Michael Hardie is about songs. And singing songs. Born on the pine bayous of southeast Texas and raised on the Gulf coast plains near Houston, Michael has his own vision of where the blues is going and an impressive Soul-blues voice and style to express it.

His current CD, "Houston Blues" (Punch Records), is a re-issue of the cassette of the same title that was recorded in Dec. 1990. In a session with Milton Hopkins (B.B. King, Little Richard), Michael recorded 8 of his original songs plus 2 others with Milton, Derek O'Brien, Gary Primich, Freddie "Steady" Krc, Russell Jackson and Ned Albright. Ned produced "Houston Blues" with classic Texas blues/R&B guitar, harmonica and keyboard arrangements supporting Michael's songs and soulful vocals. One of the songs from the album, "My Sometime Girl" (Sheehy/Hardie), was recorded by Phillip Walker on his "Blues" (Hightone) LP. Michael's recording of "Pretenders Blues" (M. Hardie) was included in a compilation CD on Taxim Records (Bremen, Germany) called "Truckin' My Blues Away" featuring various Texas Blues artists (Robert Ealey, Mike Morgan and Bugs Henderson).

As a result of "Houston Blues", Michael was asked to play in Berlin, Germany for a music conference (Berlin Independance Days) Oct. of 1991. The following June he moved to Berlin and played festivals and clubs around Germany for the next four and a half years.

Before coming back to Austin in 1996, he recorded "The Berlin Demos" CD (Punch Records) with well-known German blues pianist Christian Rannenberg and acoustic guitarist Ted Pierce (acoustic trio - no bass, no drums) backing up Michael's solo electric style and songs he had developed in Berlin.

One of the "Berlin" songs, "How Far Will You Go", was released on the official 1995 South by Southwest CD (a compilation of the best performance at the '94 SXSW music conference) capturing a live acoustic set with Michael Hardie and Guy Forsyth. "How Far Will You Go" was also recorded by Freddie Steady and the Shakin' Apostles ("Tucson", CD, 1995) on ESD Records (Ryko Disc).

Before the recording of these two records (Houston Blues and Berlin Demos), Michael spent 10 years (between 1978 and 1987) in Los Angeles where he recorded many demos and his first vinyl record with Jesse Ed Davis and many other great musicians