Mike McCoy was born in Raleigh, NC but raised primarily in Richmond, VA. He got his first guitar at eight
years old and, by nine, was obsessed with mastering the instrument. Living in Richmond was a crucial
part of that development. There are as many good guitar players in that area as are in Nashville, TN and
living there inspired McCoy to practice for hours every day, so he’d be as good as, or better than, the
rest. His house was always “the place to be.” His father was a jazz pianist that played with the likes of
Charles Mingus, Clark Terry and Gerry Mulligan. With such inspirational characters always rehearsing at
his house, there was a never-ending hustle bustle to McCoy’s familial life.
McCoy’s family moved to Atlanta, GA when he was fifteen. By the time he was seventeen, he was playing
music at night and attending high school during the day. He played all the clubs in Underground Atlanta,
which, in those days, was like a mini New Orleans. Today, it’s scrubbed clean and safe like a mall; but, in
those days, it teemed with clubs and musicians of all types. When their guitar player wound up in jail, he
shared the stage with The Manhattans, whose hit “Let’s Just Kiss and Say Goodbye” spent two weeks at
number one on the Billboard Charts.
At eighteen, he joined a fairly-known rock n’ roll band called Fragile. As soon as he graduated from high
school, the band hit the road. They relentlessly toured the east coast for four solid years. After the
constant travel, everyone was burned out and the band split up.
Over the course of the next several years, McCoy did session work in Philadelphia and New York City,
followed by a move to Myrtle Beach, SC with wife, Laura. He joined The Necessary Band in 2007. Besides
his family, his life is music 24/7 and he wouldn’t want it any other way.
years old and, by nine, was obsessed with mastering the instrument. Living in Richmond was a crucial
part of that development. There are as many good guitar players in that area as are in Nashville, TN and
living there inspired McCoy to practice for hours every day, so he’d be as good as, or better than, the
rest. His house was always “the place to be.” His father was a jazz pianist that played with the likes of
Charles Mingus, Clark Terry and Gerry Mulligan. With such inspirational characters always rehearsing at
his house, there was a never-ending hustle bustle to McCoy’s familial life.
McCoy’s family moved to Atlanta, GA when he was fifteen. By the time he was seventeen, he was playing
music at night and attending high school during the day. He played all the clubs in Underground Atlanta,
which, in those days, was like a mini New Orleans. Today, it’s scrubbed clean and safe like a mall; but, in
those days, it teemed with clubs and musicians of all types. When their guitar player wound up in jail, he
shared the stage with The Manhattans, whose hit “Let’s Just Kiss and Say Goodbye” spent two weeks at
number one on the Billboard Charts.
At eighteen, he joined a fairly-known rock n’ roll band called Fragile. As soon as he graduated from high
school, the band hit the road. They relentlessly toured the east coast for four solid years. After the
constant travel, everyone was burned out and the band split up.
Over the course of the next several years, McCoy did session work in Philadelphia and New York City,
followed by a move to Myrtle Beach, SC with wife, Laura. He joined The Necessary Band in 2007. Besides
his family, his life is music 24/7 and he wouldn’t want it any other way.
Mike McCoy
Guitar/Vocals
On the Run
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