Michael W. Smith & Friends: The Spirit of Christmas released only a few short weeks ago, quickly hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Holiday Albums chart. The album features a plethora of A-list guests - including the aforementioned Carrie Underwood and Little Big Town, as well as Vince Gill, Lady Antebellum, Martina McBride, Amy Grant, Jennifer Nettles, Bono and Michael McDonald. Huffington Post led the critical praise, calling the album an early "favorite Yuletide effort" and an instant "Christmas classic."

This week, Country Weekly premiered the lyric video for Smith's collaboration with Little Big Town - "Silent Night" - and affirmed the album as a whole saying, "The Spirit of Christmas follows the tradition of musical excellence established by Michael W.'s three previous holiday albums. If you're a Michael W. Smith fan, there's a reason to celebrate the holiday season early this year." To watch the video premiere, visit countryweekly.com/videos/exclusive-michael-w-smith-and-little-big-towns-silent-night-lyric-video.

Last week, Smith attended the 2014 CMA Awards in Nashville and escorted members of the U.S. Marines in support of their Toys For Tots campaign. Toys were collected at the taping for CMA Country Christmas and will be distributed to children and families in need in the greater Nashville region. For more information, visit nashville-tn.toysfortots.org.

Smitty with Little Big Town

Smith is gearing up to launch the "The Spirit of Christmas Tour" which kicks off November 30 and will hit several cities in the U.S. and Canada. Partnering with Smith as the official tour sponsor is Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® and joining him on all tour dates is Dove Award-winner Rachael Lampa.

About Michael W. Smith:
Michael W. Smith is an acclaimed singer, songwriter, and musician who has sold more than 15 million albums, achieved 28 No. 1 songs, earned three GRAMMY® Awards, one American Music Award, and more than 40 Dove Awards. Most recently, in honor of ASCAP's 100th Anniversary, Smith, along with Amy Grant, was honored as "a cornerstone of Christian music," for his groundbreaking career and significant influence on the genre. Throughout his career, the Contemporary Christian Music artist has had the opportunity to sing for several Presidents and national leaders. He actively supports the teen club Rocketown, Compassion International, and Samaritan's Purse, the ministry headed by Franklin Graham. Michael and his wife Debbie live in Middle Tennessee, where they raised their five children. So far this year, Smith has released Hymns, his first-ever classic hymns album available exclusively at all Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® locations and CrackerBarrel.com, as well as his first studio worship album since 2008, Sovereign, which took a Top 10 spot on the Billboard 200, as well as the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Christian Albums Chart. His fourth career Christmas album, Michael W. Smith & Friends: The Spirit of Christmas, is available now. For more information, visit www.michaelwsmith.com.

For more info on Michael W. Smith visit the JFH Artists Database.

 

 

 

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