On March 9th 1936 Mickey was born in Natchez Mississippi. Raised in Ferriday, Louisiana along with his two famous cousins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Swaggart it was there where his love and appreciation of music grew. He absorbed the haunting sounds of Louisiana rhythm and blues by sneaking up to the windows of the clubs at night.

 

Mickey learned to play piano at an early age but did not achieve the success of his cousin Jerry Lee until later. Moving to Houston in the early 50's to work construction Mickey did not start playing until 1957 when he recorded his first record "Ooh we Baby". The song would later by used in a commercial for Yoplait yogurt. In 1959 Mickey had his first charted record, "Is it wrong for loving you?" in which Kenny Rogers played the bass. He continued playing in cities throughout the south but eventually settled into Pasadena where he began performing at the Nesadel Club.

 

There he developed into one of the city's most popular acts while playing there for more than 10 years. While at the Nesadel Mickey had his second charted record, "Lonely Wine"

In 1971 along with business partner, Sherwood Cryer, he opened the world famous Gilley's night club in Pasadena, Texas. The club would grow and one day enter into the Guinness Record Book as the World's largest Honky-Tonk. It was here that Mickey started experiencing his first success when he released "Room Full of Roses". By the mid-seventies his songs were hitting the country charts with regularity.

 

As the eighties neared, Gilley's was growing bigger with every day. Country music's biggest stars used the club as a launching pad. A television show was developed which only added to the phenomenon. But it was when Esquire Magazine caught wind of the excitement and featured an article called "The Ballad of the Urban Cowboy" that caused Gilley's to develop into an Urban Cowboy craze.