Mike Lee

For those of you that actually know me, you probably know the story on Mike Lee. For those of you who dont know me - I dont really know how to explain it. But, I started thinking about Mike again the other day. I was taking a shower and decided to listen to one of my TH CD's and starting thinking back onto the Mike Lee days.

You see, Mike used to play keyboards for a country singer (TH)- that is how I met him. The first time I ever talked to him - my friends and I introduced him to deep fried Cheese curds.. (how he had never had one was beyond me). After that, when I would attend one of the TH concerts, we would talk - and it eventually grew into a friendship.. At least I would say that... I remember so many conversations, stories from those years: Blowing up pictures for him to give to his family, random conversations about just normal stuff, the Mike Lee fan club, bi-monthly/monthly e-mail updates on how he was doing (when he would be home and not on the road).

It got to the point where I was traveling to see TH perform. I think the farthest I went was probably 12 hours just for a few concerts... People thought I was crazy, but I did this quite often. I was in college and thought nothing of it... i had the time and people to go with me - why not make the trips.

But, then Mike Lee quit TH's band - he met a girl, got married and had a baby.. I remember the concert where I found out he was leaving the band - and that he was going to be a daddy.. It was exciting to hear the news, but at the same time disappointing to realize i would no longer be seeing/talking to Mike on a fairly regular basis. My friends used to tell me that I wasnt going to the concerts to see TH perform - but that I was going to see Mike... I always blew it off and told them no. The truth is, in the beginning I was going to see TH.. But, as time went on, I was going to the shows to see Mike... This realization hit me once Mike quit the band... The urge to go to the TH concert wasnt there anymore. Sure, I went to a few more - but didnt travel more than a few hours. Without Mike on stage making faces and coming out to chat with me afterwards, it just wasnt the same. I was going to shows to see Mike, the keyboard player, and not the main singer.

About a year later, I went down to Texas to visit my brother. I had known that Mike was playing in a club around the Dallas area with a local band. So, when I made the trip to see my brother, I made sure I was able to hit the club he played at.. We got there, and I saw him, and got to chat with him again - see a picture of the baby.. and just catch up a bit... It was a great ending..

I still think about Mike Lee... Whenever TH comes on the radio or I play one of his CD's or I am putzing around on my keyboard, I cant help but have a flashback to the days and conversations of Mike Lee. I am currently trying to find a time to make a trip back down to TX to see my brother - and trying to decide if I want to stop by and say hi to Mike again..