Michael Grande Polacco

Michael Grande was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, but always wanted to move to the West.  His musical career began at the original Woodstock Festival where he was picked up by folk icon, Richie Havens, and spent the next three years touring the world with Havens' band.  After leaving Havens and going solo, Grande performed with such artists as: John Lee Hooker, Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Seals and Dash Crofts, Cat Stevens, Van Morrison, Canned Heat, Jose Feliciano, James Taylor, CCR, Trisha Yearwood, and many more.

He has performed in venues from the great European Opera Houses to Carnegie Hall; Tanglewood in the Berkshires to Country Thunder and the John Coltrane Jazz Festival.  It was while he was traveling in Europe that he learned two songs from his first CD, "Hey Friend" had made the Indie, Pop, and Country charts with a bullet.  Then, he found the CD had been Top Ten in fifteen different countries.  He began as a flamenco guitarist, then moved to classical, pop, rock, ballads, and devotional music...all with great success.

Michael has always enjoyed performing benefits for worthy causes and has raised money for such groups as: Habitat For Humanity, The 4-H Clubs, The Boy's and Girl's Clubs, The Good Neighbor Alliance, The Humane Society, many animal rescue groups, as well as with four annual concerts and the help of hospital personnel, raised enough money to build an entire wing on a California hospital for disabled children.

Grande has now become involved in what he considers to be one of the most important events in his career.  A former Marine, he learned about the Hero Hearts EquiCenter, Inc. and therapeutic riding.  That lead to exploring groups such as N.A.R.H.A., Horses for Heroes, Silver Spurs, and the Caisson Platoon (The Old Guard), who also use horses for equi-therapy.  Michael was so touched by what these groups were accomplishing, he wrote lyrics and music to a song called "Horses for Heroes" that will be donated to the groups in order to raise money for this very special cause.  He is honored to have been asked to perform the song at the Amphitheater in Washington, D.C. when the equi-therapy horses and their disabled Veteran riders as well as the Caisson Platoon passes the stage. 

Michael Grande is referred to by many as the "most exciting guitarist in the world", and is noted for his seductive voice and phenomenal five-fingered picking technique.  But watching a Michael Grande concert is more than simply seeing a singer/songwriter perform.  There is an electricity that seems to flow from Michael's voice and hands on his guitar to the audience, and is returned in kind.  He sings, tells stories and jokes, and can make you laugh or make you cry, and the event never seems long enough no matter how many encores he does.  So come see a Michael Grande concert...and see what all the excitement is about!