[5] Michael Grubbs was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia and began his career as a musician at the age of 5, taking lessons from his mother, a long time piano and choir instructor.
As a teenager, Michael discovered the song books of the likes of Billy Joel, Elton John, and Led Zeppelin as a more culturally relevant counterbalance to his classical canon.
[7][8] Following a few early ventures into performance, Grubbs spent time with two touring musicals - Brigadoon and Camelot - standing out both for his technical ability as well as his exceptional aesthetic.
His greatest musical break came from meeting Mark Schwahn, critically acclaimed head writer and executive producer of The CW drama series, One Tree Hill.
Following that placement, Schwahn offered to give Grubbs cameos on the show to promote a new record including performances of his songs "Brooklyn", "Light Outside", and "Almost Everything".