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Artist
Michael Bland
6+ albums
about
A BRIEF HISTORY... michael bland was born march 14, 1969 in mpls, minnesota. his church-dedicated family started michael out on the piano at age six, an he quickly advanced to the baritone horn at age seven. michael took to the instruments his father introduced him to quickly, but by age nine, he found his passion playing the drums. his father contributed his talents to the church, where one of his sisters also played. he decided at fourteen to take the drums seriously and devoted all of his spare time to honing his skill. at age sixteen, he won the "twin cities' best drummer" contest. it was just the beginning of a rewarding career. with his recognition as a prodigy, michael was actively sought by many local acts. at seventeen, hiram bullock snagged him up, and took him to pittsburgh and new york to do some one-nighters. in that same year, he joined dr. mambo's combo, a house band at bunker's music bar and grill, a local club where many minneapolis musicians cut their teeth. bunker's is where prince first spotted michael, after hearing other musicians rave about how great a drummer he was. prince went down to bunker's one night to see what the hype was all about, and after two or three songs got up to sit in with the band. he decided that michael was the element his new group needed. thus, michael joined prince in 1989. the prince camp welcomed michael with open arms as he toured, recorded, and performed with the new power generation for seven years. in 1996, immediately