Articles written by Michael Thomas As Told To Jim Uttley

Michael Thomas as told to Jim Uttley|Updated May 11, 2015

My name is Michael Thomas but I also go by Pensmoke, the name I record my music under. I'm a rapper. I was born in the Smoky Mountains of Eastern Tennessee. I am of Gaduwa (Cherokee) heritage. My family descends from Jim Cheoa, Ah-lin-nih Cheoa, and Ail-cih Cheoa on the Siler Roll and Oowahooskee on the 1817 Reservation Roll. Within a couple of weeks after being born, my family moved from the Smokies all the way to the other side of the state-Memphis. My father left when I...