Craig R. Calvert

   Michael 'T-Bird' Jackson

Craig Calvert has left a lasting mark on the Texas music scene. Born in Houston, Texas, Calvert was a founding member of Wheatfield and St. Elmo’s Fire, who were repeatedly featured at the Kerrville Folk Festival and also appeared on Austin City Limits. The bands toured extensively and were featured regularly at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin and Liberty Hall in Houston.

Since his early days in the music business, Craig has founded and performed in many different bands including: Wheatfield, St. Elmo’s Fire , Calvert/Bell, CPR, The Craig Calvert Group, Monday Night Live, The Sweaters, Hotcakes, Cadillac Cowboys, Murphy’s InLaws, Danny Britt & Red Dawg, and Calvert & Mims.

He co-founded the Austin Songwriters Group and is a sought-after collaborator and advisor for established players as well as up-and-coming talent. Craig is sits on the Board Of Governors for the Texas chapterof The Grammys, and is an active member of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM #433), the American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), and owns a publishing company called Calvertunes.

Calvert has even delved into the fine arts, spearheading and co-writing the musical production of three critically acclaimed ballets: Caliban, Rasputin and Bermuda Triangle.  The productions were performed by Houston Ballet, Chicago Ballet, Dallas Ballet, Ft Worth Ballet and other national touring companies. 

Craig has written in many genres including: folk, bluegrass, rock, pop, jazz  and Americana tunes. Though the styles may differ from song to song, the common thread is Calvert’s clever turn of phrase coupled with melodies and grooves that stay with you long after the song is over.

Through the years, Calvert’s tunes have appeared on many recordings including Lyle Lovett’s Grammy nominated, ‘Step Inside This House’ and Trout Fishing In America’s classic 'Over The Limit’. He recently released CPR Resuscitated by Calvert, Powell and Resnick and Pass The Chicken Wine by Murphy's InLaws.

Craig and Connie Mims have just released the self-titled CD called Wheatfield. The CD includes tracks from a never before released,1975 recording session and carefully selected cuts from Wheatfield's appearance a year later on Austin City Limits.

www.wheatfieldband.com 

Michael "T-Bird" Jackson was born and raised in Laredo, Texas. At the age of six he began to take an interest in music, teaching himself to play basic chords and melodies on a small electric organ. In 1963, inspired by the arrival of The Beatles, Mike learned to play the guitar, started a trio called the Cucarachas, and has been playing music in some form ever since. Mike's early fascination with vocal harmonies has propelled him to become an accomplished singer as well as a proficient vocal arranger. In addition to the guitar, Michael plays the bass, banjo, and mandolin and is a natural percussionist.

Playing his guitar to help pay for his education, Michael graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas and decided to make Austin his home. Immediately following graduation he toured with singer/songwriter Alex Harvey, the author of ‘Delta Dawn’ and ‘Reuben James’. Michael then founded the band Your Move and toured for seven years playing at clubs and parties around Texas. In 1981, Your Move served as hosts for the popular Monday Night Live show at Steamboat on Austin's Sixth Street. In 1984, Your Move disbanded but subsequently landed a "house gig" at a new Sixth Street nightspot called Anchovies and re-formed under the name Duck Soup. For the next four years, Michael entertained at Anchovies three nights a week while carrying on a successful real estate sales career as one of the original sales agents for nationally franchised Keller-Williams Realty.
 
In October of 1988 Mike joined Hotcakes-America's Band, helping create a sound that leans heavily on vocal harmonies and a wide variety of musical styles. Today, Hotcakes plays almost exclusively at corporate parties and has traveled from Los Angeles, California to Zurich, Switzerland.  The band also performs in different incarnations under the umbrella of Hotcakes Entertainment, such as Murphy's InLaws, in which Mike and his partner and co-owner, Craig Calvert, team up as a duo. In 2003, Murphy¹s InLaws released their first CD, titled Pass The Chicken Wine.
 
During his spare time in 1993 and 1994, Michael worked with the American Institute For Learning/Creative Rapid Learning Center, teaching performance and recording skills to at-risk youth. The project-based learning program called Tribes achieved its main goal in the spring of 1994 when Mike's students produced a CD containing their own original material. He is also the President of Blind Hog Audio Services and is very active in the commercial jingle industry.  He has produced and performed jingles at the local, regional and national levels.  Blind Hog is currently under contract with publishers Holt, Rinehart & Winston (HRW) as an audio editor for their audio textbook series.

During the course of a long, successful musical career, Michael has become known for his ability to sing and play many different styles. He is bilingual and can write and sing in Spanish.