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Shortly after his birth in 1912, Michael's parents emigrated to Minnesota from Iowa, refugees of the famed corn famine, which swept the state in those years. He was inspired to play bass while listening to the throbbing organ playing of sister Ethel Willaby in church. Unfortunately, his first public performance as a church offertory was a disaster. After completing a beautifully expressive version of "Jesu, Joy of man's desiring", he launched into Mancini's "Baby Elephant Walk" riff, outraging the elderly ladies of the congregation and resulting in his excommunication from the church. He then turned to playing the highly lucrative flea market circuit, but was banned after inciting a riot in Fordville, North Dakota. Midway through a psychedelic version of Frank Loesser's "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition," he got excited and shouted "I can feel my endorphins kickin' in!" This caused widespread panic thought the crowd, consisting primarily of Estonian immigrants, who misunderstood him, thinking he was warning of an invasion of their Finnish-speaking neighbors from the next township.
The next decade saw him following the popular singing group the Gospel Hummingbirds around the country. Wearing the outfits of all "Birdheads" which was light-blue polyester with white shoes, he lived a life most can only dream of. He finally grew tired of living out of a fanny pack and eating potato salad in church basements, so he settled down near the White Earth Indian Reservation, where he met Mr. Jack and Stephen J. in a sweat Lodge. His initial role in the band saw him playing a mean blues flute, but he returned to bass when crowds were continually whipped into a frenzy by his powerful flute solos. Today he can often be seen frequenting salad bars in Perkins restaurants across the country, sneezing all over the food just to see the reaction he gets. | ||||||
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