Biography

Walt Michael’s various incarnations, including Bottle Hill, Michael, McCreesh & Campbell and Walt Michael & Co. have spanned 40 years and taken him from the coal camps of Appalachia to the White House to the Closing Ceremonies of the 13th Olympic Winter Games.

Considered to be a virtuoso of tremendous influence in the revival of the hammered dulcimer, Walt’s wide repertoire ranges from old-time Southern Appalachian, to Celtic, to breathtaking original compositions. As a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist and he has recorded fourteen albums and instructional videos, appeared at the Lincoln Center,  the Kennedy Center and toured extensively throughout the US, Canada, Europe and the UK. His music has been heard on ABC-TV, NBC's Tonight Show, Broadway, BBC, TNN, CBC, OLN and PBS.

Walt has composed and performed collaboratively with both the Pilobolus Dance Theater and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He was the musical producer, composer and recording artist for the Outdoor Living Network’s documentary, Cowboy 101, which premiered in October 2004. In 2005 he collaborated with 5-time Tennessee State Fiddle Champion Jim Wood to produce two instrumental albums featuring his signature hammered dulcimer artistry. His music figures prominently in the feature length movie “The Last Blast” in which he also plays two roles: a punk rocker and a G-man. Walt is a 2016 recipient of a Maryland Traditions Apprenticeship Award from the MD State Arts Council as a master hammered dulcimer player.

Walt is the Artist in Residence at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland, as well as founder and Executive Director of Common Ground on the Hill, now in its 30th year, an international arts organization which seeks to promote interracial harmony through the traditional arts.