Michael TA Thompson was born in Miami, FL, but moved to the US Virgin Islands at the age of nine, where he began to learn to play the drums. After high school, he attended the Berklee School of Music in Boston, then headed to NYC. He met trumpeter Roy Campbell Jr. who introduced him to like-minded musicians such as William Parker, Kidd Jordan, Joe McPhee, Charles Gayle, Dennis Gonzales, Oliver Lake, Matthew Shipp, Uri Caine, Henry Grimes, Jason Kao Hwang, Ken Filiano, and many others. He played with LA-based multi-instrumentalist Vinny Golia and became his drummer of choice for East Coast performances. In addition, he has played with Clypsonians, The Mighty Sparrow, The Shadow, Beckett, reggae artist Owen Gray, and other artists from classical to rap and beyond. He has recorded for television shows such as Blue’s Clues, (Nickelodeon), for commercials, and for film.