T. Michael grew up in Mayodan, North Carolina playing sports and singing in church. When he was in the seventh grade at basketball practice a new music group came over the transistor radio. That group was the Beatles and this inspired him be part of a couple of combos the rest of his public school years. This awakening put him on a path that he would follow the rest of this life.
In college he developed an appreciation of folk music since he was in the vortex of Blue Ridge Mountain music at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. He followed his music path a little ways down the road to Deep Gap when he began playing and touring with Doc and Merle Watson. With Doc and Merle, T. Michael toured the world and participated in many Grammy nominated and Grammy awarded recordings several of which he produced. After fifteen years, the path led T. Michael to begin performing and recording with the Seldom Scene in Washington, DC. This branched o to Chesapeake and other music projects such as Ready For The Times with Bryan Sutton and David Holt. T. Michael also played with Johnny Cash. T. Michael rejoined Doc Watson and toured again with him till the end of Doc’s life.T. Michael also has solo recording projects in his own right.