Michael McIntire

- My Music Bio -

The Early Years

I first picked up a guitar in Eminence, Missouri in 1964. I tried to learn anything I could from the local guitar players in the area: Sherman Shedd, Stanley Smith and my cousin Randy O'Dell. They were all country pickers.

I was first influenced by The Ventures. Around 1966 I was in a band called The Vibrations, with Robert Deel on guitar and vocals and John Counts on drums.

In 1968 I moved to Springfield, Missouri to attend SMSU (Southwest Missouri State University). For the next two years I jammed with local musicians, among them members of a band called The Family Tree, which would later become the Ozark Mountain Daredevils.

Then in 1970 I met Belinda Bruner and we formed a band called Flesh, with Allen Pearson on drums and Kenny Mongar on bass. Around this time Belinda and I were kidnapped by some musicians we knew who were living in Clovis, New Mexico. They were in the Air Force. We formed a band called Calamity Jane, which consisted of Kermit Brown on bass, Carl Fluharty on rhythm guitar and vocals, and Joe Kelly (Grandson of the famous clown Emmit Kelly) on drums. Calamity Jane did their last concert at the Shrine Mosque in Springfield, Missouri in 1971. Ironically, our warm up act was John Dillon and his wife. John was the founder of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils who would a few years later become nationally known.

The 70's

I hung around Springfield for the next few years, once again jamming with local musicians. In 1974, Belinda and I, Carl, Kermit and Joe Kelly got together once again to form a band called Mordecai. This lasted for about a year and was the beginning of my bluegrass phase. Around 1973 I had started experimenting with the banjo. I spent the later part of the seventies going to bluegrass festivals in Winfield, Kansas and surrounding areas.

Back home, I sat along the banks of the Current and Jack's Fork Rivers and around campfires with my acoustic guitar and banjo learning old traditional songs such as Cripple Creek, Sally Goodwin, Foggie Mountain Breakdown, and Dueling Banjos, etc..

In 1979 Roger Sanders and I took off traveling around the country in my 55 Chevy. Roger played acoustic guitar and sang. I played the acoustic guitar and banjo. We were heavy into bluegrass, Crosby Stills Nash, etc.. We were called Sanders and McIntire. This went on for about a year until we wound up in Fort Collins, Colorado, where in 1980 I met Bebe Bryant. Awhile after that, Roger moved on and Bebe started singing with me.

We kept the name Sanders and McIntire for the next three years. During this time we were blessed with twin daughters, Dillon Margot and Dane Michael. They still live in Fort Collins to this day. We also made a rock and roll album called Runnin' Wild. Needless to say by this time I had gotten my electric guitar out of the closet once again.

1980's and 90's

In 1983 I moved back to Springfield, Missouri where I joined the Donny Snow Band. It was my first country band. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot. Donny was a good band leader. I was in a couple of other bands after that but only for a short time. One was The Terry McCurdy Band with Terry on drums and Allen Roberts on bass. The other was McIntire, Roberts and Griggs, with Allen Roberts on bass and Scott Griggs on drums. Around this time I was fortunate enough to be the warm up act for Roy Buchanan, the legendary blues guitarist. I also went to Hawaii for three months where I played on the north shore of Oahu at the Hilton with a band composed of native-born Hawaiians. That was quite an experience for a hillbilly from the Midwest.

Then in 1987 I made another quantum leap: For the first time I started a band using my name. It was called Michael McIntire and The Blues Project. This only lasted for a few months. Then I dropped The Blues Project and just went with The Michael McIntire Band. I did not want to be pigeon holed into one kind of music. I love many kinds of music and I like to play many kinds of music. Not to mention you have a wider venue.

Over the next few years I went through countless drummers and bass players trying to hold things together. But around 1991 I made another quantum leap; I purchased a synthesizer and spent one whole winter laying down my own rhythm tracks. For the first time I was my own bass player, drummer, keyboards, sax, etc. I also convinced my lady at the time, Debbie Hediger, to join me as a duo -- at which time The McIntires was formed. And for the next four and a half years that's the way it was. We played around the Springfield area.

On October 15, 1995, however, it all came to an end when we were hit head on by a drunk driver on Kansas Expressway in Springfield, Missouri. Debbie was killed and I was very nearly killed. I spent months recuperating at home. I had to learn to play guitar all over again. I wasn't sure if I would ever play music again. (See the next link in the list for more information. Details about my recovery period and Debbie's legacy are in the Gallery.)

In due time some friends of mine—foremost among them Paul Bodenhammer and his wife Violet—pulled me out into the music world again. They took me around to jam sessions which I realized right away was what I needed. They also helped me to form another band. The bass player was Dale Webb, Steve Graham was the drummer and Taci Rooker was on the keyboards. It was the best band and the most fun that I had had for years. One of the highlights of this time was when we were the warm up band for Lynard Skynard. This lasted for about a year.

Even so, once again I took another step. A lady by the name of Barbara Hoskin and I took off on our own. We had the rhythm tracks that I had spent hours recording put on mini disk and we also got other background music from other sources. We started from scratch rehearsing at my home. We played music around Springfield for a couple of years until June 7, 1998, when I did one of the most exciting things I have ever done in my life. Barbara hooked my twenty-five foot travel trailer up to her vehicle and we took off on the road. For three years we roamed the west, The Lake Tahoe area in Nevada, the Palm Springs area in southern California (where we spent two winters), the Tombstone area in Arizona, also Bullhead. We spent nine months in the western Washington State area. During this time I incorporated the banjo, harmonica, and fiddle into the act. I supposed this was a culmination of years of experimenting with different styles and types of music.

Full Circle

In April of 2001 I returned to Eminence, Missouri where it all began. I had come full circle.

For a year I lived with my parents, writing a few songs about the local area. Sometimes I am fortunate enough to sit in with a local rock band "B. C. Express" with Wayne Brewer on drums, Scott Taylor on lead guitar and vocals, Reuben Sanders playing rhythm guitar and vocals, and my old and dear friend Gary Alcorn -- who was a year behind me in high school and was one of those who used to run from me because my musical abilities at that time were quite capable of calling up every cat in the neighborhood -- holds down the bottom with a bass guitar.

On April 8, 2003 I finally moved into a house in the woods. We have a little group called "The Squawl'n Dogs". Sometimes we sit out on the deck and pick. You never know who's going to drop by.

The beat goes on

In late 2003, I would begin the process of recording the CD "Back to Current River," a collection of original compositions spanning 30 years. I would also release 3 additional CD's, "Runn'n Wild," "Live 2000," and "Live at Ramone's," a collection of music from my past.

Early in 2004 I met the love of my life, Sandie Zemblidge. She would inspire me to once again reinvent myself. I would begin a solo acoustic career, playing guitar, harmonica, banjo, and singing mostly originals.

In late 2005, Sandie joined me at Spaceland. Soon, we were performing locally, as the Michael McIntire Duo. Sandie vocalized, and played percussive instruments. We also began to write our own material.

At this time, I attacked the violin aggressively, occasionally practicing three hours a day. I sat in with local bands, sometimes playing the violin.

In 2006 Sandie and I found ourselves in The 55 Chevy Band, which was the best band I had been involved with in ten years. The band consisted of Dave Mekan on sax, Janice Harms ..boards, Sandie Zemblidge-McIntire on vocals and percussion, Gary Alcorn on bass, and myself on lead guitar and vocals, along with various drummers.

During 2005-2006, I also wrote an autobiography, "Blind Man Running," describing my life as a blind musician. It was printed and formally published on April 12, 2006 and is now in distribution.

- Michael McIntire