Michael Wade Johnson was born in Tompkinsville, Kentucky, USA and grew up in the small rural area of Clay County, Tennessee, USA. As a child, he was very quiet and withdrawn.

During his Junior High years, he discovered a love for writing and music. Before long, he was writing poetry, lyrics, and short stories as well as singing in bands. Music was his first real love of the arts but not long after the turn of the millennium, he gave up music for good and focused on his writings.