Who is Michael Trotter Jr of The War and Treaty? The army vet rediscovered music at Saddam Hussein’s former palace in Iraq – now he and his bandmate wife have inspired a John Legend-produced film

Mar 13 , 2025

Who is Michael Trotter Jr, the army veteran who has inspired John Legend? Photo: Reuters

Trotter grew up with music and used it to cope with hard times, but didn’t take it seriously until he rediscovered his passion when posted to Iraq – now The War and Treaty have conquered Nashville

With the arrival of singers such as Jelly Roll and Fancy Hagood, Nashville is slowly welcoming artists who don’t fit the traditional country-music mould. Among the rulebreakers are The War and Treaty, a husband and wife duo. Within their music – which spans country, gospel, rock, R&B and Americana – Michael Trotter Jr and Tanya Trotter (née Blount) have a chemistry that some have likened to that of legendary country pair Johnny Cash and June Carter.

Singer-songwriters Michael Trotter Jr and Tanya Trotter of The War and Treaty perform with musicians including Stewart Copeland (on drums) during the 2025 MusiCares Person of the Year benefit gala, Los Angeles, in January. Photo: AFP

Last month, the Grammy-nominated artists released Plus One, an album that NPR called a “love letter to American music”. The duo worked with country hitmaker Miranda Lambert on the album’s lead single, “Love Like Whiskey”.

Tanya also chose the moment to speak to People about her time with Diddy’s Bad Boy Records in the 90s, describing it as a “learning experience”. In the interview, she said the current allegations against Diddy were “unfortunate” and that she wouldn’t “speak on his personal matters”. However, she told the Dumb Blonde podcast last year she was “really appalled” by the case.

But who is her husband, Michael Trotter Jr, who said, “One of our main intentions with [Plus One] is to inspire people to share themselves with others, and open themselves up to the possibility of being loved”?

He’s always been around music

Michael Trotter Jr of The War and Treaty performing at the 2025 Invictus Games closing ceremony in Vancouver, in February. Photo: AP

Michael Trotter Jr grew up in a family where everyone was a singer and performer. Though his musical journey officially began in church, reports People, his biggest influences were Johnny Cash, Ray Charles and Nat King Cole.

Since childhood, music has helped Trotter beat tough times. While living in a homeless shelter he would escape reality by watching Sister Act 2 (1996) with his mother; they would take turns belting out the film’s song, “His Eye Is on the Sparrow”, which was performed by his future wife Tanya. “I saw her on the big screen back in the 90s and I was like, ‘That is my wife right there,’” he teased in an interview with People in 2022.

He’s an army veteran

Trotter enlisted in the US Army in 2003. “I had no other choice,” he told People. “The war was a detour I needed to do because I had f***** my life up so bad … I was just like, ‘I need a dollar fast and I need to get it legally.’”