Michael Whitaker Smith (born October 7, 1957) is an American musician, who has charted in both
contemporary Christian and mainstream charts.
[2] His biggest success in mainstream music was in 1991 when "Place in this World" hit No. 6 on the
Billboard Hot 100. Over the course of his career, he has sold more than 18 million albums.
[3]
Smith is a three-time
Grammy Award winner, an
American Music Award recipient,
[4] and has earned 45
Dove Awards.
[5] In 1999,
ASCAP awarded him with the "Golden Note" Award for lifetime achievement in songwriting,
[6] and in 2014 they honored him as the "cornerstone of Christian music" for his significant influence on the genre.
[7] He also has recorded 31 No. 1 Hit songs, fourteen gold albums, and five platinum albums.
[3] He has also starred in 2 films and published 13 books including
This is Your Time, which he worked with Christian author
Gary Thomas to write.
[8]
Early life[edit]
Michael Whitaker Smith was born to Paul and Barbara Smith in
Kenova, West Virginia. His father was an oil refinery worker at the Ashland Oil Refinery, in nearby
Catlettsburg, Kentucky. His mother was a caterer.
[9] He inherited his love of baseball from his father, who had played in the
minor leagues. As a child, he developed a love of music through his church. He learned piano at an early age and sang in his church choir. At the age of 10, he had "an intense spiritual experience" that led to his becoming a devout
Christian. "I wore this big cross around my neck," he would recall, "It was very real to me."
[10] He became involved in Bible study and found a group of older friends who shared his faith.
[10]
After his older Christian friends moved away to college, Smith began to struggle with feelings of loneliness and alienation. After graduating from high school, he gravitated toward alcohol and drugs.
[9] He attended
Marshall University while developing his songwriting skills but dropped out after one semester. He also played with various local bands around
Huntington, West Virginia. During that time, his friend
Shane Keister, who worked as a session musician in Nashville, encouraged him to move to Nashville, the Country Music capital, and pursue a career in music.
[10]
In 1978, Smith moved to Nashville, taking a job as a landscaper to support himself. He played with several local bands in the Nashville club scene. He also developed a problem with substance abuse.
| “ | I really started losing touch when I moved to Nashville, around April of '78. I was smokin' marijuana, drinking, doing some other drugs; just being crazy, you know. My mom and dad knew what I was doing. But they never hassled me, they just prayed for me. And I felt convicted by God. Every time I'd wake up I knew: This isn't me. But I couldn't change myself.[10] | ” |
In November 1979, Smith suffered a breakdown that led to his recommitment to Christianity. The next day he auditioned for a new contemporary Christian music (CCM) group, Higher Ground, as a keyboardist and got the job. His lead vocals were heard on much of CCM radio with the single, "I Am". It was on his first tour with Higher Ground, playing mostly in churches, that Smith was finally able to put the drugs and alcohol behind him.
[10]
Music career[edit]
Beginning, MOR and Christian rock era (1981–1989)[edit]
In 1981, while he was playing keyboards for Higher Ground,
[11] Smith was signed as a writer to Meadowgreen Music, where he wrote numerous
gospel hits penned for artists such as
Sandi Patty,
Kathy Troccoli,
Bill Gaither and
Amy Grant, to the effect that some of these popular worship songs can now be found in church
hymnals. The following year, Smith began touring as a keyboardist for Grant on her
Age to Age tour.
He would eventually become Grant's opening act and recorded his first
Grammy-nominated solo album
The Michael W. Smith Project (which he also produced himself) in 1983 on the
Reunion Records label. This album contained the first recording of his hit "Friends", which he co-wrote with his wife Deborah. By the time Smith's second album
Michael W. Smith 2 was released in 1984, he was headlining his own tours. In 1986, Smith released
The Big Picture.
After the release of his 1988 effort,
i 2 (EYE), Smith once again collaborated with Grant for her "Lead Me On World Tour". The following year, Smith recorded his first
Christmasalbum, simply titled
Christmas (1989).
Mainstream venture and inspirational pop albums (1990–1999)[edit]
Smith collaborated with
Jim Brickman on "Love of My Life", a romantic love song for Brickman's album
Destiny in 1999. The song went to chart at No. 9 on the
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks. Also in 1999, he became the first Christian artist to receive the
ASCAP "Golden Note" Award for lifetime achievement in songwriting.
[6][13]
Instrumental and live worship albums (2000–2003)[edit]
Nearly all of Smith's albums include at least one instrumental track, and in 2000, Smith recorded his first all instrumental album,
Freedom. The following year, Smith released his first all-worship music album,
Worship, on September 11. This album was followed by a sequel,
Worship Again in 2002. Both albums were recorded live in concert.
Worship Again also includes a song that Smith wrote called "There She Stands", inspired by the
September 11, 2001 attacks. He performed this song live for the 2004
Republican National Convention,
[14] saying that President
George W. Bush, who he said is a fan and a family friend, had asked him to write a song about the attacks.
[15]
In 2002, Smith released a live concert DVD titled
Worship, filmed live in
Edmonton,
Alberta at
YC Alberta. The concert includes songs from both
Worship (2001) and
Worship Again(2002). It immediately topped the Billboard video charts and went
gold in both the U.S. and Canada.
Contemporary Christian albums (2004–2010)[edit]
Michael W. Smith during a concert in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania in 2005
Smith's album,
Healing Rain, was released in 2004 and debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 200 Chart. The title track rose to No. 1 on the Radio & Records Charts and a music video for the song was released. The album combines the pop style of his previous recordings with the religious feel of his two live worship albums. It was also nominated for a
Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album. In 2006 he released
Stand, which is similar to
Healing Rain (2004) in style and genre but with more Christian themed-songs. Also in 2006, Smith did the score and soundtrack to the film
The Second Chance, which he also starred in. He also released a single from the soundtrack album, "All In The Serve".
Orchestral instrumental, hymns, and studio worship albums (2011–present)[edit]
Smith's second instrumental album,
Glory, was released on November 22, 2011. Unlike his first instrumental album,
Freedom (2000), this album features a 65-piece orchestra at
AIR Studios Lyndhurts Hall in London and Wildwood Recording Studio in Nashville.
[18] The following year he released his third compilation album,
Decades of Worship (2012).
Smith's concert in Draper, Utah, on July 24, 2012 was almost canceled due to a complaint filed by a Utah resident on July 16, 2012. He claimed that a show "conflated with prayer and worship" should remain in church or private property, not in "public's backyard". The following day the city council decided to cancel the concert, but a day later they decided to host the show as planned after all after a criticism from a Utah evangelical group that equated cancelling the concert to an assault on religious liberty.
[19] The Mayor of Draper and several city council members were present at the event and were recognized for their support.
In 2014, Smith released three albums,
Hymns,
Sovereign, and
The Spirit of Christmas.
Hymns is Smith's first effort at doing his own rendition of traditional hymns, and it was released exclusively at
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store on March 24, 2014.
[20] The album sold 12,000 copies in its first week of release and debuted at No. 24 on the US
Billboard200.
[21] It was also the best-selling
Christian music album for the week of April 19, 2014,
[22] and won 2014 Dove Award for "Inspirational Album of the Year".
[23] Sovereign, released on May 13, 2014, is his first studio worship album and his first album released through Capitol Records,
[24] after leaving his long-time label Reunion Records in 2013.
[1] The album sold almost 16,000 copies in its first week,
[25] and debuted at No. 10 on the
Billboard 200, making it the highest charting album in his career as of 2014.
[25] The Spirit of Christmas, officially released as
Michael W. Smith & Friends: The Spirit of Christmas, is Smith's first duet album. Released on September 30, 2014, it features duets with
Carrie Underwood,
Lady Antebellum,
Little Big Town,
Jennifer Nettles,
Martina McBride,
Vince Gill,
Bono,
Amy Grant, and
Michael McDonald.
[26][27] The album marks Smith's third new album in 2014 to enter the Billboard 200,
[28] peaking at No. 16 as of December 2014.
[29] It also won 2015 Dove Award for "Christmas Album of the Year".
Smith, along with Amy Grant, was honored as the "cornerstone of Christian music" by
ASCAP in 2014 for his significant influence on the genre.
[7] In 2015, Smith and his son Tyler wrote the score and soundtrack for the film
90 Minutes in Heaven, where he also has a small acting role in.
Smith's second hymns album, called
Hymns II - Shine On Us, was released on January 29, 2016.
[30] Like his first hymns album released in 2014, the album was sold exclusively at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store.
On June 21, 2016, Smith released a new single titled "He Will Never End" which was originally released in March 2016 as a bonus track on the
Target exclusive edition of
The Passion: New Orleans soundtrack CD (2016).
[31] On June 27, 2016, he released the music video for the single which was filmed entirely in Israel in April 2016.
[32]
Later in 2016, Smith released a Christmas musical project in a collaboration with Wes King, Bradley Knight, and Luke Gambill called
Almost There – A Christmas Musical.
[33] The musical is named after a song Smith wrote a few years ago for his Christmas album
The Spirit of Christmas (2014).
[34]
Acting career[edit]
In 1994, Smith made his acting debut as Billy Holden in
Secret Adventures: Shrug. In 2006, Smith was the lead actor in
The Second Chance, a film directed by
Steve Taylor. He also did some of the score and soundtrack for this film.
In 2015, Smith starred as Cliff McArdle in the
film adaptation of the best-selling book
90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper.
[35] In addition, he collaborated with his son on the score and soundtrack for this film.
Smith also starred as James the disciple in
The Passion (U.S.), a live musical film that was aired on FOX on March 20, 2016.
[36]
Other ventures[edit]
In 1994, Smith opened a teen club, named
Rocketown, in
Nashville, Tennessee (6th Avenue). Later in early 2003, the club was moved to a new location—a renovated warehouse in downtown Nashville. The venue offers a large dance floor, extensive indoor skate park, and a cafe hosting live acoustic music.
In 1996, Smith opened his own record label,
Rocketown Records. The label was named after a song on his third album
The Big Picture. Smith does not personally record on it, but he stated the label was driven by the artists. The first artist signed was
Chris Rice, who had written "Go Light Your World", a No. 1 hit song by
Kathy Troccoli, in 1995.
Personal life[edit]
Smith is married to Deborah "Debbie" Kay Davis (b. 1958) and has five children: Ryan Smith, Whitney Katherine Smith-Mooring (married to Jack Mooring of the band
Leeland), Tyler Michael (keyboard player for the United Tour), Anna Elizabeth, and Emily Allison. He resides in the Nashville suburbs and spends time at the Smith family farm. His son, Ryan Smith, is a filmmaker who directed the film
After.
[38][39][40]
Smith attended Belmont Church in
Nashville, Tennessee and is mentored by its long time pastor,
Don Finto.
[43] Smith is the founding pastor of New River Fellowship in
Franklin, Tennessee, where he was the lead pastor from 2006 to 2008. Smith and his wife remain involved members of the church.
He was also named one of
People magazine's "Most Beautiful People" in 1992.
[49]
Discography[edit]
Amy Grant (left) and Michael W. Smith (right) have gone on several concert tours together
Publications[edit]
- Old Enough to Know. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1987. ISBN 978-0849931628
- It's Time to Be Bold. Nashville: Word Publishing, 1997. ISBN 978-1568655635
- Friends are Friends Forever. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997. ISBN 978-0785297468
- Your Place in This World. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1998. ISBN 978-0785270201
- This Is Your Time: Make Every Moment Count. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1999. ISBN 978-0785270355
- I Will Be Your Friend. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2001. ISBN 978-0785270362
- Worship. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2001. ISBN 978-0849995934
- The Price of Freedom. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2002. ISBN 978-0849956096
- Signs. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004. ISBN 978-1400302956
- Healing Rain. Nashville: Thomas-Nelson. 2004. ISBN 978-1591452737
- A Simple Blessing. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011. ISBN 978-0310327561
- The Power of an Ordinary Prayer: Worthy Publishing, 2013. ISBN 9781617951923
Audio books[edit]
- The Gospels Come to Life. Irving, Texas: Gospels Come to Life, 2003.
Filmography[edit]
- Grammy Awards
- 1984 Best Gospel Performance, Male for Michael W. Smith 2
- 1995 Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album for I’ll Lead You Home
- 2002 Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album for Worship Again
- Grammy Nominations
- 1983 Best Gospel Performance, Male for Michael W. Smith Project
- 1986 Best Gospel Performance, Male for The Big Picture
- 1988 Best Gospel Performance, Male for I 2(Eye)
- 1989 Best Gospel Vocal Performance, Male for "Holy, Holy, Holy"
- 1990 Best Pop Gospel Album for Go West Young Man
- 1998 Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album for Live the Life
- 2000 Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album for This Is Your Time
- 2002 Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album for Worship
- 2006 Best Christian Pop Album for Healing Rain
- 2008 Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album for Stand
- Dove Awards
- 1985 Songwriter of the Year
- 1987 Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year for The Big Picture (producer, artist)
- 1988 Long Form Music Video of the Year for "The Big Picture Tour Video" (artist)
- 1990 Short Form Music Video of the Year for "I Miss the Way" (artist)
- 1991 Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year for Go West Young Man (producer, artist)
- 1992 Choral Collection of the Year for The Michael W. Smith Collection (artist)
- 1992 Musical Album of the Year for Change Your World (artist)
- 1992 Song of the Year for "Place in this World" (artist)
- 1993 Praise and Worship Album of the Year for Songs from the Loft (artist)
- 1993 Recorded Music Packaging of the Year for The Wonder Years (artist)
- 1994 Musical Album of the Year for Living on the Edge (artist)
- 1996 Songwriter of the Year
- 1996 Special Event Album of the Year for My Utmost For His Highest (artist)
- 1997 Special Event Album of the Year for Tribute: The Songs of Andrae Crouch (artist)
- 1998 Children’s Music Album of the Year for Sing Me to Sleep Daddy (artist)
- 1998 Special Event Album of the Year for God With Us: A Celebration of Christmas Carols and Classics (artist)
- 1998 Enhanced CD of the Year for Live the Life – Maxi Single (artist)
- 1999 Artist of the Year
- 1999 Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year for Live the Life (producer, artist)
- 1999 Producer of the Year
- 1999 Special Event Album of the Year for Exodus (artist)
- 2000 Short Form Music Video of the Year for "This is Your Time" (artist)
- 2000 Song of the Year for "This Is Your Time" (artist)
- 2000 Songwriter of the Year
- 2001 Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year for This is Your Time (producer, artist)
- 2001 Youth/Children’s Musical Album of the Year for Friends 4 Ever (artist)
- 2002 Album of the Year for Worship (producer, artist)
- 2002 Artist of the Year
- 2002 Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year for "Above All" (artist)
- 2002 Instrumental Album of the Year for Freedom (producer, artist)
- 2003 Album of the Year for Worship Again (producer, artist)
- 2003 Artist of the Year
- 2003 Long Form Music Video of the Year for Worship DVD/Video (producer, artist)
- 2003 Male Vocalist of the Year
- 2008 Christmas Album of the Year for It's a Wonderful Christmas
- 2009 Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year for "A New Hallelujah"
- 2009 Praise & Worship Album of the Year for A New Hallelujah
- 2012 Best Instrumental Album of the Year for Glory
- 2014 Inspirational Album of the Year for Hymns
- 2015 Christmas Album of the Year for The Spirit of Christmas
- American Music Awards
