MichaelCroan

Born September 1st, 1975, the Roanoke, Virginia native began playing drums at the age of four, occasionally taking piano lessons from his mother and father in their home. Croan also picked up trumpet at 18 and guitar in his early adulthood, but his true love was always performing and recording as a singer.

Croan started his singing career at 19 as a member of the acapella group Southern Comfort while studying at Washington & Lee University in 1994. After continuing his studies at the University of Virginia, Croan began performing with local bands in Charlottesville and became a singer for a Pink Floyd cover band.

In 1995, Croan encouraged his mother, Rene Marie, to start singing publicly. Her career blossomed quickly, leading to two Grammy nominations for Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2015 and 2017. Watching her rise, Michael shifted his own focus — realizing that music was more than a hobby, but a necessity for his well-being.

He moved to Denver, Colorado, and became one of the lead singers for Celebration Nation Entertainment. After performing in Colorado for a while, he began writing incessantly, finding that his true passion was creating and performing original music.

At his mother Rene Marie's request, Michael recorded his first original song "Deep In the Mountains" as a duet with the songstress on her album Black Lace Freudian Slip. It was during this time that Croan was able to work with countless accomplished musicians.

In 2014, Croan returned to Charlottesville, VA, and began putting an album together with the help of his long-time friend and business partner Charlie Jones. Recording began in 2016, working in concert with notable artist and producer Andy Waldeck of the bands Egypt and Earth to Andy.

Croan also worked closely with Joe Lawlor, a guitarist, producer, and longtime live recording engineer for the Dave Matthews Band — a collaboration that brought a seasoned live-music sensibility to the record.