Michael Dean Church

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Michael Dean Church was born in a part of our country where hard work is just a part of everyday life. Welch, WV isn’t glamorous. Dreams there are filled with the day to day struggle of working coalminers trying to survive. The work is dark, dirty and dangerous; but it binds the community together like no other profession.

Families gather in small churches each Sunday where music becomes a food for their souls. Almost every family has at least one guitar player or banjo picker representing their family. Some family’s have those that can sing. You learn to appreciate your neighbor, developing the skills of respect and concern when you grow up there. All of this becomes a part of who you are. On any given day, something could happen in a coal mine that would change your life forever. Church’s father was injured in a mining accident, while Church was just a toddler. Unable to continue mining, Church’s father worked in the mine as security. By the time Church was twelve, the local mines began to close, leaving his family no choice but to relocate to where work was available.

The Church’s packed-up the family, and headed for Rome, Georgia. There Michael Dean Church found himself in a whole new environment. Here the mountains didn’t block the radio waves. All types of music eagerly flowed into the Church’s home: country, blues, pop, R&B, and Gospel. Michael Dean Church soaked-up what he heard, singing to the radio, noticing, not just the rhythm and beat, but also the emotions that the singers expressed when they sang a lyric.