Ford team member continues rocking while keeping the trucks rolling

Written By Natalie Popovski

Nov 28, 2023

Mike Hughes rocks. The 32-year Ford employee has a full-time gig at Dearborn Truck Plant and Rouge Electric Vehicle Center running the docks in the material planning and logistics department. At home, he’s a dad raising a blended family. And his side hustle is a career as a vocalist and songwriter.

I started singing in church when I was really young.

Mike Hughes

“Then I started playing guitar and I got into songwriting pretty early. It transitioned to me performing in cover bands for a while,” he said.

So You Wanna Be a Rock N’ Roll Star?

Not long after, Hughes got signed to Universal Republic and began touring. He was the lead vocalist for the bands Seasons of Eden, Bloodline Riot and Saints From Silence. He has toured with some of the most famous names in rock, including HIM, Stone Temple Pilots, Blink-182 and Pantera.

Hughes realized the hectic and strenuous tour schedule was too much for him. He shifted his sights to recording vocals and songwriting for other artists to license or for use in movies and video games. He does all of this work in his home studio or at Pearl Sound Studios in Canton, MI along with long-time collaborator Derek Cook and legendary producer Chuck Alkazian.

Support From His Plant Family

Having started working for Ford at the age of 17, he has many years of experience and many sources of support. The support he has from his Ford Family is critical, he said. Taking time off helped him maintain balance. The team even had a listening party when he was a special guest on SiriusXM’s Ozzy’s Boneyard.

When we were on (SiriusXM), the plant manager and everybody listened in and was cool with it. They gave me the leeway and time I needed.

Mike Hughes

Famous Collaborators

Hughes has worked with Sharon Osbourne, music manager and wife of singer, Ozzy Osbourne, as well as LL Cool J, rapper and producer, on various projects where he submits music to be placed.

(Left) Mike Hughes

Hughes is working on his latest project called SkyClimber. He has written, recorded and ran all of pre-production and will be finalizing and recording the album in the very near future.

When it comes to retirement or slowing down, Hughes said he does not have any plans to do so in the immediate future.

“I schedule everything,” he said. “I have specific days and times set aside to get things done. If I don’t schedule things, it’ll never happen because I have kids and I’m going in 10 different directions. That’s just part of my life. I like staying busy.”