A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Mike Walker started playing guitar and "fooling around" with a Sony reel-to-reel 2 track tape recorder at age 12. In the 70’s and 80’s he played with a variety of musicians in the Milwaukee area and then the Quad Cities college circuit while attending Palmer College of Chiropractic. In 1985, Walker and his wife, Tracy, moved to Woodland Park, Colorado and opened Teller County Chiropractic. The clinic is now the oldest, most established chiropractic practice in the county. From 1985 to 1997 Walker rarely played, but during a 5 year bout with a severe auto-immune illness (Ulcerative Colitis) he began to take lessons and play again.

"The technological changes during that time were immense and I quickly went from recording on a Fostex 4 track to a Tascam 8 track cassette to a Roland 16 track digital audio workstation (a stand alone computer designed specifically for music recording). Walker currently creates and records his own songs in his home "Studio in the Pines."

Walker & Elmoe - photo by Tracy Walker

In 1999 and again in 2000, Walker was hired by the Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Partnership in Colorado Springs to perform as a street musician. He played frequently at Woodland Perk coffee shop in Woodland Park, Borders Books and Music, Mueller State Park and the Colorado Springs Airport as a part of their "Cultural Gateway to the Rockies" program. Walker was the featured performer in August 2000 at the Mountain Acoustic Music Association’s (MAMA) concert series at the Ute Pass Cultural Center and played at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center for their "Hyperartivity" program. In June 2000 Walker released his first CD of all original material. In 2001, he expanded into the local festival circuit playing at Springspree, the El Paso County Fair in Calhan, Bronc Days in Green Mountain Falls and the Colorado Springs Balloon Classic.

"Over the years I’ve settled into a rhythm of performing from May through October, then studying (currently with local piano master, Steve Barta), song writing and recording in the ‘off season’ from November to April. I enjoy both solo performing and using self-created backing tracks during my shows. This gives my performances more variety and provides me with an opportunity to discuss how studio recordings are made and demonstrate how my studio work can enhance a solo performance. And, as an added benefit, my band (CD player) never shows up late or drunk and they play the songs exactly the same every time," Walker says.

Stylistically, Walker’s music is diverse from finger picked love songs, to folk, pop, blues and all out rockers. "One of the really great things about being an independent musician is this stylistic freedom; you’re not pigeon-holed into one genre by the music industry." The addition of piano composition in 2002 has added still another dimension to his sound. "All musicians have limits. I just keep pushing against mine to grow in all areas and on a variety of instruments including guitar, bass, harmonica, piano and keyboard synthesizer. I am not a purest in the sense of forcing myself to use only acoustic instruments. This of course makes me a Black Rose radical. I will use anything to make my songs the best I can from drum machines to sound effects."

Thematically, Walker’s songs often relate to the inner experience/outer environment interface. "I’m fascinated by how people, myself included, perceive life experiences. If you think about it, we are more or less at the mercy of our external environment. Aside from choosing where to live and getting a grip on the consequences of our behavior, our external environment is continually changing. In contrast, our inner world is unique because we run everything through our personal filters then ‘re-present’ the external environment to ourselves. It’s in the processing and ‘re-presentation’ where things get interesting.

From cover songs of a variety of singer/songwriters to include Dan Fogelberg, Neil Young, John Denver, James Taylor, Dan Seals and David Wilcox to originals, Walker shares his world interpretation with his audiences which are always very responsive to this unique artist.