Michele Pillar

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Michele Pillar (born July 26, 1955 in Brentwood, Tennessee) is a three-time Grammy-nominated Christian singer and songwriter. Despite only a short list of studio albums recorded, she has been a strong influence in contemporary Christian music (CCM) for three decades. Since 1987, she's currently married to the jazz guitarist and composer Larry Carlton. She has worked with such leading figures in her field of music as Phil Keaggy and Erick Nelson. Her 1991 studio album Love Makes All the Difference was considered a major event and her return to recording as a solo artist after working on her husband's music and a variety of other projects. Pillar's album Reign On Me and her project with Erick Nelson, The Misfit, are now considered classics of the CCM genre. The Misfit has recently been re-issued on compact disc. She also teamed up with Steve Camp on the song "Love's Not a Feeling" (from Camp's 1983 album, Fire and Ice).

After a successful 1991 comeback, her career came to a standstill when her husband was nearly killed in a random gang-related shooting in front of their Los Angeles house. Though her husband had to learn to play the guitar all over again, doctors removed the .357 magnum bullet in his neck that nearly paralyzed him. It narrowly missed his spinal cord.

Pillar would also contribute her vocals to The Simpsons on a number of occasions imitating the voice of Karen Carpenter.

Closer To Home is a Charity started by Michele Pillar and Larry Carlton in Fall of 2000. Closer To Home benefits residents of Williamson County, Tennessee. Fund raising shows have been headlined by Vince Gill, Jo Dee Messina, Steve Winwood, Michael McDonald, Wynonna, Ricky Skaggs, Phil Vassar, and Larry Carlton. These shows have included a variety of other artists and songwriters from many styles of music.