Michael W. Smith
Michael Whitaker Smith (born October 7, 1957 in Kenova , West Virginia ) is an American singer and songwriter with a Christian orientation. He is married and has five children.
Career
Since his first album Project (1983), Michael W. Smith has become one of the most popular artists of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) and was also very popular with the general public. Smith sold more than seven million albums and received ten gold records , seven platinum records and two Grammys by 2016 .
In his youth, Smith suffered from severe drug and alcohol addictions . During this time he was a member of several local bands and developed his songwriting skills there. In October 1979, Smith broke down emotionally and mentally. It was through this incision that Smith recalled his childhood Christian beliefs and overcame his addictions. Then he started playing the CCM keyboard for various bands .
In 1981 Smith became a songwriter for Meadowgreen Music , where he wrote some very successful gospel hits for artists such as Sandi Patty , Kathy Troccoli , Bill Gaither and Amy Grant . The following year, Smith began playing keyboard for Grant on the Age to Age tour. In 1983 he recorded his Grammy-nominated album Michael W. Smith Project .
In 1984 he released his second pop album and began touring on his own. In 1986 he released his critically acclaimed album The Big Picture , produced by Johnny Potoker , who otherwise worked with artists such as Brian Eno , Genesis , Madonna , No Doubt and the Talking Heads .
After the release of his album i 2 (eye) in 1988, Smith again accompanied Amy Grant on her Lead Me On World Tour . The album This Is Your Time , released in 1999, was inspired by the school slaughter at Columbine High School .
Smith wrote his song There She Stands because of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 in the USA at the request of George W. Bush , with whom he had met in the White House . Smith played the song at the 2004 Republican Convention in New York City .
Smith also wrote some books.
On February 17, 2006 his film The second chance was released in American cinemas, in which he made his debut as an actor and played a leading role.
To help young people, he set up the Rocketown project, a kind of disco combined with youth work, to reach children who live in the streets with no goal in their lives.
On his 50th birthday, his third Christmas album "It's A Wonderful Christmas" was released in October 2007, which he recorded in the spring of that year at Abbey Road Studios in London.
In 2008 A New Hallelujah was released , a live recording of the worship concert of the same name in Houston with Israel Houghton and the African Children's Choir as a guest.
Smith has given concerts in Germany in 2003 (Wetzlar and Siegen), 2005 (Karlsruhe), 2007 (Karlsruhe), 2009 (Lemgo) and 2015 (Heilbronn).
Discography
Studio albums
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US | Christian | |||
1983 | Michael W. Smith Project |
US-
gold
US
|
Christian9 (184 weeks) Christian |
First published: March 15, 1983
Sales: + 500,000 |
1984 | Michael W. Smith 2 | - |
Christian4 (117 weeks) Christian |
First published: February 23, 1984
|
1986 | The big picture | - |
Christian2 (69 weeks) Christian |
First published: February 1, 1986
|
1988 | I 2 (eye) |
US-
gold
US
|
Christian1 (164 weeks) Christian |
First published: August 15, 1988
Sales: + 500,000 |
1990 | Go West Young Man |
US74
platinum
(19 weeks)US |
Christian1 (145 weeks) Christian |
First published: September 24, 1990
Sales: + 1,050,000 |
1992 | Change your world |
US86
platinum
(29 weeks)US |
Christian1 (98 weeks) Christian |
First published: Aug 21, 1992
Sales: + 1,000,000 |
1995 | I'll lead you home |
US16
platinum
(39 weeks)US |
Christian1 (83 weeks) Christian |
First published: August 1, 1995
Sales: + 1,000,000 |
1998 | Live the life |
US23
gold
(18 weeks)US |
Christian1 (64 weeks) Christian |
First published: April 28, 1998
Sales: + 500,000 |
1999 | This is your time |
US21st
gold
(13 weeks)US |
Christian1 (43 weeks) Christian |
First published: November 23, 1999
Sales: + 500,000 |
2004 | Healing Rain |
US11
gold
(15 weeks)US |
Christian1 (51 weeks) Christian |
First published: October 26, 2004
Sales: + 500,000 |
2006 | was standing |
US48 (13 weeks) US |
Christian1 (44 weeks) Christian |
First published: November 7, 2006
|
2010 | Wonder |
US26 (9 weeks) US |
Christian2 (39 weeks) Christian |
First published: September 28, 2010
|
2014 | Sovereign |
US10 (5 weeks) US |
Christian1 (48 weeks) Christian |
First published: May 13, 2014
|
2018 | A million lights | - |
Christian2 (5 weeks) Christian |
First published: February 16, 2018
|
Lullaby | - | - |
First published: May 4, 2018
|
Web links
- Literature by and about Michael W. Smith in the catalog of the German National Library
- Michael W. Smith in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Michael W. Smith website
- Michael W. Smith Archives
- Rocketown , a project to help children find meaning in their lives
- Concert in Full HD (MWS from 2: 05h) at an event of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in Erie, PA (USA) in September 2014
swell
- ↑ CD: A New Hallelujah , gerth.de, message from 2008.
- ↑ Michael W. Smith concert in Heilbronn , erf.de, message from May 4, 2015.
- ↑ Chart sources: US
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Smith, Michael W. |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Smith, Michael Whitaker (full name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American singer and songwriter |
DATE OF BIRTH | October 7, 1957 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Kenova , West Virginia , USA |