Hawaii based Singer - Songwriter Michael Barretto got his first guitar (a Kalamazoo) at the age of six, and hasn't stopped since.


A longtime friend of Taj Mahal and collaborator who has toured the world with him in the Hula Blues Band, Michael Barretto plays guitar, banjo, ukulele, and bass. He has played on the same stage as Taj, Corey Harris, Henry Butler, Brian Kramer, Jesse Colin Young, and Corky Siegel among others.


With his free performance style, his rich humor and storytelling in song, Barretto plays a fine bluesy mix, always with a smooth Hawaiian swing. Michael is a pioneer of the genre known as "Island Blues:" a hybrid of the blues and Island music. Coupled with his unique writing and performance style, this Hawaiian songwriter/composer plays hearty crowd-pleasing sets filled with smooth rhythms, swampy backbeats, and thoughtful lyrics.


His music is heard, and he has played in several countries throughout Europe, in Australia, and in the US