Michael Ricks

Michael Ricks (born 18 December 1976) is an American country artist and author. He is best known for his skills as a banjo player and is recognized throughout the country. Ricks is the author of the book From Cult to Country: An Asthmatic’s Journey to Find More Air.
Ricks is well-known for his ability to inspire his audience through his artistic abilities. Throughout his career, Ricks has worked alongside several prolific artists and has also been endorsed by the Recording King Banjos. Ricks has been featured in several media outlets including Benzinga, Hollywood Reporter, RFDTV, Market Watch, Celebrity Land, Daily Advent, and others.
==Early life and education==
Ricks was born on 18 December 1976 to Dianne and Michael Ricks Sr. He is the first born of five sisters and three brothers. While growing up, Ricks attended Lima Senior High School and then went to Rhodes State University and Ohio State University. 
Ricks dropped out of college after a year of pursuing mechanical engineering to focus on sales and marketing and later becoming a country music artist. 
==Career==
Ricks started his career in the fall of 2009 as an intern in the Toby Mac & David Mullen studio He stayed there for almost a year and then took a second internship with Bill Whittington w/ Billy Smiley Scott Dente & Kenny Lewis. During this time, Ricks was responsible for daily studio preparation, setting up recording sessions, daily upkeep of the studio facilities, and the occasional fill-in as a tenor vocalist.
In the initial years as an intern, Ricks got the opportunity to work alongside several prolific artists such as Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Susan Ashton, Mandisa.
Ricks began creating country songs in 2013 and caught the attention of Troy Tomlinson, a former employee at Sony ATV and now of Universal. He also met Craig Hutchins, a highly experienced bandleader, who encouraged Ricks to take country music seriously.
Later in 2015, Michael's song "I Believe in Love," which he co-wrote with Randy Davis, was cut by Melinda Doolittle of American Idol. Melinda also included the song on her album You're The Reason.
Ricks signed with the Hurd Agency as an actor in 2017, following his performance in CMT's Still the King. Ricks also finished in the top ten of Big Machine's national country talent search, Nash Next in 2018. In the same year, he wrote and published his book From Cult to Country: An Asthmatic’s Journey to Find More Air. This book documents his childhood and eventual escape from a mind-controlling religious cult that denies members access to life-saving medical care.
A year later, Ricks appeared in Ken Burns's national advertisement, which was sponsored by Bank of America and promoted the PBS documentary. In 2019, Ricks’ book also got featured on Amazon Prime in AmericArt. As of 2021, Ricks is on a music tour and is set to perform at multiple festivals including Lifest Music City. He is also co-writing with Brad Paisley, Wil Nance, and other renowned writers such as Blue Foley, Trick Savage, Ashley Mcbryde, John Goodwin, Tim McGraws, and others. Ricks is also working on an EP with Eric Torres, a platinum producer.
Apart from that, Ricks also serves as an artist advocate (cure pack artist) with the Medical Assistance Program (MAP Int'l). He aims to bring hope and life-saving medicine to families in need by encouraging music lovers around the world to get involved.
==Books==
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==In the media==
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==References==
==External links==
* Personal Website
* Official Website
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* Michael Ricks on TikTok
Category:1976 births
Category:American artists
Category:American authors
Category:American musicians
Category:Rhodes University alumni
Category:Ohio State University alumni