MIKE WHITTAKER

Piano / Keyboards

   Former Afro Bop Pianist Mike Whittaker, born and raised in suburban Detroit, Michigan, is a retired twenty-year veteran of the United States Navy. Mike served as piano/keyboard instrumentalist with six Navy bands throughout the United States. Over the course of his civilian and Navy careers, he has been a musical ambassador to twenty-six countries and fifty states, spanning twenty-seven years. He toured as set drummer with three different musical organizations based in the Midwest and California from 1976 through 1980. Throughout his Navy career, Mike filled multiple roles and positions as leader, musical director, keyboardist, vocalist, arranger, tour logistician, loadmaster, audio technician, computer technician, MIDI / synthesizer programmer, and drummer, in a vast array of musical genres and ensembles. He was chosen to be the pianist for high-level VIP social functions hosted by U.S. Navy Commander-in-Chief’s of the U.S. Atlantic and Pacific Fleets; Commander, South Atlantic Forces, Naval War College, Navy Region Northwest, Naval Training Center Orlando, Naval Education and Training Center Newport; and Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy. Over the course of his musical career, Mike has appeared with a variety of local and national music artists, and performed for national and international dignitaries throughout North, Central and South America, the Caribbean, West Africa, the Far East, and segments of Europe.

   Since his retirement from the Navy in October 2002, Mike works as a member of the Information Technology technical staff at the U.S. Naval Institute, based in Annapolis, Maryland. In addition, he is an independent audio technical consultant and engineer for various organizations serving the Baltimore-Washington D.C. area. Mike resides in the Annapolis area with his wife Maggie, an “English as a Second Language” Professor from Valparaiso, Chile - South America. They have two children, Katie and David.