MODIFIED - Sept. 1, 2002
Who is Michael... Professional Speaking?
NAME: Michael Washington Fletcher
NICKNAME(S): Megahbass, Mikey
DATE OF BIRTH: Aug. 31, '63
PLACE OF RESIDENCE: Kingston, Jamaica
WHERE YOU WERE BORN (IF DIFFERENT): Hitchin, A Small Town Outside Of West London, England,
Moved From There At Age 12 Because Parents Wanted
To "Go Back Home" (Jamaica)
MUSICAL TRAINING:
Jamaica School Of Music - Teaching & Performance Courses 1982 - 85
POSITION IN THE BAND/WITH SHAGGY:
Musical Director, Band Leader, Producer
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TOURING/WORKING WITH SHAGGY?: Since 1996
INSTRUMENTS YOU PLAY (LIST ALL):
Classical, Acoustic & Electric Guitars. Electric Upright, Bass, Miniature 'Dog Bone',
& Fretless Bass Guitars. Side note: Can Play 4, 5, 6, & 7 String Guitars. All Types
Of String Material - Plastic, Silicon, Etc. As An Avid Collector
Of "Unique" Guitars,
My Collection Houses Around 10 Different Pieces.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU PLAYED THESE INSTRUMENTS?:
I Started Playing The Classical Guitar At Age 9, Studied It For 3 Years Moving
On To The Bass Guitar In Jamaica School Of Music. I Major In Classical Guitar,
Minored In Bass. I Attended JSM From 1982 - 85.
I Then Moved
On To The 'American Hotel' In Jamaica As A Bass Guitarist From 1985 - 87.
FAVORITE MUSIC: Latin, It Is A Music You Can Do Many Things On.
WHAT OTHER ARTISTS/BANDS HAVE YOU TOURED/WORKED WITH?:
I Have Worked/Toured With Shabba Rank, Maxi Priest, Beres Hammond,
The I-Three's, Dean Fraiser & The 809 (Jamaica's Once Area Code)
Band
From 87 - 95 And Many, Many More.
DO YOU WRITE, READ AND/OR PRODUCE MUSIC AS WELL?:
In My Classical Guitar Training Is Where I Began To Read And Write Music, Yes.
In My Spare Time Now, I Use My Music Chart Book To Jot Ideas Down
In Colors. Example, The Key Of 'G' Is Brown And So On. I Have Produced
On Several
Tracks In The Past. Notably Will Be A Track Entitled 'Shake, Shake, Shake'
On The Soon To Be Released New SHAGGY CD. I Can Write 'Blind', No Instrument,
No Actual Music Paper, Just Jot It Down
On Anything.
WHAT ARE YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS MUSICIAN
WITH SHAGGY?:
Producer, Writer, Musician, Band Leader & Musical Director
WHAT INFLUENCED YOU MUSICALLY OR OTHERWISE
TO THE INSTRUMENT(S) YOU NOW PLAY?:
My Classical Tutor In Jamaica Told Me I Would Not Make Any Money
Playing Classical Guitar There. He Said I Would Have
To Change Instruments Or Move To England. I Thought About It
And Proceeded
To Add The Bass Guitar To My Portfolio.
As They Say, The Rest
Is History...
WHAT TYPES OF MUSIC CAN/DO YOU PLAY?:
I Can Play Classical, Jazz, Latin And More. I Am Not Limited.
UPCOMING ALBUM/CD:
Coming Soon - An Audio/Musical Combination On Bass Music Entitled
'BASS-IC (BASSic) Instinct'
ON TOURING WITH SHAGGY:
It a great experience. The 'HotShot' Cd Success Has Given Us More Exposure
As A Musician Too. It Is Wonderful To Hear The Responses From Supporters
On The Variances And Styles Of Guitars I Play. SHAGGY Allows Us To Have
MAJOR Input On All Recordings
Which Aids Tremendously In The Formula
Of Bringing The Music
To The Plateau It Has Reached. I Am Blessed.
ON FUTURE OUTLOOK:
I Want To Be A Very Prolific Person In My Musical Craft
Like
So Many Talented Guitarists I Have Worked & Toured
With
And Have Just Enjoyed In Our Vast Musical Field.
Links To MORE On Michael
All Music Guide - AMG Short Bio
Acquired From Kitchener, Canada In The Wee On Aug. 28-29, '02
A Personal Look Soon To Come.
Thank You Michael For Your Time And Patience!!
Want To Correct, Add, or Suggest Information?
Do So Right Below In 'Slips'.
DISCLAIMER - I Have NO personal contact or connections with The Crew,
MCA Records, Virgin Records, or any other relating source to either of these named individual(s).
Styled - Mar. 14, '01
Jamaican Flag Graphic Contributed By Pam - Long Time Net Friend & Web Designer Extraordinaire!!
