Full disclosure: I’m personal friends with Mike Meade. I’ve known him and his incredible family for most of my life, beginning when we were in our goofy, nerdy Missouri City Junior High years. But make no mistake, Meade is not on this list because he’s one of the best homies a brother could ever have. He is an insanely talented musician, and has been for decades.
Meade is a beast on the drums, but has made a name for himself professionally as a bass player. And as musicians know, beyond the biggest of the big names (Bootsy Collins, Marcus Miller, Larry Graham, Meshell Ndegeocello, Wayman Tisdale, Victor Wooten, James Jamerson, Charles Mingus, Esperanza Spalding, etc.), bass players rarely get any real public love or attention. And that makes no sense. Can you image life with no bass?!?! Me neither. And Mike Meade has been representing on the bass for a good minute.
“What attracted me to playing music was growing up hearing some of the most amazing variety of songs and sounds of my youth and finding out that I may have the ability to play and create music the same way,” said Meade. “It’s still an amazing feeling to be able to express myself and touch other people who hear it. I continuously get to enjoy new experiences and new surprising moments and new friendships with fellow musicians. I still love it today.”
He’s played on stages around the globe (France, Belgium, Germany, etc) with countless headlining performers like Country & Western star Sheila Ray Marshall, and rockers Hamilton Loomis and Sammy Hundley, to name a few.
Though Meade is a local artist, he’s originally from Topeka, Kansas and has been influenced by a wide variety of styles of music, including hard rock, folk, country and hard-hitting funk.
After making the move from drums to bass guitar, Meade has been playing music professionally for about 30 years, but has no plans of slowing down anytime soon.
“It’s still an amazing feeling to be able to express myself and touch other people who hear my music. I continuously get to enjoy new experiences and new surprising moments and new friendships with fellow musicians. I still love it today,” said Meade.
He has also recorded in several Texas studios playing different styles with different artists such as Loomis (touring nationwide and Europe); Kyle Cook (guitarist of Matchbox 20); Marshall performing, touring and recordingpop country, blues and Americana; Kirk McKim (guitarist of 10 years with Pat Travers, Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters) performing and recording; Soular Slide writing, performing and touring (funk); Libby Koch performing(Progressive country); Albert Orange; Chad Strader; Wendy Slayton and others.
Meade led the drumline during his senior year as a member of the Willowridge High School band the year their football team won the state championship going 15-0. During that season he created one of the most oft-copied drumline beats in the history of high school bands.
And he readily shares advice to up-and-coming musicians.
“If I have any advice for new musicians it’s to remember that if you want to make it a career, your reputation means everything. Be humble but be bold. Keep your mind and your ears open to all kinds of music, and always remember playing music is a huge blessing.”
MORE ABOUT MIKE MEADE
College: University of Houston
Favorite Superhero: The Vision
Former Local Bands He’s Played In: Pegasus, Street Signs
What Are You Reading These Days: Weapons of Mass Distraction
