Michael English

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other persons named Michael English, see Michael English (disambiguation).

Michael English is a Christian singer who has been recording music since 1972. He hosts a program on TBN.

Michael English

A native of 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 to join The Goodmans sometime after Rusty and Sam Goodman split off from The Happy Goodman Family to form the new group. 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, tthe 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 Bandas their new lead singer, replacing Gary McSpadden(who stepped down to baritone while Bill Gaither stepped down to bass. 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 as a Christian artist in 1991 while continuing to sing lead in The Gaither Vocal Band

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. English was dropped by his record label after it was revealed that he had had an extramarital affair with gospel singer Marabeth Jordan who sang with First Call who was touring with him. 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 [1] and left The Gaither Vocal Band.

For the next three years, though he would not totally abandon music, Michael English would not perform gospel music. In 1994, Michael signed a record contract with Curb Records. A duet with country music superstar and longtime friend, Wynonna Judd, appropriately titled “Healing,” introduced Michael to a new audience when the song was featured in the 1994 movie, Silent Fall.

Ultimately, in September 1996, Michael 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.

In the fall of 1996, Michael was in the audience at the National Quartet Convention in Kentucky. Gospel singer and longtime friend, JD Sumner invited unsuspecting Michael English to join him on the stage where he asked Michael to forgive people’s "judging hearts". An emotional Michael 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 Michael and featuring his own band with arrangements he had sung over and over in his concerts over the past several years. In March of 1999, Bill Gaither invited Michael to appear in another Homecoming Video taping. Three videos resulted from this taping, Good News, Harmony in the Heartland, and What a Time!

Michael 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., Michael 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 Michael married Marcie Stambaugh, a pastor’s daughter. The wedding took place in Nashville, TN with family and friends in attendance. Marcie has taken an active part in Michael's career and ministry.