Michael W. Smith

Born in West Virginia, Smith developed his interest in music through his interaction with the church, learning piano and singing in the choir at an early age. After a 'spiritual experience' at the age of ten, he became a devout Christian, becoming heavily involved with bible study groups.

Developing his songwriting skills during his time at High School and College, Smith decided to move to Nashville in order to pursue a career in music, gaining support from his friend Shane Keister, who was an established session musician there.

In 1981, he signed to Meadowgreen Music, writing gospel hits and worship songs for various artists. After performing as the opening act for Amy Grant, he signed to Reunion Records to release his debut album, titled "The Michael W. Smith Project" in 1983. The album brought him huge success, including a Grammy nomination.

In 1990, Smith achieved a crossover success with the single, "Place in This World," from the album, "Go West Young Man," which peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1992, he went even further and managed a number one hit with "Change Your World." His success continued with his following releases, creating 22 albums by 2014.

Smith also created an entirely instrumental album, titled "Freedom," released in 2000, featuring a vary of instrumentalists to create its epic sound. Following this, he moved towards christian worship music with his two albums "Worship" and "Worship Again" in 2001 and 2002. Smith wrote a song inspired by the September 11, 2001 attacks, titled "There She Stands" at the request of then president George W. Bush. He has also released four Christmas albums, reinterpreting the traditional Christmas songbook with his own inimitable style.

Michael W. Smith is definitely one of the biggest names on the American Christian music scene and his success has been awarded with several awards throughout his career. He has achieved three Grammy Awards for Best Gospel Performance in 1984, Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album in 1995 and Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album in 2002. As well as the Grammys, he has won a whole host of awards from the Dove Awards and the American Music Awards.