The Funky 'Taters band from Tallahassee, Florida, plays jazz, blues, funk, rock, country, folk, and reggae, a mix that has been called the "Music of the Gulf Coast Highway." The Gulf Coast route is Highway 90 that travels near Interstate 10 (I-10) from the East coast of Florida, through New Orleans, all the way to Texas. As the Kennedy Center puts it, in this genre "the diverse styles of blues, choral music, cajun, zydeco, brass band, border music, and gospel meet and mingle." Michael (Mike) W. Lewis is the leader and founder of the Funky 'Taters. He is a singer, guitar player, band leader and songwriter.
The original name of the band when it formed in 2013 was "The Common 'Taters & the Turn-Ups." The core group consisted of bass, lead, rhythm guitar, drums, and the vest frottoir (a fitted washboard invented in S.W. Louisiana and used by Zydeco bands). By the time the band traveled to Cuba to play in the International Jazz Plaza Festival for the first time in 2019, they had added horns to the group and were known as "The Common 'Taters Southern Funk Band.” See www.commontaterssouthernfunk.com.
When asked when he became interested in music, Lewis answers that he “always was... as long as I can remember music has been the magic of the world, the thing that stirs my soul.” When asked about his songwriting, he said “I try to write fun songs that make you smile, and that make you dance. I don't want to write dramatic sad songs... there is enough sadness in the world today. I would like to give people a happy moment that is not necessarily profound, just enjoyable. Some of my songs are more political and show my frustration with work and with society and the way things seem to be going wrong these days, but even those songs, I try to make fun and danceable with silly lyrics and nice grooves.”