Michael Daugherty (born April 28, 1954 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa) is an American composer. He comes from a musical family; his father was a dance-band drummer and his four younger brothers are professional musicians.

Daugherty's music is characterized by an interest in American popular culture. He has composed works based on Superman (Metropolis Symphony, 1988-1993, and Bizarro, 1993), Elvis Presley (Elvis Everywhere and Dead Elvis), Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (Jackie O, 1997), Niagara Falls (Niagara Falls, 1997, for symphonic band), Liberace (Le Tombeau de Liberace), UFOs (UFO, 1999), and Bells for Stokowski (2001) as well as Spaghetti Western for Orchestra and solo Cor Anglais.

Daugherty's music has been widely performed. He has frequently been commissioned, by Evelyn Glennie amongst others. He has received numerous awards for his music.

In 2006, guitarist Manuel Barrueco commissioned and premiered Bay of Pigs from Daugherty for string quartet and guitar. It was premiered by Barrueco and Cuarteto Latinoamericano.

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