Here is a brief summary of Spike’s career.

Spike Blake has an extensive and impressive resume spanning several genres, decades and styles. Spike started singing, writing and performing in the 60’s. He learned how to play guitar, keyboards, bass guitar and drums by listening to records and watching his father and uncles play in bands. Spike and his cousins then started their own band. By age nine Spike was making money in the music business.

In the mid 70’s Spike signed on with famed manager Dave McQuitty. It was there that his writing, recording and vocal skills escalated to another level. When the 70’s melted into the 80’s, Spike had a recording contract and was the star vocalist in the most popular touring band in the Midwest and was writing and co-writing numerous songs. He also owned his own recording studio and made albums.

By the end of the 80’s, Spike was writing, producing and recording not only rock and soul music, but bursting at the seams with great country music. Within a span of two years, he came within a pen stroke of signing a major deal with Atlantic Records Hollywood, where the head of A&R, John Axelrod proclaimed "Spike, you have one of the greatest soul voices I have ever heard" --- AND also having the incredible song, “Trail of Broken Hearts” by country superstar K.D. Lang spotlighting his melody and arrangement.

With the 90’s coming on, Spike decided to incorporate his passion and abilities from his rock, blues and soul side into his love for and childhood roots in country music. He wrote, engineered, produced and toured - performing songs in this exciting new hybrid of music he was creating. In 1992, Spike and his band showcased at the world famous South By Southwest in Austin, TX. It was there that he hooked up with hit Nashville songwriter and producer Rick Giles. Spike moved to Nashville and started writing and recording with Rick in an artist/writer development capacity. It wasn’t long before they wrote a song that got the attention of Brooks & Dunn and several other acts. That song "Drivin' & Cryin'" went on to be a hit by Arista Records country superstar, Steve Wariner. In the meantime, Spike signed a publishing deal with Great Cumberland Music and became a Nashville staff songwriter.

Through the 90’s Spike was a staff writer, producer, engineer, touring artist and recording studio owner. Living in Nashville and working on famed Music Row, at several high profile publishing companies. He started at United publishing (Kansas City/Nashville), then went on to Great Cumberland Publishing and eventually signing with music industry mogel Bill Ham (manager of ZZ TOP) joining the roster of his artists at Hamstein Music Publishing, as an artist/writer.

In the mid 90’s, he wrote a song that was a smash hit for him and recorded by Hank Williams, Jr. He found himself once again being looked at by the major recording labels, but his sound was a bit too much on the fringe of main stream country of the time. Later in the 90's Spike signed on with Rick Hall, legendary producer for Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett and owner of Fame Recording Studios and publishing. The last verse of "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynard Skynard, talks about, "in Muscle Shoals they got The Swampers" -- This is where the famous "Swampers" recorded among many others such as "The Allman Brothers". Spike recorded here as well as collaborated with some of the biggest writers in the music industry. It was the later part of the 90’s while he was still writing as a staff writer and touring with his band that he met Donna Summer, who lived in Nashville. She invited Spike and his wife to the most vibrant and exciting non denominational church in Nashville. From there Spike started incorporating Christian and Gospel songwriting into his broad scope of writing and recording. In addition to all of his other music industry ventures, he became a worship director of a church in Nashville.

As the new millennium approached, Spike moved back to Kansas City in the early 2000’s where he continued as a professional songwriter and publisher, starting his own music publishing company, "Spike Blake Music". Spike wrote and produced many commercials and jingles, and was the singing voice behind the theme songs for The Kansas City Royals , KC Blades professional hockey team, NHRA racing track Heartland Park Topeka and Sam's Club just to name a few. In 2004 Spike joined up with powerhouse vocalist, musician and entertainer Adam Blue to form Kansas City's first ever independent Dueling Pianos act, long before Howl at the Moon and Ernie Biggs came to Kansas City. Today, Spike lives in Kansas City, still writing, collaborating, recording and playing music all across the country in his wildly popular "Half of Dueling Pianos Show" as well as the premier corporate dueling pianos show in America -- BIG SHOW dueling pianos. www.bigshowduelingpianos.com

Spike Blake - south by southwest
Tuncore compilation album

http://blog.tunecore.com/2013/04/download-the-power-of-independence-tunecore-artist-compilation.html

South by Southwest is the most prestigious music conference in the world, held every year in Austin Texas (known as the live music capital of the world). Spike Blake made the top 100 songs on the tunecore artist compilation in 2013. This is quite the accomplishment - and compliment considering that they narrowed the field down from over 2000 artists and songs.

The progressive Americana blues sound of the song written by Spike, "Sorrow Knows How To Swim" is being looked at by several artists wanting to record the song.

The song basically speaks to anyone who has ever been overwhelmed by the circumstances of life and just wants to escape by going out and getting smashed. Sound familiar? You can try drowning your sorrow, but as we all know...