Who is Michael Hawkeye Herman? He is an educator, a teacher, a writer, a composer, and a musician. Michael has been presenting "Blues in the Schools" programs since 1980, and has received the Keepin' The Blues Alive Award for achievement in education. As a writer he contributed to the anthology, "Up the Mississippi/A Journey of The Blues". As a composer he wrote the music for the hit play "El Paso Blue" and won a Barrymore Theater Award. He also performed on Broadway in the New York City production of that play. He collaborated on the music for Robert Schenkkan's play "The Handler". He served on the Board of Directors of The Blues Foundation and was chairperson of the Foundation's education committee. He also just released his newest cd "It's All Blues To Me", on the Topaz Record label.

Michael Hawkeye Herman's style was once called folk blues. He is a combination of Jack Elliot, and Fred Neil. He sets up a rapport with the listener and turns contemporary songs from other genres into classics. In between them will be an original or two. It all comes out Hawkeye.

Opening with Fats Domino's "Josephine", he also covers Slim Harpo's "Baby, Scratch My Back", "Merle Travis' "Sixteen Tons", Van Morrison's "Moondance", Santana's "Evil Ways", "Clint Ballard's "You're No Good"(popularized by Betty Everett), "Percy Mayfield's "Baby Please", Oscar Brown Jr's , "Signifyin' Monkey", Bob Dylan's "Blind Willie McTell", Tommy Duncan's "Brain Cloudy Blues", Hank Williams' "Mind Your Own Business", Bobby Troup's "Route 66", and Tony Joe White's "Polk Salad Annie". It all comes out Hawkeye.

Hawkeye also has written two songs "I Used To Ride That Train" and "Give Me a Grandma Every Time". Washboard and percussion is provided by Washboard Chaz. Michael Hawkeye Herman is a Champion of Blues Education and our greatest communicator to our youth. Check out Michael Hawkeye Herman's website at hawkeyeherman.com

Richard Ludmerer
Director, The New York Blues & Jazz Society
ricdale2@yahoo.com