JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – GRAMMY-award-winning singer and songwriter, Michael W. Smith, is making a stop in Jacksonville next month for a Christmas concert.
Michael W. Smith is bringing his “Every Christmas Tour” back to the River City. He will be playing and singing at Florida Theatre on December 17. It’s a show he said he loves and is in his blood.
“I have not done Christmas Day in a long time,“ he said. ”I’ve never done Christmas Waltz. It is an old standard that I did with Sandi Patty a long time ago. I would love to pull that out of the hat.”
See the full interview below.
With more than 40 years in the music industry, Smith is a pioneer in Christian contemporary music. He has composed some of the most popular praise and worship songs.
His list of accomplishments includes having 36 No.1 songs, three GRAMMY awards, more than 45 Dove Awards, and being an inductee in the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
“This is weird to say, but I kind of feel like my best days are ahead,” he said as he continues releasing new music. “It is weird at my age. I feel good. I’m healthy. That is good. I feel like the wind is at my back. So why would I stop? There is no way that I could have orchestrated all of that by myself. I know there is a higher power and his name is ABBA. He just orchestrated this stuff. I just have to remain a conduit. Don’t let it go to my head.”
It’s not an exaggeration to say people sing some of his songs somewhere in the world every week at church. Some of his songs have even been added to hymnals.
Smith said there is one song he remembers exactly when he wrote it and it is known around the world: “Agnus Dei.”
“I can sing it and I can worship with it,” he said. “It is awesome when you go to these other countries. I remember going to Poland and everybody breaks into ”Agnus Dei" in Polish. In Rome, they start singing it in Italian. It is unbelievable. The hairs start standing on your neck and I start saying, ‘gosh, Lord, You are so good. How did this happen?’"
He has sold more than 18 million albums. While the work and his ministry continues, he hopes those who show up to Florida Theatre and other venues know one thing.
“That they are loved,” he said. “That they are loved and whatever they are going through, they are going to get through it. It’s more like the promises of God. You either believe it or not. The promises of God are true.”
The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 17.