As a boy, he and his father collected native American arrowheads and similar artifacts around the area where they lived.
By his late teens and early twenties, he had become the lead guitarist for folk singers in both Fayetteville and New York.
[1] Taylor rose quickly in the music world, serving as lead guitarist for Joni Mitchell and similar artists, all before his 21st birthday.
[2] He joined The John Denver Band in 1969, and was involved in writing, arranging, and performing such songs as "Rocky Mountain High", "Sunshine on My Shoulders", and "The Eagle and the Hawk".
In an interview, Denver said of the song's creation "Mike sat down and showed me this guitar lick and suddenly the whole thing came together.