Michael W. Smith

For other people named Michael Smith, see Michael Smith (disambiguation).

Michael W. Smith
Smith in 2019
Born
Michael Whitaker Smith

(1957-10-07) October 7, 1957 (age 67)
Kenova, West Virginia, U.S.
Occupations
  • Musician
  • actor
  • worship leader
  • pastor (formerly)
Spouse
Deborah Kay Davis
​
(m. 1981)​
Children5
Musical career
OriginNashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • keyboard
  • piano
  • guitar
Years active1983–present
Labels
Websitemichaelwsmith.com

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 two films and published 14 books including This Is Your Time, which he worked with Christian author Gary Thomas to write.[8]

  1. ^ "Michael W. Smith, Christian Music Icon, Leaving Provident For Capitol Christian". Billboard. July 18, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  2. ^ Strombitski, Mary Ann; Matt Williams (January 31, 2003). "Michael W. Smith Helps Compassion Gain Nearly 4,000 Sponsorships". Compassion International. Archived from the original on February 10, 2007. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  3. ^ a b "Smith in SA in May". News24.com. April 30, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  4. ^ "'Inspiring' Smith set for Spirit Jam", Corpus Christi Caller Times,[1] August 1, 2008.
  5. ^ "Lecrae, Lauren Daigle and Seth Mosely Win Big at Dove Awards". Billboard. October 14, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  6. ^ Smith, Barbara (1999). Cooking with Smitty's Mom. Thomas Nelson Publishers. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-7852-6918-2.
  7. ^ "ASCAP Christian Music Awards". ascap.com. May 6, 2014. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  8. ^ Smith, Michael (1999). This is your time.