Micki Free
| Micki Free | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 20, 1955 |
| Genres | Rock, blues, electric blues, blues rock |
| Occupation(s) | Entertainer, musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, Singing, Native American flute, Harmonica, |
| Associated acts | Micki Free American Horse, Shalamar |
| Website | The Official Website of Micki Free |
Micki Free (born May 20, 1955) is a guitarist and singer of Native American descent. He won a Grammy Award for his contribution to the Beverly Hills Cop (1984) movie soundtrack and has won two Native American Music Awards. He is the director of Promotions and Special Events for the Seminole Tribe of Florida, owners of Hard Rock International.
Micki Free, a "mixed-blood" Native American, was born in West Texas and moved to Europe soon afterward. He claims Irish, Comanche, and Cherokee descent. His stepfather, a U.S. Army sergeant, was stationed in Germany, and Free was introduced to rock 'n' roll there as a child, when one of his five sisters received tickets to a Jimi Hendrix concert and took him along to the show. "It just blew my mind", Free remembered.
His family later moved to Illinois, where Free formed a rock band, Smokehouse. When he was 17, he was discovered by Gene Simmons of KISS, during a concert at which Smokehouse was the opening act for KISS, Ted Nugent, and REO Speedwagon. After Simmons' encouragement, Free joined Shalamar in 1984, just in time for the band's big successes, including a #17 position in U.S. Top 20 in 1984 with "Dancing In The Sheets" from the Footloose soundtrack, and a Grammy for "Don't Get Stopped In Beverly Hills" from the Beverly Hills Cop (1984) soundtrack in 1985. With Shalamar, he was nominated for a Grammy three times.
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