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Michael English (born on April 12, 1963 in Kenansville, North Carolina) is a Christian singer who has been recording music since 1972. He hosts a program on TBN.
Background
A native of Wallace,North Carolina, he performed in his family's singing group, The Singing Samaritans between 1972 and 1980. After graduating High School, he joined The Singing Americans. He then left them in 1982 and joined The Goodmans. After that, he joined a regional group, The Gospel Couriers for about six months until he rejoined The Singing Americans. It was then that he had his biggest success in Southern Gospel Music (up to that point) with the live recording of what would become his signature song, I Bowed On My Knees (And Cried Holy).
Although one of the Goodmans had brought him the song to sing and record while he was still there with them, the Singing Americans felt the song had not gone as far as it could while he sang with The Goodmans so he recorded it with them. That version had the biggest success.
His last album with the Singing Americans was one of their most popular, Black and White. It contained a single he was fairly well known for called Welcome To Heaven, but success of it was possibly stalled when he left them in 1984 to join the Gaither Vocal Band as their new lead singer, replacing Gary McSpadden. It was here that he was introduced to many more people than the Southern Gospel audience he had. After rising to fame as a member of The Gaither Vocal Band, Bill Gaither encouraged him to do solo work outside the group. He signed his first solo recording contract with Warner Alliance in 1991 while continuing to sing lead in The Gaither Vocal Band.
His debut effort, Michael English, was well received. He received two Dove Awards in 1992 for the effort, for Male Vocalist and New Artist.
Adultery Scandal
His Christian music career abruptly came to a halt on May 6, 1994, just one week after receiving four Dove Awards, including Artist of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year. English was dropped by his record label after his label forced him to reveal that he had had an extramarital affair with Marabeth Jordan, a gospel singer who sang with First Call, a group he was touring with. The Christian music industry responded by removing all promotions, marketing, and sales of English's records, and Christian radio stations pulled English's songs off the air. He also returned his Dove Awards to the Gospel Music Association and left The Gaither Vocal Band.
Comeback
For the next three years, though he would not totally abandon music, English would not perform gospel music. In 1994, English signed a record contract with Curb Records to produce mainstream pop music. A duet with country music superstar and longtime friend, Wynonna Judd, appropriately titled “Healing,” introduced English to a new audience when the song was featured in the 1994 movie, Silent Fall.
Ultimately, in September 1996, English released his first pop album, Freedom. The album’s first single, "Your Love Amazes Me", garnered tremendous success and was recognized as the #1 Adult Contemporary song of 1996.
At both the 1996 and 1997 Dove Awards, his co-production for album projects by The Martins won Southern Gospel Album of the Year. He also produced or finished producing albums he had already started for The Stamps Quartet, The Gaither Vocal Band, and performed as a background singer on several artists’ Christian albums, as well as demo work when he could get it.
English was eagerly re-accepted by Southern Gospel audiences in August 1996 when popular southern gospel music promoter / historian Charles Waller unselfishly gave him a needed break. He reunited English with Ed Hill, Rick Strickland, Dwayne Burke, and Milton Smith as the Singing Americans before an audience of over 4000 gospel music fans at the Grand Ole Gospel Reunion.
In the fall of 1996, English was in the audience at the National Quartet Convention in Kentucky. Gospel singer and longtime friend, JD Sumner invited an unsuspecting English to join him on the stage where he asked English to forgive people’s "judging hearts". An emotional English shared his testimony and immediately followed with a powerful rendition of "I Bowed on My Knees".
In October of 1998, Curb Records released Gospel, produced by English and featuring his own band with arrangements he had sung over and over in his concerts over the past several years. This album was co-produced by long-time friend Jay Damarcus of Rascal Flatts. Gary LeVox, the lead singer of Rascal Flatts, sang background vocals as well. (John The Revelator & Up Above My Head) Bo Cooper (Piano player for English's band as well as Rascal Flatts) is credited on the album. This was well before Rascal Flatt's ascension to multi-platinum status. In March of 1999, Bill Gaither invited English to appear in another Homecoming Video taping. Three videos resulted from this taping, Good News, Harmony in the Heartland, and What a Time.
English recorded a new album, Heaven to Earth, which was released by Curb Records in March of 2000. Premiering his album on Trinity Broadcasting Network’s Praise the Lord, English gave a powerful testimony of what God had brought him through and shared his story about his addiction to painkillers and subsequent treatment and rehab. The response to his honesty and transparency was overwhelming with many stories being shared via mail, email and phone calls to TBN of others who had been addicted to painkillers and how they now have hope that they too can be free.
On August 29, 2002 English married Marcie Stambaugh, a pastor’s daughter. The wedding took place in Nashville, Tennessee with family and friends in attendance. Stambaugh has taken an active part in English's career and ministry.
Discography
- 1992 Michael English
- 1993 Hope
- 1995 Michael English
- 1996 Freedom
- 1998 Gospel (co-produced by Jay Demarcus of Rascal Flatts)
- 2000 Heaven to Earth
- 2003 A Michael English Christmas
- 2006 Best of Friends
References
- ^ Schwalboski, Ann M. (1999). "Michael English". In Brennan, Luann, ed. (ed.). Contemporary Musicians. Volume 23. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale Group. pp. 113–116. ISBN 0-7876-2091-2. ISSN 1044-2197.
{{cite book}}:|editor=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link) - "Dove Award Recipients for 1992". Gospel Music Association. Retrieved 2007-03-01.
- "Dove Award Recipients for Southern Gospel Album of the Year". Gospel Music Association. Retrieved 2007-03-01.