unbelievable technical grasp of their instruments. They can pl...
Posted by on Mon, 15 Oct 2007 10:36:00 GMT

Saving money in the demo studio

We've all heard the old saying, "Time is money." Nowhere is that more true than in the demo studio. It's amazing to me when songwriters, publishers, producers and etc. end up wasting time in the studi...
Posted by on Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:21:00 GMT

Trying to get MySpace to fix my site, and other comedies.

I've been trying for a month to get MySpace to fix my site. I can't delete a song with an error on it, leaving me with only three songs. Here are some of my letters to them: Hi, I still can't delet...
Posted by on Wed, 08 Aug 2007 15:32:00 GMT

MySpace Friends and feeling like a dork.

I just asked Johnny Cash to be a MySpace friend. I was blessed to have played with him a couple of times at Nashville Cowboy Church and he has had a great impact on my life, as he has had for millions...
Posted by on Tue, 17 Jul 2007 08:29:00 GMT

The Nashville Number System

The Nashville Number System is really simple. Just take a number and stand in line.I've got to write over 35 charts this week. Piece of cake. When I was bandleader for a radio show, it was common for ...
Posted by on Sun, 15 Jul 2007 20:53:00 GMT

Inspiration

A few years ago, I started writing and producing instrumentals. The first one I recorded was "Papa Hawg," which I'll keep on this page. The original track was done at home, and if you listen you can h...
Posted by on Fri, 22 Jun 2007 08:45:00 GMT

Satisfied Mind

So I got a call from an old friend. He read a quote of mine in the new Steve Goodman biography by Clay Eals. My quote was concerning the song, "Satisfied Mind," which Steve sang at Bill Redhed's funer...
Posted by on Tue, 19 Jun 2007 09:44:00 GMT