Michael Blair grew up a son of a Navy dad in the US. His family moved to a new home pretty much every year. He started playing accordion at the age of seven but switched to drums after seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan television show.



Michael Blair played drums, percussion, bongos and brake drums with Tom Waits on the 1988 album "Big Time" and the "Big Time Video". Blair also played marachas, marimba, orquestra bells on "Frank's Wild Years" (1986) and other percussion instruments on "Rain Dogs" (1985). This latter album also featured Stephen Arvizu Taylor Hodges and Mickey Curry on drums.