Mike Rayburn
| Mike Rayburn | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 24, 1961 |
| 🏡 Residence | Henderson, Nevada, United States |
| 🏳️ Nationality | American |
| 🎓 Alma mater | James Madison University |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| Notable work | What IF?, A Nerd Like Me |
| 🌐 Website | mikerayburn |
Mike Rayburn (born November 24, 1961) is an American performer based in Las Vegas. He is a Hall of Fame member of the National Speakers Association[1] known for combining guitar, comedy, and motivational speaking in his performances. From 2003-2006 he played Carnegie Hall eight times[2] and recorded his “Mike Rayburn at Carnegie Hall” CD there in March, 2006[3]. He studied classical guitar performance at James Madison University[4] and was a staff songwriter for Sony.[5] His unique style of combining comedy, motivational speaking, and musical performance was profiled in Evolve or Die: Seven Steps to Rethink the Way You Do Business by Robin Crow.[6]
Awards[edit]
In 1998, he was named Entertainer of the Year in a national poll of college and university campuses.[7] and later received awards for "America's Campus Entertainer of the Year," "Canada's Best Contemporary Music Act," and the National Association for Campus Activities "Coffee Entertainer of the Year."[8]
In 1999, he performed as a guitarist with The Beach Boys and John Oates.[9]
In 2000 Rayburn completed the first-ever cross country concert tour on bicycle, riding from New York to San Diego and performing more than 30 concerts over 4,010 miles to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.[10]
Musical Performance[edit]
Rayburn first earned national distribution with his DVD 'Classically Trained, Comically Derailed' which was recorded at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville in 2006.[11] He spent 2010 performing a yearlong gig at Planet Hollywood’s V Theater and was also president of the Las Vegas chapter of the National Speakers Association.[12]
He is known for making parody songs, such as 'A Nerd Like Me' (a parody of the Taylor Swift song You Belong With Me), and has created solo guitar adaptations of iconic pieces like Bohemian Rhapsody and Devil Went Down To Georgia in his performances. Rayburn has been featured on the Sirius XM comedy show[13] and is the Artist in Residence at High Point University.[14]
Motivational Speaking[edit]
Rayburn is known for performance experimentation using alternative approaches to guitar and comedy, and was one of the first performance artists to perform with himself using a hologram,[15] a technique later used by Madonna at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards.[16]
Selected discography[edit]
- A Nerd Like Me
- Mike Rayburn Live at Carnegie Hall
- Romantical
- Fidgety Digits
References[edit]
- ↑ "National Speakers Hall of Fame".
- ↑ "Mike Rayburn Interview". Lectrosonics. 25 June 2008.
- ↑ "Mike Rayburn Live at Carnegie Hall". 4 March 2006.
- ↑ "Musical comedian and alum Mike Rayburn performs". The Breeze. 28 January 2013.
- ↑ "7 Questions for Mike Rayburn". 20 August 2015.
- ↑ Crow, Robin. Evolve or Die: Seven Steps to Rethink the Way You Do Busines. John Wiley & Sons. p. 112. ISBN 9780470627402. Search this book on
- ↑ "Makin' It Happen". Billboard. 23 January 1999.
- ↑ "Musician Mike Rayburn to Perform at Illinois Wesleyan". Illinois Wesleyan News and Events. 4 October 2001.
- ↑ "Mike Rayburn bio at CMI Speakers".
- ↑ "Acoustic rocker bikes to gigs across country". USA Today. 11 April 2000.
- ↑ "Mike Rayburn, classical guitarist/comedian". LNP. 20 June 2008.
- ↑ "Henderson's Mike Rayburn rocks his roles". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 13 August 2016.
- ↑ "Funny Motivational Speaker Mike Rayburn". Retrieved 13 September 2017.
- ↑ "Funny Business". Guitar Aficionado. 4 November 2014.
- ↑ "When Epic Means Hologram". 16 July 2014.
- ↑ "Madonna stuns by performing with holograms of herself at the Billboard Music Awards". 3 May 2019.
External links[edit]
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