Michael Ricks

Michael Ricks is a Nashville-based country musician with the unique story of having grown up in an Indiana-based, Word of Faith cult. Michael's parents raised the family with an unwavering commitment to the principles of the cult which, among other things, taught against the use of modern medicine to the detriment of over 100 church member deaths in under twenty years.

The eldest of nine children, Michael suffered the brunt of emotional, psychological and physical abuse meted out by his ardent father who worked thoroughly to instill suffering as a normal way of life. Michael describes how music helped him cope through the abuse and well into his adult years.

Musically gifted by the age of 12, Michael took a paddle his father used to hit the children and turned it into a makeshift guitar. Thus began Michael's lifelong love affair with the guitar. After years of attacks of stress-induced asthma, Michael began a personal journey to ferret out the roots of his anxiety: a journey which has taken him into Nashville's world of country music in which he specializes in he banjo.

Well-known in the Nashville music scene, Michael is actively involved in both music and charitable communities where he has been involved in the following:

1) Worship leader for Nascar's Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip's Tuesday morning men's fellowship group

2) Artist in the Hyundai Pediatric Cancer Campaign Hope On Wheels at the New York Javits Center Int'l Auto Show with celebrity Aubrey Peeples of the ABC television show "Nashville."

3) Appearance with Lin Shaye in the new CMT TV comedy series "Still The King" starring Billy Ray Cyrus

4) Appearance in the new movie "Hav Faith" starring Terron Brooks from the NBC TV series "The Temptations."

5) Co-writer of "I Believe in Love" for American Idol's Melinda Doolittle's "You're The Reason."

Michael's story is an encouraging one of ongoing anxiety-remission through his love of country music and his knack for turning instruments of pain into instruments of redemption.