Michael Aarons
Encyclopedia
Michael Aarons is an American guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and arranger. His credits include work on many Broadway shows as well as backing up and recording with many notable artists.
Originally from Washington D.C, Michael attended high school at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts
and then got his Bachelor of Music at the Manhattan School of Music
in 1998.
As a guitarist, Michael has backed up Ray Charles
, Stevie Wonder
, Patti LaBelle
, Paul McCartney
, Luther Vandross
, Michael McDonald
, James Ingram
, Elton John
and others.
Michael toured with Liza Minnelli
in her 2002 comeback tour, which kicked off a week at the Royal Albert Hall
. During his time in the band, Michael recorded on the "Liza's Back
" album produced by Phil Ramone
.
Michael is credited as guitarist of the Broadway Musicals: Grease (revival), High Fidelity (musical)
, Laugh Whore, 9 to 5: The Musical, the 2010 Tony Award Winning Best Musical Memphis (musical)
and Green Day's American Idiot (musical)
. Michael is a credited arranger on the Broadway show, Next To Normal, which won the 2009 Tony Awards for best score and best orchestrations and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
He is the lead guitarist for the 2011 revival of Godspell
on Broadway.
Michael is co-composer and co-owner of Mainkey Publishing, and has had songs featured on Lifetime, Style Network, Oxygen, OWN, ABC and MTV including the theme song for Style Network's How Do I Look?
.
Recently, he co-wrote the music for and played on Anya Singleton's critically acclaimed album, "The Other Side".
Michael is also the founder of Hybrid Music Productions which specializes in mobile media content and production.
Originally from Washington D.C, Michael attended high school at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts
Duke Ellington School of the Arts
The Duke Ellington School of the Arts is a high school located at 35th Street and R Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., and dedicated to arts education. One of the high schools of the District of Columbia Public School system, it is named for the American jazz bandleader and composer Edward...
and then got his Bachelor of Music at the Manhattan School of Music
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...
in 1998.
As a guitarist, Michael has backed up Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
, Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, Patti LaBelle
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
, Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...
, Michael McDonald
Michael McDonald (singer)
Michael McDonald is a five-time Grammy Award winning American singer and songwriter. McDonald is known for a soulful baritone singing style and a multi-octave range. He began his career singing back-up vocals with Steely Dan...
, James Ingram
James Ingram
James Ingram is an American soul musician. He is best known as a vocalist. He is also a self-taught musician who plays piano, guitar, bass, drums and keyboards...
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
and others.
Michael toured with Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
in her 2002 comeback tour, which kicked off a week at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
. During his time in the band, Michael recorded on the "Liza's Back
Liza's Back
Liza's Back is a live album by Liza Minnelli recorded on June 2, 2002.It was produced by her then husband, David Gest, and released on CD in the same year by J Records....
" album produced by Phil Ramone
Phil Ramone
Phil Ramone is a South-African violinist, composer, recording engineer, and record producer.-Biography:As a young child in South Africa, Ramone was a musical prodigy, beginning to play the violin at age three and performing for Queen Elizabeth II at age ten...
.
Michael is credited as guitarist of the Broadway Musicals: Grease (revival), High Fidelity (musical)
High Fidelity (musical)
High Fidelity is a musical with a book by David Lindsay-Abaire, lyrics by Amanda Green, and music by Tom Kitt. Based primarily on the Nick Hornby novel rather than the subsequent film version it inspired, the plot focuses on Rob Gordon, a Brooklyn record shop owner in his thirties obsessed with...
, Laugh Whore, 9 to 5: The Musical, the 2010 Tony Award Winning Best Musical Memphis (musical)
Memphis (Musical)
Memphis is a musical by David Bryan and Joe DiPietro . It is loosely based on Memphis disc jockey Dewey Phillips, one of the first white DJs to play black music in the 1950s...
and Green Day's American Idiot (musical)
American Idiot (musical)
American Idiot is a one-act, through-sung stage musical. The show is an adaptation of punk rock band Green Day's concept album of the same name. Additional Green Day songs were interpolated from other sources, including 21st Century Breakdown, American Idiot b-sides, and an unreleased song called...
. Michael is a credited arranger on the Broadway show, Next To Normal, which won the 2009 Tony Awards for best score and best orchestrations and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
He is the lead guitarist for the 2011 revival of Godspell
Godspell
Godspell is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since, including a 2011 revival now playing on Broadway...
on Broadway.
Michael is co-composer and co-owner of Mainkey Publishing, and has had songs featured on Lifetime, Style Network, Oxygen, OWN, ABC and MTV including the theme song for Style Network's How Do I Look?
How Do I Look?
How Do I Look? is a makeover show airing on the Style Network. The show was originally hosted by English soap opera veteran Finola Hughes; the current season is hosted by celebrity stylist Jeannie Mai. The show features "fashion victims," purportedly turned in by their friends, coworkers, and...
.
Recently, he co-wrote the music for and played on Anya Singleton's critically acclaimed album, "The Other Side".
Michael is also the founder of Hybrid Music Productions which specializes in mobile media content and production.