Michael Erlewine
Encyclopedia
Michael Erlewine is an American
musician
, astrologer
, and Internet
entrepreneur
who founded All Music Guide (now known as allmusic) in 1991.
folk scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In 1961 he hitchhiked with Bob Dylan
, and had traveled to Greenwich Village
, Venice, California) and San Francisco. He and his brother Dan founded a blues band called The Prime Movers, which regularly played Chicago
; other members included "Blue" Gene Tyranny (Robert Sheff), and when the drummer left, they replaced him with Iggy Pop
(James Osterberg), then 18. It was the Prime Movers who gave him the nickname "Iggy", because he had played in the band the Iguanas
. According to biographer Jim Ambrose, the two years Osterberg spent in the band made him aware of "art, politics, and experimentation".
In 1977 Erlewine founded Matrix Software. He was the first person to program astrology on microcomputers and make astrological programs available to the astrological community. Today Matrix Software (http://www.astrologysoftware.com) is the second oldest software company still on the Internet, the oldest being Microsoft. Erlewine has published more than forty books on astrology and related topics.
Today Erlewine lives in Big Rapids, Michigan
, with his wife. They have four children. He is the uncle of AMG critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine
.
reference that licenses its content to numerous other websites. Erlewine regained control of Matrix Software in November 2008 and continues as director of that company.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, astrologer
Astrologer
An astrologer practices one or more forms of astrology. Typically an astrologer draws a horoscope for the time of an event, such as a person's birth, and interprets celestial points and their placements at the time of the event to better understand someone, determine the auspiciousness of an...
, and Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
who founded All Music Guide (now known as allmusic) in 1991.
Background
Erlewine has had several careers. As a musician, he was active in the MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
folk scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In 1961 he hitchhiked with Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, and had traveled to Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
, Venice, California) and San Francisco. He and his brother Dan founded a blues band called The Prime Movers, which regularly played Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
; other members included "Blue" Gene Tyranny (Robert Sheff), and when the drummer left, they replaced him with Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
(James Osterberg), then 18. It was the Prime Movers who gave him the nickname "Iggy", because he had played in the band the Iguanas
The Iguanas (Ann Arbor)
The Iguanas was a garage rock band formed during 1963 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and was one the first bands of James Osterberg, now better known as Iggy Pop. Osterberg was the drummer of the band while in high school, and got his nickname "Iggy" from the name of this band...
. According to biographer Jim Ambrose, the two years Osterberg spent in the band made him aware of "art, politics, and experimentation".
In 1977 Erlewine founded Matrix Software. He was the first person to program astrology on microcomputers and make astrological programs available to the astrological community. Today Matrix Software (http://www.astrologysoftware.com) is the second oldest software company still on the Internet, the oldest being Microsoft. Erlewine has published more than forty books on astrology and related topics.
Today Erlewine lives in Big Rapids, Michigan
Big Rapids, Michigan
Big Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,849. It is the county seat of Mecosta County. The city is located within Big Rapids Township, but is politically independent.-Geography:...
, with his wife. They have four children. He is the uncle of AMG critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
.
All Music Guide
In the 1990s, Erlewine founded the All Music Guide (allmusic.com), the All Movie Guide (allmovie.com), and the All Game Guide (allgame.com). The first site in particular has become an important popular musicPopular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
reference that licenses its content to numerous other websites. Erlewine regained control of Matrix Software in November 2008 and continues as director of that company.
Publications
- Erlewine, Michael, 1992, “All-Music Guide,” Editor,(Miller-Freeman)
- Erlewine, Michael, 1999, “All-Music Guide to the Blues,” Editor,(Miller-Freeman)
- Erlewine, Michael, 1999, “All-Music Guide to Rock,” Editor,(Miller-Freeman)
- Erlewine, Michael, 1997, “All-Music Guide to Country,” Editor,(Miller-Freeman)
- Erlewine, Michael, 1996, “All-Music Guide to Jazz,” Editor,(Miller-Freeman)
- Erlewine, Michael, 1976, “The Sun is Shining,” paperback,(Heart Center Publications)
- Erlewine, Michael, 1976, “Astrophysical Directions,” paperback,(Heart Center Publications)
- Erlewine, Michael, 1976, “Interface: Planetary Nodes,” paperback,(Heart Center Publications)
- Erlewine, Michael, 1981, “Local space: Relocation Astrology,” paperback,(Heart Center Publications)
- Erlewine, Michael, “Tibetan Earth Lords: Tibetan Astrology and Geomancy ,” paperback,(Heart Center Publications)
- Erlewine, Michael, 2007, “Astrology’s Mirror: Full-Phase Aspects,” paperback,(Heart Center Publications)
- Erlewine, Michael, 1998, “Our Pilgrimage to Tibet ,” paperback,(Heart Center Publications)
- Erlewine, Michael, 1980, “Burn Rate: Retrogrades in Astrology,” paperback,(Heart Center Publications)
- Erlewine, Michael, 2005, “Mother Moon: Astrology of ‘The Lights’,” paperback,(Heart Center Publications)
- Erlewine, Michael, 2007, “Interpret Astrology: The 360 3-Way Combinations,” paperback,(Heart Center Publications)
- Erlewine, Michael, 2007, “Interpret Astrology: The House Combinations,” paperback,(Heart Center Publications)
- Erlewine, Michael, 2007, “Interpret Astrology: The Planetary Combinations,” paperback,(Heart Center Publications)
- Erlewine, Michael, 2008, “Astrology of the Heart: Astro-Shamanism,” paperback,(Heart Center Publications)
- Erlewine, Michael, 2008, “The Astrology of Space ,” paperback,(Heart Center Publications)
- Erlewine, Michael, 2008, “StarTypes: Life-Path Partners ,” paperback,(Heart Center Publications)
- Erlewine, Michael, 2008, “How to Learn Astrology,” paperback,(Heart Center Publications)
- Erlewine, Michael, 2008, “The Art of Feng Shui ,” paperback,(Heart Center Publications)
- Erlewine, Michael, 2008, “Tibetan Astrology,” paperback,(Heart Center Publications)
- Erlewine, Michael, 2010, “Experiences with Mahamudra,” paperback,(Heart Center Publications)
- Erlewine, Michael, 2010, “Nature in the Backyard,” paperback,(Heart Center Publications)
- Erlewine, Michael,2010, “Dharma Poems,” paperback,(Heart Center Publications)
- Erlewine, Michael and Stanley Livingston "Blues in Black & White: The Landmark Ann Arbor Blues Festivals," 2010, paperback, (University of Michigan Press)
External links
- Michael Erlewine at I-94 Bar Interview
- Michael Erlewine by Barbara Flaska Interview
- Michael Erlewine Biography Interview
- Michael Erlewine A.C.T. Dialogs Dialogs
- Matrix Software Company
- [ Biography] All-Music Guide Biography of The Prime Movers by Terry jenkins
- The Prime Movers Rusted Chrome profile
- http://youtube.com/user/merlewine Audio Track] 12 Tracks fromThe Prime Movies Blues Band