Curriculum Vitae (CV) of Memphis Mike (Rock ’n’ Roll Survivor / Bass Owner / Occasional Responsible Adult)

1979 – 1982: Garage Bands & Punk House Parties

* Played anywhere that had an electrical outlet and a six-pack.

* Frequently paid in beer, pizza, and the occasional “borrowed” ashtray.

* Skills learned: tuning by ear (sort of), surviving feedback, and playing three chords with confidence.

1982 – 1990: The Swingin’ Cadillacs

Hired as a guitarist. Demoted/promoted to bass player after two weeks because:

  1. I owned a bass.

  2. No one else did.

Played biker bars, small-town festivals, and dives that could double as crime scenes.

Accidentally became a “working bassist” — basically the cockroach of the music world: can survive anywhere.

1984 – 1987: Weddings, Top 40 Bands, Etc.

Wore matching tuxedos and smiled through “Celebration” by Kool & the Gang.

Learned the phrase: “Play Mustang Sally or we riot.”

1986 – 1987: Rattlesnake Shake (a.k.a. The Starlings)

* Blues band in a town that didn’t know what to make of it.

* Played with Robbie Wells (formerly of Rachel Sweet's band) and Don Kakacik — whose voice could strip paint off a Chevy, whether it needed it or not.

1984 – Present: Session Musician

* First big break: a national fast-food jingle. (Still waiting on my free lifetime burgers.)

* Recorded in New York, Nashville, Cleveland, and places where the only “studio” was a guy’s basement.

* Worked with my friend and mentor Alan Leatherwood until his passing — one of the few sensible decisions I ever made.

1987 – 1988: David Loy & The Ramrods

* Rockabilly veterans. I mostly kept up.

* Played every bar in Northeast Ohio (twice).

1990: Retirement Attempt #1

* Tried to quit music. Lasted four months. Longest break since puberty.

1990 – 1994: The Rowdy Bovines

* Joined as bassist, busted as guitarist.

* Gigged 3–5 nights a week until we could navigate Pittsburgh-to-VA highways blindfolded.

* Shared stages with Dick Dale, Rev. Horton Heat, Mojo Nixon, and others who also didn’t know when to quit.

* Band legacy: no albums, just a couple bootlegs. We were analog NFTs before it was cool.

1993 – 1994: The Udder Cats

* A Rowdy Bovines side project.

* First live performance of my tune “Skoodly Boop.” Guitarist couldn’t play it, so we swapped instruments on stage. Audience was either impressed or confused.

1994: Monkey On A Stick

* Sounded like “10,000 Maniacs meets Pere Ubu.” Audience reviews: “What?”

* Played mostly colleges — which was good, because students are too polite to boo.

1995 – 2022: The Tremblers (a.k.a. Memphis Mike & The Legendary Tremblers)

* Formed a band with members from blues, punk, and Oi backgrounds. Should’ve been chaos. Was actually great.

* Signed to an indie label after two months. Got sued after three. Solution? Add the word “Legendary.”

* 27 years, thousands of gigs, multiple continents, and a dozen releases later, I retired the band.

* That’s longer than Guns N’ Roses took to release Chinese Democracy.

1996 – 2024: Crippled Bobby Hawkins

* Straight blues. No rehearsals. Ever.

* Band motto: “If you know the song, start playing. If you don’t, start anyway.”

2015 – 2017: The Supergroup Era

The Bessemers: Pittsburgh’s self-proclaimed “rockabilly supergroup.” Mostly played bars but felt legendary doing it.

Losers After Midnight: Horror punk — like The Misfits, but with worse dental insurance.

Devilz in the Detailz: Goth-surf outfit. Imagine Dracula learning to surf, then moping about it.

Rockabilly Hall of Fame Era (1999 – 2002)

* Temporarily replaced Danny Gatton in Leslee “Bird” Anderson’s band. Still not sure how that happened.

* Played with/beside Wanda Jackson, Link Wray, Dick Dale, Albert Collins, The Jordanaires, Danny Kay & The Nightlifers,  and others whose names I still drop at parties.

* Backed up legends in Jackson, Nashville, Memphis… and once in a bowling alley.

Other Stuff

* Wrote approximately 500 songs. (Some good, some…character building.)

* Released roughly 20 records.

* Produced the AJ & The Two-Timers record...and it actually sold a lot of copies!

* Produced 3 indie music films, because musicians can’t say no to cameras.

* Worked as photographer, sound engineer, pharmacy tech, and 27 years in mental health. (The last job explains my patience with drummers.)

* Currently writing a second book, because one midlife crisis wasn’t enough.

Final Summary

* Musician, multi-instrumentalist, and professional “fill-in guy.”

* Have traveled the world, dodged cease-and-desists, and survived countless bar gigs.

* Career motto: “Don’t quit your day job. Unless your day job is music.”