The AudioMasters Benefit Golf Tournament

Michael Edward “Mike” Poston was born in 1948 in Garden City, Michigan. His family moved to Nashville in the 1960s, and he graduated from Glencliff High School in 1966 before serving in the U.S. Navy from 1967 to 1973. During his service aboard the U.S.S. Little Rock, he founded a rock band, Barful’s Backwater Boys, which frequently performed while at sea.

After returning to Nashville, Mike began his career in audio recording at Studio Supply Company and went on to work as an independent audio engineer. Over the course of his career, he contributed to more than 70 albums and collaborated with artists including Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed, Lenny Breau, Mark Knopfler, Suzy Bogguss, Tommy Emmanuel, and Roger Whittaker.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Mike expanded his work into audio technology and consulting. He founded Audio Services Group and represented leading companies such as Apogee Electronics, Sonic Solutions, Sony Pro Audio, Dolby, Merging Technologies, Bryston, and PMC. He also introduced Nashville’s first Mitsubishi X800 digital 32‑track tape machine and designed Sixteenth Avenue Sound (now Digital Audio Post) in 1986.

Mike later joined Belmont University’s Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, where he taught audio engineering beginning in the early 2000s. Although he retired in 2018, he remained active in supporting students and continued mastering projects. A long‑standing member of the Recording Academy, he engineered or mixed seven Grammy‑winning recordings. He also served the Audio Engineering Society’s Nashville Section for decades, including many years as treasurer, and played a major role in the AudioMasters Golf Tournament benefiting the Nashville Engineer Relief Fund.

Outside the music industry, Mike co‑founded the West Wilson Basketball Association in the early 1990s and spent several years coaching youth sports.

Above all, Mike was devoted to his family. He is survived by his wife Kathy; daughter Rachel (Jacob) Welkley; son Jon (Kimberly) Poston; brother Jerry W. Poston; sister Sherra M. (Winn) Schwartau; and his grandchildren, Evan and Brooklyn Welkley. He was preceded in death by his parents, Edgar L. and Marie H. Poston, and his brother Raymond L. Poston.

Mike passed on January 3, 2024. Honoring his wishes, his ashes will be interred with military honors in the Columbarium at Nashville National Cemetery.