Michael King

Four years after taking the Buffalo Chips to a national appearance in New York’s Lincoln Center as director and arranger of UB’s award-winning a cappella group, Michael King has set out to conquer a new stage and a new audience. In his storied career as soul man and songwriter, King has won national awards for his solos and arrangements, he’s won karaoke contests trying to cut his teeth on tough Queen City crowds, and he won the respect of Buffalo’s top jazz and R&B musicians singing backup for soul diva Christy Smothers. But Michael King is done singing backup. King’s shows are always exciting, filled with reimagined covers just as eclectic as the artist himself – he’ll put his own spin on blues and pop standards and 90s rap classics, coving everyone from John Mayer and Martin Sexton to Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight; and listeners will leave happy, having found new gems or fallen in love with old favorites all over again. King’s covers are treats – delicious appetizers and desserts – but the real, juicy, 72 oz. steak is his repertoire of originals – red, rare, and slow-cooked to perfection. His new-school old-soul sound mixes head-bobbing funk and tender heartache, and the lyrics are filled with as much passion as King and his band bring to the stage, every night. A triple-threat himself on piano, guitar, and vocals, King regularly plays with top local artists and nationally touring musicians, including guitarists Daniel Ross and Michael DiSanto, bassists RiShon Odel Northington and Zuri Appleby, and drummers Daniel “DP” Powell and Carl “Flute” Johnson. But no matter who’s sharing the stage, King always manages to coax the maximum energy, enthusiasm, and consummate funksmanship out of his band. King’s first EP, Open, recorded in Buffalo’s GCR studios, was released in the summer of 2012. Since then, the soul man’s name has steadily spread: you might have seen him at the Colored Musicians Club, at Canvas, Blush, the Blue Martini, or the Hertel Lounge. If you haven’t had the pleasure of watching Michael King perform, track him down. You’ll be singing his songs for months to come.