Michelle Malone

Michelle Malone

Michelle Malone is an award-winning American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer in the rock, folk, blues and pop idioms. She is also the founder of SBS Records.

Malone was born and raised in Atlanta, GA by a musician mother with whom she toured in the summers. She grew up listening to her mother and grandmother sing in the church choir every Sunday when they werent on the road. She dropped out of high school at 16 and ran away from home. After a few brushes with the law, she went back to high school and became the valedictorian. She attended Agnes Scott College with dreams of becoming a doctor, but was offered a record deal with Clive Davis at Arista Records, which looked alot more interesting than more school.

When it came time to craft her own sound, she took those religious and secular roots, blended in enough folk, rock and blues to satisfy, and came up with a rootsy high-spirited sound that brings acoustic and electric slide and passionate vocals together harkening back to the lost recordings of Bonnie Raitt, Susan Tedeschi and Lucinda Williams fronting The Rolling Stones.

After several major label releases, Malone is now an independent artist with 15 studio records to date and an impressive resume which includes hi profile performances with everyone from Gregg Allman to Ellen Degeneres, ZZ Top to the Atlanta Symphony, various awards including best albums, 4x best singer, 3x best acoustic guitarist, and 2 Grammy ballot nominations. Her songs have appeared in such films as Bam Bam and Celeste, All Over Me, Shotgun Jesus and television programs True Blood, Dawson's Creek, Felicity, Brooklyn South. They have been recorded by Indigo Girls (for which she received both gold and platinum records), Antigone Rising, Hannah Thomas, and Vistoso Bosses.

Malone has also made time for philanthropic endeavors such as running the Paris marathon for Team In Training/The Leukemia Society, and cycling with Team Earth Challenge from Atlanta to Yucca Mountain, NV in protest of the nuclear waste dumping. In 2012 she started a college scholarship fund for girls in need. She currently contributes to various women's and children's non-profit organizations, and donates time to local Georgia music organizations and schools.

Malone has performed for TedX Peachtree, been honored with a Signature guitar slide modeled and named after her by Rocky Mountain Slides, was the keynote speaker at a SoCal high school graduation, toured as the rhythm guitarist and mandolin player for Kristian Bush (Sugarland). Most recently she performed with Gregg Allman at Atlanta Symphony Hall for a salute to Georgia Music and Drivin' N' Cryin' for their induction into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.

Michelle's new record, Slings and Arrows is upbeat, defiant, and jubilant, flush with the raw energy and emotion that’s always been a part of her signature sound all while nudging her deeper into some personal new territory. These songs speak to desire and disappointment, optimism and awareness, all with a driving and fiery conviction.

“The past year seemed to alternate between darkness and light,” Malone reflects. “It’s kind of been the arc of my life in general, but even more so over the past year. In a very real sense, this album is a microcosm of issues that I’ve encountered, and in writing this record, it became a kind of therapy. It helped change my perspective, and I suspect that there are messages here that can offer affirmation to others as well.”

Malone describes Slings And Arrows as a “Georgia record,” due to the fact that the musicians, studios, and even those responsible for the visual art are all Georgians. ”I take a lot of pride in Georgia and the importance that Georgia music has played not only in my music but also in American music in general,” she says. “Georgians such as Little Richard, James Brown, Ray Charles all laid the ground work. Without them, we would never have had Elvis, the Beatles, the Stones - there would be no rock and roll. I made a conscious effort to capture some of these Georgia roots on this record.”

As the New York Times once pointed out, Malone is "The kind of singer and songwriter who can jolt things into overdrive." That’s best evidenced by the fact that the record was recorded live in the studio. It took all of five days to get the songs on tape. “I aim for authenticity,” Malone insists. “I don’t know how to do it any other way. I’m at my best when I’m just being myself.”

Produced by Malone herself, recorded by Jeff Bakos and mixed and mastered by Gerry Hansen, Slings and Arrows finds her handling vocals, brandishing electric and acoustic guitars (including her signature slide guitar), harp, and mandolin, with additional support from guitarist Doug Kees (Peter Searcy, Johnny Hyde Quartet), bassist Robby Handley (Lera Lynn, Larkin Poe), drummer Chris Burroughs (Lizz Wright, Chris Duarte) percussionist Trish Land, and special guests Shawn Mullins who sings a duet with Malone, Peter Stroud (Sheryl Crow, Stevie Nicks) who plays additional guitar on a song and Joey Huffman (Georgia Satellites, Hank Williams jr) who played keys on a song.

Malone slyly adds half jokingly and half seriously, “These Slings and Arrows have the power to defeat your blues, move your shoes and put you back together, too!” Who doesn’t want that?

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