Born in Detroit, Michigan on October 27, 1974, Michael Howard Swann grew up in Springfield, Missouri. He didn’t find his desire to worship until he was 16 years old, after a spiritual awakening. “I remember wanting to be able to play the guitar, just so I could sing the song, ‘Lord, You Are’. Brad Edgar taught me that song on an old guitar my mom had around the house, and that was truly the beginning. I still love to play that song.” His first experience leading worship was with a non-denominational youth ministry, K-life, in Springfield.

In college at Southwest Missouri State University, he teamed up with Samson Latchison, where they became known for their blues renditions of hymns, reminiscent of Ashley Cleveland and Darryl Mansfield. Mike also was involved in ministries including Icthus campus ministry, Greek house church, and Resurrection week at SMSU. While in college, a friend, Brian McCommas, turned him on to writing original songs to be able to let your heart sing. After graduating from college in 1997 and marrying his college sweetheart, Molly, they moved to Oklahoma City where he started medical and graduate school at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. When asked how his calls to worship and medicine mix, Mike said, “I think I have found the best of both worlds between a career and ministry. I don’t think Paul had it so good!”

Mike teamed up with Life Covenant Church, a uniquely progressive, evangelical church in Edmond to lead at various worship venues, including West, East and Avodah campuses in Edmond, AMC in Oklahoma City, and the Tulsa campus. Throughout medical and graduate school, his call to worship has been an obvious priority, playing at Life Church and other churches and college ministries in the Norman, Oklahoma City, and Edmond area. “The idea to record the Driftwood album was actually in response to people asking for copies of the original worship we were doing at Life Church. It started out as a couple of songs with a real acoustic feel and the songs kept coming and it turned into an album.” Driftwood, the independent album released early 2003, is available at MikeSwannMusic.com

His musical influences are varied. Rich Mullins, Nick Drake, Waterdeep, Jack Johnson, Jonatha Brooke, Sara Harmer, U2, Coldplay, and Dave Matthews make the short list of influences. Although his main instrument in acoustic guitar, he also plays harmonica, electric guitars, and the hammered dulcimer. “I bought the hammered dulcimer after Rich Mullins died in order to keep his songs alive in me. I’ll occasionally bring it to worship and play ‘Creed’ or ‘Awesome God’ and it really feels like Rich is smiling down.”

Since his spiritual awakening in 1990, ministry has been a contniued focus in Mike's life. "I was asking the question, 'ministry and music versus medicine', and God answered 'YES!'. Mike continues a ministry with college students, sharing the necessity for finding God's vision for your life, having a passion for people and a committed heart for God. He will graduate from medical school this May and persue God without abandon.