Mike Mancour

Timeline

The official story spine

This public timeline is the backbone of the site: the clearest view of the long musical thread from Michigan foundations through Nashville years and into the current bands.

More bands, photos, stories, posters, and memories will expand later as the archive grows. The goal here is to stay curated first, then go wider.

1978–1990

Michigan foundations

The first stretch of the story was built in Michigan: early bands, rehearsal rooms, school-era photos, local stages, and the first years of serious live work. This is where the guitar, stage identity, and band instincts took hold.

Before 1978

Telesis, Sphinx, and Citizens Arrest

The pre-history of the public timeline — early bands that helped shape the instinct for stage work and band chemistry.

1978–1981

Hot Ice

Blues and rock with real visual identity, bigger energy, and the sense that live music could become a lifelong thread.

1981–1983

TSI (Totally Spontaneous Improv)

A rock-improv three-piece that captured experimentation, instinct, and the thrill of catching songs in the moment.

1984–1986

Albatross

A variety-band era that broadened the range and sharpened the ability to serve different rooms and audiences.

1986–1990

Wolf Creek

A country band performing throughout Michigan, deepening the working-musician mileage before the Tennessee move.

1990–2006

Nashville arrival and working years

After moving to Tennessee in 1990, the story widened into rock and blues clubs, Nashville show-band work, Broadway nights, hired-gun calls, songwriter friendships, and multiple chapters of regional live performance.

1990–1993

Bad Influence

Rock and blues at Margie's on Thompson Road — a formative Tennessee chapter right after the move south.

1993

New Orleans Mardi Gras Blues Band

A short but memorable blues chapter that added color and variety to the early Nashville years.

1994

Romie's All American Band

A Nashville show-band chapter that sharpened stage professionalism and widened the performance lane.

1995–1997

Separate Checks

An 80s-band chapter with strong visual identity and another layer of stage mileage in the Nashville scene.

1997–2000

Broadway and Middle Tennessee club work

Not one single band name so much as a role: Mike as a hired gun, called to fill dozens of one-night gigs for bands that needed a guitar slinger.

2000–2005

Golden Era and the Hot Rods

Car-show bands with fun, visual flair, and strong local presence. The Hot Rods chapter also featured songwriter Randy Thomas.

2006

Rackety Boom

A blues-band chapter that fed the rootsier side of the catalog and the live identity.

2007–2022

Modern chapters

This stretch kept the thread alive through variety bands, acoustic work, blues, rock projects, and modern local-band life — a steady continuation rather than a nostalgia act.

2007–2015

Orange Crush Band (OCB)

A long-running variety-band era with blues, rock, and broad crowd appeal.

2016

Acoustic Crush

An acoustic chapter that put songs, touch, and arrangement forward in a different setting.

2017

Crazy Neighbors

Another live-project chapter in the ongoing local band story.

2018

Thanks a Chameleon

A distinct band chapter preserved here under its proper name.

2018–2019

Dirty South Band

A rock project carrying the story forward into another lane of live work.

2020

Smoking Mirrors

A rock chapter that kept the engine running during a changing period.

2021–2023

Instigator

A modern live-band phase with documented video clips and crowd-friendly set energy.

2023–present

Living present and legacy-building phase

The story is still active. These are not just memories; they are current rooms, current bands, current rehearsals, and current recordings. This is the phase where the legacy is finally being gathered into one coherent public home.

2023–present

BluesSlinger

Blues-rooted performances with an emphasis on feel, soul, phrasing, and live chemistry.

2025–present

Gritz & Glory

Old country and old rock with shared vocals, live-band dynamics, and set-list craftsmanship.

2026–present

KnuckleBall

Yacht and classic rock delivered through groove, musicianship, and songs people carry with them.