Country recording artist Mickey Utley grew up in Haywood County just 10 miles down the road from Nutbush, the home oflegendary Tina Turner. His early influences of local blues, rock and country are perhaps the reason for his "blue-eyed soul" style. Even as a young boy he loved to sing- gospel, rock, country, and blues-it didn't matter what kind of music it was. In high school he was involved in sports but also studied music and theatre; appearing in stage plays, talent shows, revues - anything to perform and test his abilities. He began honing his guitar and vocal skills in his teens when he spent his summers performing at Libertyland in Memphis. What he does is some very fine music that brings all the ingredients of the area’s musical offerings and melts them into one sound Since then he has played across the country, including Las Vegas, the casino circuit, and cruise ships.