As he revealed to the BBC, Michael Trotter, from The War and Treaty, learned to play the piano with an instrument that belonged to Saddam Hussein
Michael Trotterfrom the duo The War and Treatyrevealed that he learned to play the piano with an instrument that was Saddam Hussein. In an interview with BBCthe musician related his experience in the American troops that invaded Iraq in 2003.
While still at school, trotter turned down the opportunity to learn piano when his mother signed him up for lessons. His goal was to become a rapper, in addition, “the teacher was a very strict lady and I had other interests.”
The new opportunity arose in a palace in Baghdad, with one of the many pianos that belonged to Saddam Hussein, former Iraqi president. His first contact with the instrument was encouraged by Robert Scheetz, one of the captains of the troop. After noticing the mental fragility and fear of trotterhe found that music would be a good way to encourage the soldier.
“Scheetz identified me as the weakest link, as the person who could die. He needed to get me out of my fear, and he read in my profile that music was what freed me from it all. How did he know that in the palace where we established our base there was a piano belonging to Saddam Husseinhe took me to the basement where the instrument was,” the musician stated.
The palace was in ruins, and even reaching the site where the piano was was challenging: “Some of the walls had been knocked down, part of the roof was still down. Many parts were destroyed. Sometimes I had to climb over rubble just to get to the piano.”
After returning to the United States, trotter felt empty and re-enlisted, this time willingly to go to Iraq. He devoted himself to music and, as he described it, “making people happy.” However, on his new return to America, he still didn’t feel complete.
In 2010, Michael Trotter he knew Tanya Blount, who would become his wife and musical partner. Since then, they have won the main categories of the Americana Music Honors & Awards and the Folk Alliance International. In addition, they performed at the Grammy in 2020, the main music awards.
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
