I've been fortunate to spend most of my life making music, from those early days messing around with a guitar as a kid to releasing albums decades later. Over the years, family, friends, and interviewers have asked me some of the same thoughtful questions about how it all began, the ups and downs along the way, and where things stand today. Here are the ones that come up often, along with my answers. ~
Mike WilliamsWhen did you first start playing the guitar and how
did you learn?
I first started messing around with the guitar as a kid. My father bought an acoustic guitar and signed up for a course at the local elementary school. I can still clearly remember him working on “Tom Dooley”—and that was pretty much the extent of Dad’s guitar playing. But that little spark was all it took to get my brother and me interested. My real passion for it didn’t kick in, though, until I was around 15 or so.
As for how I learned: I’m mostly self-taught, except for a music theory course I took in college. The Beatles were truly my main teachers—I learned by playing their songs. Since I knew the recordings so well, I could instantly tell if I was getting the parts right or not.
When did you start writing your own music?
I started writing when I was around 18 years old. My brother and I formed a band with our friend Jeff. Initially, it was just the three of us until Max, a huge Keith Moon fan, joined later on. Writing original music was our primary focus. Playing covers was a way to warm up or have fun, but our main goal was to write our own compositions.Do you remember the first song you wrote?
If my memory serves me right, the very first one was a song called “Long Live The Queen.” Unfortunately, I don’t have any recording of it—unless my brother has it tucked away somewhere.
