Album Notes

Originally from Southern Indiana, Joe Michael moved to south Texas as a teenager for several years before eventually coming full circle and ending up in Southern Indiana again. However, it was in Texas where his passion for performing before a live audience was ignited as he performed as a drummer with a traveling Gospel/Country group and his first rock band.

In 1993, Joe began writing, singing and recording his own songs in local studios to great reviews throughout the Midwest. After finding out early in the year that he would soon be a father, he decided settle in a bit and go back to school and get a teaching degree. In between semesters, Joe raised his son, ran a landscape contracting business, played coffee houses, colleges, bars, festivals and churches and even made two trips to Europe. Although Joe did secure his teaching degree in 2000, songwriting and performing was where Joe's passion lay.

With the encouragement of some of his mentors in the songwriting industry, close friends and the support of his wife, Joe made the decision to raise the stakes on his journey of becoming singer/songwriter. Instead of teaching, he continued to perform anywhere he could while making the weekly and sometimes daily two-hour trek to write and record in the songwriting capital of the world that is Nashville, Tennessee.

In 2010, after many miles, songs and a whole lot of perseverance, Joe is emerging as an artist and writer with all of the elements to carve his own niche in this new generation of Country Music stars. After a busy year performing at multiple Nascar races to hundreds of thousands of fans around the country in 2009, Joe continues to tour in support of his most ambitious project to date, recorded in Nashville, Tennessee. Six of the eleven songs on the “Don’t You Want Some of That” record were written or co-written by Joe. “Don’t You Want Some of That” is a powerful and edgy Country record delivered with Joe’s original voice, style and the help of some of today’s hottest Nashville session players.

Joe has been interviewed and featured on the legendary, WSM Grande Ole Opry Radio with the already Nascar favorite, “Gentlemen, Start Your Engines”. In addition, he has been featured in Country Weekly Magazine twice and his dramatic 55 Chevy story told by Karl Fischer in Christian Motorsports Illustrated March/April 2010 issue.

Joe has also teamed up with a NASCAR team #81 twice to promote the release of his latest record featuring the Joe Michael/St.Jude and Joe Michael/Crusader Staffing race car promoting Joe's latest record. Both races raised the profile of Joe Michael as a Country Artist and the Nascar Race team #81 as the fans witnessed Joe’s featured racecars crank out two top 20 finishes and plenty of TV time on ESPN.

As Joe looks ahead at 2010, he is the featured performer at at least ten NASCAR based Motor Racing Outreach fan concerts as well as Classic Car shows, fairs and festivals all across the US.

Surrounded by a great team, band and a great record to support, Joe is becoming a steady and growing presence in the landscape of American Country Music!