Michael Whitaker Smith , born October 7, 1957, from Paul and Barbara Smith in Kenova, United States, is a singer of contemporary Christian evangelical music. He is also a composer, pianist and guitarist.
At age 5, he writes his first song and at age 10, he decides to give his life to Jesus Christ after an intense spiritual experience. From childhood he develops a love for music, especially in the church, he learns to play piano and sings in a choir. As a child, he dreams of becoming a professional baseball player.
Later, he enrolled at Marshall University in West Virginia but gave up after a semester. He falls into a vicious circle between alcohol and drugs, while he plays in several local groups. On the advice of a friend Shane Keister, he goes to Nashville to pursue a musical career. "With the help of God" he gets out of the drugs, as he likes to testify. He toured, mostly in churches, with the band Higher Ground, as a pianist.
In 1979, he earned his first salary: $ 200 a week. In 1980, he met and married Deborah Kay Davis with whom he will have five children. He takes his role as husband and father very much to heart, especially because his mother abandoned them on the doorstep of a neighbor at the age of seven, with her brother and two sisters. They were separated and placed in the family for seven years. After that, they are reunited again with their father.
