A&E: Guitar slinger Mike Satawake an Oklahoma virtuoso
Doug Hill | Local Columnist | This is a reprint of a July 25, 2026 story in the Norman Transcript
Mike Satawake’s had a guitar in his hands since the age of five. Now nearing 50 year old he’s been called, “One of the best guitar players in the Tri-State area.”
He’s well known in the Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Norman live music scenes. Born in Lawton, he grew up in Earlsboro and Seminole before moving to OKC as an adult. Satawake is a member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. He grew up in a household full of music from the radio, records and tapes. His parents and older siblings preferred listening to music over watching television. Creedence Clearwater Revival, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and blues guitarists ruled.
“Music was just a part of my life,” Satawake said. “There were plenty of times we didn’t have the TV on because the record player or radio was. When I was a kid I thought everybody did that, which isn’t true. We’d go to the Old Paris Flea Market and my dad would buy blues tapes, specifically Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee and listen to that stuff all the time. It was great living in a musical household and became the inspiration for me wanting to do what those guys on the records were doing to the best of my ability.”
Satawake began honing that ability initially with an acoustic guitar but went electric while still in first grade.
“My parents scraped up some money and bought me an electric guitar which I still have,” he said. “With a little bitty amp I made a ruckus with that for six or seven years. Then I got a little nicer one in my teenage years before mom said, that’s it I’m not buying any more guitars, if you want any more you’re getting them on your own.”
Satawake said he is dedicated to playing the guitar and said there is always more to learn from other players and from listening to other music. Satawake is a solid vocalist as well. It came about as a matter of necessity.
“I didn’t really have any desire to do any lead singing,” he said. “I started playing a Thursday night jam 11 years ago at Katts Cove in the city. The very first time I got to the gig, I thought the other guitar player Jim was the singer. But he thought the same about me. It was oh no, what are we going to do, we can’t sing enough songs to get through the night. But somehow we did, sharing vocals around with no one person singing the whole night. If someone else wants to sing, I let them have at it. I’ll stand back here and play guitar which is more in my comfort zone anyway.”
Successful collaboration with other musicians has been a critical component of Satawake’s considerable capabilities. It’s been an ongoing education that he relishes.