Michael Erlewine
American musician, astrologer, photographer, TV host, publisher and Internet entrepreneur; archivist of popular culture
About Michael Erlewine
Born 1941. Michael Erlewine is an American businessperson, astrologer, photographer, archivist, music journalist and entrepreneur.
John Michael Erlewine (; born July 18, 1941) is an American musician, astrologer, TV host, photographer, publisher, and Internet entrepreneur who founded the music online database site AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide) in 1991.
Biography Early life Erlewine was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, he has had several careers. As a musician, he was active in the Michigan folk music scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In 1961, he hitchhiked with Bob Dylan, and traveled to Greenwich Village in Lower Manhattan, New York; Venice, a Los Angeles neighborhood; and San Francisco.
Music career Erlewine, along with his younger brother Dan began a blues band called the Prime Movers, which regularly played in Chicago; other members included "Blue" Gene Tyranny (Robert Sheff). When the drummer left, the band replaced him with Iggy Pop (James Osterberg), then 18 years old. The Prime Movers gave him the nickname "Iggy" as he had played in the band The Iguanas. According to biographer Jim Ambrose, the two years Osterberg which was in the band made him aware of "art, politics, and experimentation." He has published more than forty books on astrology and related topics.
Honours Michael Erlewine and his band, the Prime Movers, were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2015.
Family Erlewine and his wife have four children including musician May Erlewine. He is the uncle of music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine.
All Music Guide In the 1990s, Erlewine founded the All Music Guide (allmusic.com), the All Movie Guide (allmovie.com), and the All Game Guide (allgame.com). The first site in particular has become an important popular music reference which licenses its content to numerous other websites. Erlewine regained control of Matrix Software (astrologysoftware.com) in November 2008 and is the director of the company.
Publications Erlewine, Michael, 1980, "Astrological programming manual", American Federation of Astrologers, Tempe, Arizona Erlewine, Michael, 1992, "All-Music Guide", editor (Miller-Freeman) Erlewine, Michael, 1999, "All-Music Guide to the Blues", editor (Miller-Freeman) Erlewine, Michael, 1999, "All-Music Guide to Rock", editor (Miller-Freeman) Erlewine, Michael, 1997, "All-Music Guide to Country", editor (Miller-Freeman) Erlewine, Michael, 1996, "All-Music Guide to Jazz", editor (Miller-Freeman) Erlewine, Michael, 1976, "The Sun Is Shining", paperback (Heart Center Publications) Erlewine, Michael, 1976, "Astrophysical Directions", paperback (Heart Center Publications) Erlewine, Michael, 1976, "Interface: Planetary Nodesâ, paperback (Heart Center Publications) Erlewine, Michael, 1981, âLocal Space: Relocation Astrologyâ, paperback (Heart Center Publications) Erlewine, Michael, âTibetan Earth Lords: Tibetan Astrology and Geomancyâ, paperback (Heart Center Publications) Erlewine, Michael, 2007, âAstrology's Mirror: Full-Phase Aspectsâ, paperback (Heart Center Publications) Erlewine, Michael, 1998, âOur Pilgrimage to Tibetâ, paperback (Heart Center Publications) Erlewine, Michael, 1980, âBurn Rate: Retrogrades in Astrologyâ, paperback (Heart Center Publications) Erlewine, Michael, 2005, âMother Moon: Astrology of 'The Lights'â, paperback (Heart Center Publications) Erlewine, Michael, 2007, âInterpret Astrology: The 360 3-Way Combinationsâ, paperback (Heart Center Publications) Erlewine, Michael, 2007, âInterpret Astrology: The House Combinationsâ, paperback (Heart Center Publications) Erlewine, Michael, 2007, âInterpret Astrology: The Planetary Combinationsâ, paperback (Heart Center Publications) Erlewine, Michael, 2008, âAstrology of the Heart: Astro-Shamanismâ, paperback (Heart Center Publications) Erlewine, Michael, 2008, âThe Astrology of Spaceâ, paperback (Heart Center Publications) Erlewine, Michael, 2008, âStarTypes: Life-Path Partnersâ, paperback (Heart Center Publications) Erlewine, Michael, 2008, âHow to Learn Astrologyâ, paperback (Heart Center Publications) Erlewine, Michael, 2008, âThe Art of Feng Shuiâ, paperback (Heart Center Publications) Erlewine, Michael, 2008, âTibetan Astrologyâ, paperback (Heart Center Publications) Erlewine, Michael, 2010, âExperiences with Mahamudraâ, paperback (Heart Center Publications) Erlewine, Michael, 2010, âNature in the Backyardâ, paperback (Heart Center Publications) Erlewine, Michael, 2010, âDharma Poemsâ, paperback (Heart Center Publications) Erlewine, Michael and Stanley Livingston, 2010, âBlues in Black & White: The Landmark Ann Arbor Blues Festivalsâ, paperback (University of Michigan Press)
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Important facts
People in Michael Erlewine's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Michael Erlewine's
Frequently asked questions
Who is Michael Erlewine?
American musician, astrologer, photographer, TV host, publisher and Internet entrepreneur; archivist of popular culture
When was Michael Erlewine born?
Michael Erlewine was born on 18 July 1941 in Lancaster.
What is Michael Erlewine's occupation?
Michael Erlewine is a businessperson, astrologer, photographer, archivist, music journalist and entrepreneur.
What nationality is Michael Erlewine?
Michael Erlewine is American.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Michael Erlewine
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Michael Erlewine. https://biography.guide/michael-erlewine/
MLA: "Michael Erlewine." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/michael-erlewine/.
Chicago: "Michael Erlewine." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/michael-erlewine/.
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