User:Michaelangelo11/sandbox

Belfast singer songwriter Michael Cunningham was born in Belfast 3rd March 1966.

He grew up in Sunninghill Drive, North Belfast and attended Park Lodge Primary and Christian Brothers Hightown Road. Music was at the heart of his home, and he played in the folk group of Holy Family Church. This was a major influence in developing his more formal musical skills.

His earliest teenage public performances were as a busker in Belfast city centre, during the IRA bombing campaign. Although quite a risky pastime, it helped him build confidence & develop his own play-lists. He has continued occasional busking until the present day.

He was a member of various rock bands and groups. He was lead singer with “The Usual Suspects”, and worked with Jim Anderson, a guitar player & songwriter. He formed a duo with Jim called “Thelma & Louise". For three years they wrote their own material & played in Singer/ Songwriter nights and in Belfast bars and clubs, including the Duke of York, Katy Dalys, and The John Hewitt etc. They received media coverage, including press, radio sessions and even a slot on Ulster Television’s Kelly Show. They also made a number of recordings in local studios.

Due to pressures of job, mortgage, marriage and the arrival of a young family, Michael & Jim inevitably drifted apart, and music moved from centre-stage in his life to an enjoyable hobby.

20 years later, in 2016, Michael gave up his unsatisfying career in advertising and returned to music. He reinvigorated his old group “The Usual Suspects”, and his tribute band “U2 Elevation” (he leads as “Bono”!)

He also had the time to indulge hid passion with lots of “Personal Nights”…one-man swing-nite performances as George Michael, Lionel Ritchie or Michael Bublé gigs.

Some exciting outcomes followed. He secured new performances for “The Unusual Suspects”… A highlight was the 1916 Halloween Special, in Belfast Titanic Quarter: organised by Belfast City Council. They were the solo band playing to over 33,000…the biggest local crowd ever for a cover band in Belfast.

They were so well received that they got the gig again on Halloween night in 2017.

In September 2016, a “lightbulb-moment” was the discovery in his garage in Dollingstown of a dusty old cardboard box containing lost tapes of his Thelma and Louise songs from 20 years previously.

The sound quality and recording factors were too poor to re-master, but Michael was moved by their compelling power. Their themes of love, loss and loneliness were timeless, underpinned by haunting melodies and heart-tugging lyrics.

Since then, he’s dedicated myself to producing and recording the best of those songs.

Liasing with his former partner, Jim Anderson (now retired from music) and working with Einstein Studios in Antrim, he has painstakingly produced his first album, using top local musicians and state-of-the-art recording facilities

Appropriately the album’s entitled ”Hidden Treasure…” It was trailed in December 2017, and launched in January 2018.

Early feedback and media coverage has been encouraging:

Reverbnation:  several of the songs  have been highlighted by ReverbNation, one of the world’s leading online music platforms, which provides tools and opportunities for musicians. Their user base has about 4 million musicians, fans, and labels in more than 250 countries. American Veterans Radio:https://www.michaelcunningham.co.uk AVA Radio Florida ..interview featured artist interview https://twitter.com/i/web/status/946245969716416514 '''Sunday Life' 3rd December 2017 Belfast Media Group http://belfastmediagroup.com/local-singer-releases-new-album-for-christmas/