By Deborah Evans Price
NASHVILLE (Billboard) -
Few artists in Christian music have
had a more checkered career than Michael English.
After early stints with Southern gospel groups and Bill
Gaither's famed Gaither Vocal Band, he embarked on a successful
solo career in the 1990s. But after winning five Dove Awards in
1994, it became public knowledge that English, who was married,
had had an affair with another married Christian artist. His
label dropped him, and Christian radio and retail banned him.
His career screeched to a halt, and his personal life
spiraled out of control. In the decade that followed, English
battled substance abuse and was arrested on drug-related
charges, but his life is now back on track. He just released a
new album, "The Prodigal Comes Home," via Curb.
Q: This is your first studio album since 2000. Why has it
been so long?
Michael English: The honest reason is I didn't want to do
another record and (have) something else happen in Michael
English's life that was negative. I did the "Heaven to Earth"
CD, and the day it came out, I was in rehab with drug
addiction. I'm tired of disappointing God. I'm tired of
disappointing my fans, friends and family and everyone around
me.
Q: At your lowest point, what happened? How did you bounce
back?
English: It got to a place where I was basically homeless.
I didn't have any money anymore. I had exhausted every avenue
trying to support the drug habit that I had. I was selling
anything and everything that I could find that was worth
anything on eBay. I didn't have a voice. I couldn't even sing
anymore. I lost my reputation, my life, my family, my finances,
my home and my voice, so I had nothing. I felt like I couldn't
be a Christian unless I was a Christian singer and it was over
for me. But God let me know you don't have to have a pretty
voice for God to love you.
Q: When you first signed with Curb in the mid-'90s you said
your intent was to leave Christian music and go into the pop
field. What happened?
Q: What did you want to say to your audience with this
record?
English: I was a lot more involved than (with) the other
CDs as far as making sure these songs were absolutely perfect
for me. The lyrics mean more to me today than before. I want to
reach out to give hope to people. I want to give hope to the
hopeless because I've been hopeless and there's not a worse
hole to be in. I want to let the world know that there's not a
hole deep enough that God can't still be there for you.
Q: With such titles as "Don't Think I'm Not Thankful" and
"Feels Like Redemption," these songs sound as though they were
written specifically for you. How did you find them?
English: (Producer) Mark Miller was really instrumental in
finding these songs. We go to the same church, and our pastor
brought us together. Mark knew my story. He knew my heart and
he went out and found most of these songs from all these
writers that he knew. I don't even know if he said, "These are
for Michael English," or if they just came in. It does
definitely sound like something that I would have written for
this record, for sure.
Q: Having returned to Christian music and to manager Norman
Miller, who handled your career in the early '90s, does it feel
like things have come full circle?
English: It does, and one of the first things I told Norman
(was), "I want to look to the future and not think too much
about the past ... so let's go and finish what we started."
Reuters/Billboard
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