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Michael Brewer
was born on April 14th,
1944 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The oldest of four children, he
performed on the radio at age four. He was a singing drummer in a rock
and roll band in highschool, along with fellow band mate and guitarist
Jesse Ed Davis. In 1960 he sold his drums and bought his first guitar (
A Martin D-18. The same guitar heard on six "Brewer & Shipley" albums).
After graduating highschool in 1962, he traveled the folk circuit
performing in coffee houses from coast to coast, and began writing
songs. He met Tom Shipley in 1964 at The Blind Owl coffee house in Kent,
Ohio, but they wouldn't become a team for a few more years.
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Tom
Mastin, Billy Mundi, Michael, & Jim Fielder |
He teamed with first partner Tom Mastin
in 1965, and settled in San Francisco, then Los Angeles. His first
recording contract was with Columbia Records as
Mastin and Brewer. They formed a band with drummer
Billy Mundi (later to be an original member of Frank Zappa's Mothers of
Invention), and bassist Jim Fielder (later to be an original member
of Blood, Sweat & Tears). Mastin & Brewer toured southern California
opening for The Byrds ("Eight Miles High" was their current hit),
along with another newly formed band Buffalo Springfield. Buffalo Springfield
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together in a house next door to
Michael, once owned by Lenny Bruce, and they got their name from a road
work vehicle that was parked in front of Michael's house. Mastin & Brewer began headlining clubs in L.A., and began recording,
but Mastin decided he couldn't take the pressure, and they separated. Sadly, years later Tom Mastin commited suicide.
Their man at Columbia Records was leaving to help create a new record
company being formed by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss called A&M Records.
He took Michael with him, and he became a staff song writer for A&M's
publishing company Good Sam Music. For a short while, Michael and his
brother, Keith, tried writing together ("Love Love" on "Down In L.A.").
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Tom Shipley moved into a house around the corner from Michael and they
began writing songs together. Soon, Tom was a staff writer for A&M, as
well. Their demos for the publishing company exhibited a sound and style
of their own, and A&M suggested they record their songs themselves.
Their first album "Brewer & Shipley/Down In L.A." was released in 1968.
Unhappy
with life on the coast, Michael and Tom moved back to the heartland,
doing what they'd done before.....performing their songs for those
who'd care to listen. They made Kansas City, |
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Missouri their home, and with friends,
formed a company named Good Karma Productions. "Brewer & Shipley" acquired a new recording contract with Buddha/Kama Sutra
Records in New York City. They recorded four albums for that
label…"Weeds", "Tarkio" (Containing the now classic rock anthem "One
Toke Over The Line"), "Shake Off The Demon", and "Rural Space".
Eventually, they moved to Capitol Records and recorded two albums
"ST-11261" and "Welcome To Riddle Bridge".
In 1980 Michael and Tom went their separate ways. Michael met Dan
Fogelberg in a bar in the Rocky mountains, and Dan invited him to sing
on a song on his latest album. The album is "Innocent Age" and the song
is "The Reach". Dan produced Michael's first solo LP entitled "Beauty
Lies", on Full Moon/Warner Bros. Records, and it was released in 1983.
In 1987 "Brewer & Shipley" regrouped for a special concert in Kansas
City. They did a few more reunion shows, but writing new songs is what
got them back together. While on tour in Alaska, they decided to form
their own company "One Toke Productions". They have written songs for
and recorded two CD's for that company, "Shanghai" and "Heartland", and
after thirty something years together "Brewer & Shipley" are still
performing. |
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In 2004 Michael recorded his second solo effort, entitled
"Michael
Brewer/ Retro Man". To purchase it or other Brewer &
Shipley CDs click on the merchandise link on the home page of this site.
Michael has written songs that have been recorded by Stephen Stills, Don McLean,
Jonathan Edwards, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Dillards, Seldom
Scene, Rice/ Rice/ Hillman & Pederson, to name a few. |
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Today Michael resides in the Ozark mountains in southern Missouri.
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