Mike Steed was born in Savannah, Georgia in 1944, and has lived in Bowdon, Georgia since 1953. In addition to Zach and David who are in Bullsboro, Mike has sons Noah and  Wes and daughter, Loree. These children are all grown and in the breeding  population, thus he and his wife Cheryl have four grandchildren. Fortunately for the grandchildren, they also have three daughters-in-law and one  son-in-law. Mike is the CEO of the Bowdon based Steed Company, manufacturer of  printed fabric labels  for the home textile and apparel industries.  His hobbies outside of music include writing a syndicated newspaper column, magazine articles and he is  co-author of a book called Cooking With Lard (Longstreet Press).  Reading, travel and golf are also things that Mike likes to do. 

Mike says the Chet Atkins album, “Hi Fi and Wide”, changed his life. It completely blew him away; made him want to play guitar. He loves the  fingerpicking style of guitar to this day. Mike used to listen to the Rev. J  Basil Mull on late night clear channel WLAC radio when he sold and played Chuck Wagon Gang records. Mike learned to sing harmony from those shows and from listening to choirs in little country churches during a few years as a part time undertaker. He learned to play guitar during college on an old Danelectro. He names Mr. Bill Harvell, an old time banjo player, as being his first bluegrass influence.Bill taught Mike to play with a flat pick for rhythm behind his banjo. Later, Johnny Jackson let Mike jam with him long enough that both of  them got a job with Bullsboro, where Donnie Lee continued Mike’s education. Mike has been with Bullsboro for twenty-seven years now and he plays a 1975 Martin D-76 Bicentennial and an old Gallagher G-60 (one of only two made).Beyond that, Mike has been musically and spiritually moved by Doc Watson  (he even bought a Gallagher guitar), Clarence White, George Shuffler, Tony Duck, and Tony Rice. There are many fine pickers out there today, and Mike marvels at hearing them. He never did get over Chet Atkins.

In addition to Mike’s outstanding rhythm guitar work, he is one of the finest  bass and baritone singers in our area. Mike also says that he can still sing  the lead part on”They Won’t Believe on Me”.