Retired Marine Corps Col. Mike Corrado talks about his lifelong love of music, its power to heal, his singer/songwriter retreats for veterans and more in this week’s episode of the Tango Alpha Lima podcast.
After his service, retired Marine Corps Col. Mike Corrado established Harmony Hill Studio in Shelbyville, Tenn., where he hosts singer/songwriter retreats and recording opportunities for veterans.
In this week’s episode of the Tango Alpha Lima podcast, the retired infantry officer talks about how throughout his career, music played an integral role in his engagements with junior and senior personnel alike as well as the public. He quickly learned the value music has in communication, therapy and expression. In retirement, he has challenged himself to help other veterans through music.
Corrado brings a wealth of leadership and service to his multifaceted career as a singer-songwriter. His talent has afforded him the honor of sharing the stage with renowned artists such as Bon Jovi, Train and Toby Keith during the prestigious Academy of Country Music: All Star Salute to the Troops.
“Music has always played a big part in my life,” said Corrado, who attended the Citadel. “The drums are not conducive to barracks life. So I bought a guitar and learned how to play. That’s also when I began songwriting and putting words and music together instead of just banging on the drums.”
Upon graduation he decided to join the Marine Corps. “I found my tribe.”
In the immediate aftermath of experiencing the loss of a fellow Marine, Eric, for the first time, Corrado penned a song as a tribute.
“We were young, we were invincible, we were bullet-proof,” he said. “That say, we realized this is not a game. It was very early in our careers. Writing that song was just a means for all of us to heal. I didn’t understand it at the time. I didn’t do it on purpose. It just kind of happened.”
The song became an anthem for the platoon and an ode to Eric. “I realized right then and there how powerful music is.”
After 9/11, he was dispatched to Afghanistan. “That’s when it really hit me that music is beyond just something to listen to,” he said, noting it’s about how people listen to it before deploying or after going out on patrol.
Later he played and taught music to amputees.
“The power that music has to heal the soul is a real thing and that’s when it really dawned on me that music is more than just something that you listen to.”
Also, co-hosts Joe Worley, Adam Marr and Stacy Pearsall chat about:
• The moment 250 years ago today, June 17, when General William Prescott uttered the famous line, “Don’t one of you fire until you see the whites of their eyes!”
• An update to the Veterans Legacy Memorial’s online project.
• A “not friendly” macaque that is terrorizing military bases.
You can also check out the more than 300 Tango Alpha Lima podcasts available in both audio and video formats here. You can also download episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify other major podcast-hosting sites. The video version is available at the Legion’s YouTube channel.
- Tango Alpha Lima