Mike Rayburn

Mike Rayburn's Key Accomplishments Include . . .
Known as “The World’s Funniest Guitar Virtuoso,” Mike Rayburn is both a world-class guitarist and a stand-up comedian. He is also an authority on personal development and human potential. His astounding guitar creations, uproarious songs and presentation skills encourage, challenge and inspire his audiences to step beyond their perceived limitations. Mike Rayburn draws from a wealth of life experiences as an adventurer, comedian, published songwriter, author, philanthropist, and father. Mike will show you how the simple tools learned from his presentations took him from playing for “…seven people in a bar in Virginia” to standing ovations at Carnegie Hall.

More About Mike Rayburn. . .
He was born breech with six fingers on his left hand. Mike’s parents, being from a long line of glove salesmen, never saw the potential.  They had the finger removed.  However, what the scalpel couldn’t change was Mike’s fate: to be a little odd, and work with his hands.  (It’s all true except the glove salesmen part).

Now, fulfilling his birthright, Mike has actually been called “The World’s Funniest Guitar Virtuoso.”  (He’d settle for Cleveland’s Funniest Guitar Virtuoso but...whatever).  Mike currently performs over 120 shows per year and tracks from his Mike Rayburn at Carnegie Hall CD are in current rotation on XM Comedy, Sirius Comedy, and on countless morning radio shows nationwide.

Mike is also known for combining musical artists and styles in ways God never intended:  Bob Marley sings Garth Brooks, Led Zeppelin sings Dr. Seuss, Dan Fogelberg sings AC/DC, Bruce Springsteen sings Green Acres, etc.

As an adventurer, Mike completed a first-ever cross country concert tour on bicycle.  He literally pedaled from San Diego to Brooklyn...via Dallas, Kansas City, Chicago and Philadelphia (4,010 miles!) despite rain, snow, heat and tornado warnings, and performed over 30 engagements along the way. This first-of-its-kind tour was done to promote his new CD as well as to bring awareness to the St. Jude Children’s Hospital for pediatric cancer research. Mike Rayburn was awarded the Harry Chapin Award for Contributions to Humanity for his philanthropic work. Past recipients include President Jimmy Carter, Jackson Browne, and Kenny Rogers.

Mike has been featured in Newsweek, USA Today, Billboard, Gig, American Entertainment and on the nationally acclaimed and syndicated Bob and Tom Radio Show. He has received standing ovations at every one of his Carnegie Hall appearances, andwas voted “America’s Campus Entertainer of the Year” three times.

• “What If and Why Not?”
  

  In his award-winning keynote, “What If and Why Not?” Mike uses his comedic songs and unique guitar style to teach the tools that took him from playing for seven people in a bar in Virginia to headlining Carnegie Hall.

• “Classically Trained, Comically Derailed.”
  

  “Classically Trained, Comically Derailed,” is pure entertainment with no socially redeeming value whatsoever...just the way Mike likes it. This is the same show that has received standing ovations at all eight of Mike’s Carnegie Hall appearances. From Bach to rock, “Classically Trained” is an odyssey of masterful guitar, outrageous comedy, and musical combinations God never intended.

“We saw the demo tape, we read the bio, we talked over the phone, but none of the above came close to really describing Mike's talent, or his ability to work the crowd. Virtually everyone came up to me after the show and said it was one of the best they had ever seen - not just convention entertainment - but any show they have ever attended.”

---Mac Johnson,
  United States Potato Board

“A comic genius...enough wit and talent to jumpstart a pacemaker.”

--- The Aspen Daily News

“If Victor Borge played guitar (and drank too much coffee), he’d sound like Mike.”

---Mark Johnson, Concert Promoter