Biography
Guitarist Michael Houser served as the enduring frontman of Athens, Georgia jam band Widespread Panic until his death from cancer in 2002. Born January 6, 1962, in Boone, North Carolina, he assembled the group's foundation while enrolled at the University of Georgia in Athens during the early 1980s, selecting the name Widespread Panic from his own nickname at that time. Capricorn Records signed the band in 1988 and issued seven albums across the next eleven years, among them the early landmarks Space Wrangler and the self-titled 1991 follow-up. Although Widespread Panic never matched the commercial reach of peers such as Phish and Blues Traveler, the group cultivated an extensive cult audience through its powerful live shows. Houser's eclectic guitar work, fusing jazz, blues, and rock, drew particular notice and earned commendations from fellow players including Gov't Mule's Warren Haynes. After parting ways with Capricorn in the late 1990s, he appeared on later Widespread Panic releases issued independently or via Sanctuary and joined the Brute side project with his bandmates and Vic Chesnutt. Around the same period he was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. Despite attempts to continue performing, Houser left the road in summer 2002 and died at home on August 12, 2002, at age 40. Friends and family subsequently launched the Michael Houser Music Fund to support Athens Academy and its programs fostering children's musical interests. His lone solo album, Door Harp, appeared the next month as a permanent testament to the depth of his artistic commitment.
Albums
