Matt Maher
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| Matt Maher | |
|---|---|
| Origin |  St. John's, Canada |
| Genre(s) | Christian Rock |
| Years active | 2002-present |
| Label(s) | Essential Records |
| Website | www.mattmahermusic.com |
| Members | |
| Matt Maher Kemi Ndolo Dan Hinze Kenny Butler |
|
Matthew "Matt" Maher is a singer/songwriter/worship leader originally from Newfoundland, Canada, who later relocated to Mesa, Arizona. He has written and produced 3 independent albums, The End and The Beginning (2001), Welcome to Life (2003), and Overflow (2006). All three albums were produced by Maher, with Welcome to Life and Overflow both being co-produced by Maher and Nashville engineer Jeff Thomas. All three records were released through www.spiritandsong.com, a publishing company based out of Portland, Oregon. In 2005, Maher signed a publishing deal with EMI publishing, and went on to have several of his songs recorded by other artists (Phillips Craig and Dean, Michael Olson, Bethany Dillon, Chris Tomlin). In the spring of 2007, Maher signed to Essential Records. His new album "Empty and Beautiful" was released on April 8, 2008.
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[edit] Your Grace is Enough
Matt is most known for his song, "Your Grace Is Enough" which Chris Tomlin recorded on His 2004 Gold release, Arriving. The two met at a Youth Specialties conference held in Phoenix when Tomlin's band was asked to "back" Maher up. Tomlin instantly fell in love with the song. Since then, the song has become a popular worship anthem. Matt recorded a new version of the song, combining both his and Tomlin's versions, for the album "Empty and Beautiful". The song was released as a single on iTunes in March 2008, and has begun playing on a variety of Christian music stations throughout the nation.
[edit] Mission as a Worship Leader
Matt serves at St. Timothy's Catholic Parish in Mesa, Arizona, where he met and learned from his friend and mentor, Tom Booth. St. Timothy's is renowned as the founding parish of Life Teen, an international Catholic Youth Ministry. He serves the youth of the parish and Diocese of Phoenix in his music ministry. Matt began singing at Mass, and then he broadened his service to leading praise and worship diocesan events, such as XLT. Matt now has expanded his ministry to a variety of events around the world but remains grounded in his Arizona roots. He plays locally at many events including Tempe's annual Hoodstock. Matt can also be seen performing and leading worship around the United States often throughout the year, playing for several Steubenville High School Youth Conferences, special diocesan youth rallies, and with the ADORE 2097 Worship Tour. Matt Maher plans to perform in both across both Oceans in Europe and Australia later in 2008.
[edit] Empty and Beautiful
On April 8, 2008, Matt Maher's new album Empty and Beautiful was released. As of April 8th, the album reached number 55 on the album charts in itunes, and number 2 on the Christian and Gospel Album chart. Additionally, his song Empty and Beautiful reached number 10 on the Christian and Gospel itunes chart, and his song Your Grace is Enough reached number 48. ON the Billboard Music Charts, Your Grace is enough has been on the charts for 4 weeks as of April 9th, and has reached number 19.
[edit] Visit of Pope Benedict XVI
When the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI visited the United States in April 2008, Maher was asked to lead worship for crowds of thousands at the Rally for Youth and Seminarians in Yonkers, NY. In addition to having Kelly Clarkson and Mac Powell of Third Day open for him, Maher was able to play for the Holy Father. He was subsequently interviewed on Fox News, where he played his title track from Empty and Beautiful on the secular airwaves.
[edit] Discography
| Album Title | Release Date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| The End and the Beginning | 2002 | Spirit and Song |
| Welcome to Life | 2004 | Spirit and Song |
| Overflow | March 22, 2006 | Spirit and Song |
| Empty & Beautiful | April 8, 2008 | Essential Records |
[edit] External links
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