Michael Coleman

Michael Coleman (June 24, 1956 – November 2, 2014) was a Chicago blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was voted one of the top 50 bluesmen in the world by Guitar World magazine. He released five solo albums and worked with James Cotton, Aron Burton, Junior Wells, John Primer and Malik Yusef.

Biography Coleman was born in 1956 in Chicago, Illinois. As a teenager he played with the Top 40 showband Midnight Sun and with the blues musicians Aron Burton and Johnny Dollar on Chicago's North Side. Coleman formed the Backbreakers as his backing ensemble in 1991.

In 2006, Coleman led a group of Delmark musicians on the album Blues Brunch at the Mart.

Coleman was overweight and had diabetes, which severely affected his health. His doctor advised a change in lifestyle, and Coleman subsequently lost 150 pounds.

Coleman died in November 2014, aged 58.

Discography Albums Year Title Record label 1990 Back Breaking Blues (Chicago Blues Sessions Vol. 18) Wolf (Austria) 1995 Self-Rising Blues SAAR (Italy) 1995 Shake Your Booty Wolf Records (Austria) 1997 You Can't Take What I Got SAAR (Italy) 2000 Do Your Thing! Delmark 2002 Chicago Blues Festival 1991 Black & Blue 2006 Blues Brunch at the Mart Delmark 2008 Harmony Mill Minefield

Selected work with other musicians High Compression, James Cotton (1984) Live from Chicago Mr. Superharp Himself, James Cotton (1986) Harp Attack!, James Cotton (1990) Poor Man Blues, John Primer (1991) The Great Chicago Fire: A Cold Day in Hell, Malik Yusef (2003) "Wouldn't You Like to Ride", Malik Yusef (2005)