Michael English served as lead vocalist for the Gaither Vocal Band during the closing years of the 1980s, bringing contemporary Southern gospel to wider audiences. He later departed the ensemble to emerge as a major figure in both Southern gospel and CCM during the first half of the 1990s. Four Dove Awards arrived in 1994—Artist of the Year, Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year, and Male Vocalist of the Year among them—signaling a dominant run that was curtailed when reports surfaced of an out-of-wedlock child. English shifted toward pop, achieving a crossover success in 1996 when his reading of John Berry’s “Your Love Amazes Me” climbed to number ten on Billboard’s adult contemporary chart. He reentered Christian music via the fittingly named Gospel in 1998 and thereafter maintained a consistent schedule of concerts and occasional recordings.
Born April 12, 1962, in Kenansville, North Carolina, English grew up in nearby North East. At age ten he began performing with the Singing Samaritans; after high school he moved on to the Singing Americans. Several releases with that group preceded his 1982 stint with the Goodmans. He rejoined the Singing Americans in 1984 and gained notice for his lead on “I Bowed on My Knees (And Cried Holy).” Following the 1985 album Black and White, he assumed the role of lead singer with the Gaither Vocal Band.
English remained with the Gaither Vocal Band until 1994, guiding the ensemble to increased visibility. His solo path began in 1991 with a self-titled Warner Alliance debut that quickly dominated CCM airwaves and earned Dove Awards for Best Male Vocalist and New Artist; that momentum was surpassed by 1993’s Hope, which collected four additional Dove honors.
One day after the 1994 Dove ceremony, English revealed that he and Marabeth Jordan of First Call had conceived a child while each was married to someone else. CCM outlets promptly ceased playing his music, and Warner Alliance ended the contract. After issuing a public apology, he signed with Curb late in 1994 to pursue mainstream pop. The 1995 duet “Healing” with Wynonna Judd preceded the September 1996 album Freedom, which spawned the Top Ten adult contemporary cover of John Berry’s ballad “Your Love Amazes Me.” While recording secular material, English continued producing gospel projects for the Martins, the Gaither Vocal Band, and the Stamps Quartet.
His initial public return to gospel occurred in August 1996 during a reunited Singing Americans performance at the Grand Ole Gospel Reunion. Steady reentry into the Christian spotlight led to Gospel in 1998, followed by Heaven to Earth in 2000. A seasonal collection, A Michael English Christmas, appeared in 2003, and a greatest-hits package arrived in 2006. The 2007 autobiography The Prodigal Comes Home coincided with a 2008 album of the same name.
English rejoined the Gaither Vocal Band as lead vocalist in 2009 and remained until 2013. That year he resumed solo work with Some People Change, his final Curb release. Daywind issued Worship in 2015; a live album followed in 2016 before he moved to New Day Entertainment for Love Is the Golden Rule in 2017.
