Beginnings

Michael Whitaker Smith was born October 7, 1957 to Paul and Barbara Smith in Richmond Hill, West Virginia. His father was an oil refinery worker and his mother was a caterer.[2] He inherited his love of baseball from his father, who had played in the minor leagues. Michael developed a love of music through his church. He learned piano at an early age and sang in his church choir. At the age of thirteen, Michael had "an intense spiritual experience" that led to his becoming a devout Christian. "I wore this big cross around my neck," he would recall, "It was very real to me."[3] He got involved in Bible study and found a group of older friends who shared his commitment to Jesus Christ. These were very happy years for Michael.[3]

After his older Christian friends moved away to college, Michael began to struggle with feelings of loneliness and alienation. After graduating from high school, he gravitated toward alcohol and drugs.[2] He attended Marshall University for a few semesters while developing his songwriting skills. He also played with various local bands around Huntington, West Virginia. During that time, his friend Shane Keister, who worked as a session musician in Nashville, encouraged Michael to move to the Country Music capital and pursue a career in music.[3]

In 1978, Michael moved to Nashville to follow his dream, but it was not easy getting started. He took a job as a landscaper to support himself. He played with several local bands in the Nashville club scene.


"I really started losing touch when I moved to Nashville, around April of '78. I was smokin' marijuana, drinking, doing some other drugs; just being crazy, you know. My mom and dad knew what I was doing. But they never hassled me, they just prayed for me. And I felt convicted by God. Every time I'd wake up I knew: This isn't me. But I couldn't change myself."


In November 1979, Smith suffered a breakdown that led to his recommitment to Jesus Christ. The next day he auditioned for a new CCM group, Higher Ground, as a keyboardist and got the job. It was on his first tour with Higher Ground, playing mostly in churches, that Smith was finally able to put the drugs and alcohol behind him.



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