Never to late to pursue your dreams! Michael Robert released his first album at age 40, and started touring! Not exactly what people expected from this successful entrepreneur and happily married father of six children! Michael Robert laid aside touring with his band in 1993 to start a pest control business and start a family. He has been faithfully serving in local churches in Southern Oregon ever since. In an awesome display of creative genius he has released 5 CDs in the last 4 years with several songs cracking the radio charts! At a young age Michael Robert discovered the "Answer to life" and has been writing about it ever since. Each song marks a mile stone in his spiritual journey. Some songs represent a place of rest or conviction; others a time of healing or rejoicing. “Every time I write a song I feel God revealing something new to me,” Michael shares, “showing me a greater aspect of His love and grace, taking me deeper in His love, or putting His finger on an area of my life that needs conviction or healing. Life is just full of so many ups and downs. Worshiping God and praising Him puts our lives, and our worries, in perspective. He is on the throne and we can trust Him!” Lately Michael has been moved by the hymns from his youth, “When I first became a Christian, I learned a lot of hymns in Sunday school. They are so rich in content. I enjoy teaching them to my kids and changing them up a little, making them more relevant for today.” The first fruits of this journey through the hymns led to the recording two very successful hits, “At the Cross” and “Crown Him”, being aired on literally thousands of stations throughout the world. Michael’s success and love for the hymns has spurred him on to a new ministry. Taking the hymns putting them into contemporary arrangements and making them fresh for a new generation of worshipers. “The Revived Hymns Tour” has been taken Michael all over the world ministering throughout the United States, Canada, Japan, and Europe. As the whirlwind of success continues Michael is very clear about one thing - no church is too small. “When I first set out to do this I felt God said to go wherever they invited me to come; to not let money or crowd size dictate where I went. I love reaching out to crowds of all sizes. It’s great to go to a church that might never get to see a national recording artist” he grins. “I’ve helped pioneer several churches in the past, and I love to encourage these vital ministries and hopefully help them grow.” The creativity never stops for Michael. He has been branching out into other areas of music ministry by both co-writing and producing CDs for two new artists on his label. “Working with other musicians is very exciting for me. Seeing these musicians answer the call God has given them, and knowing that I had a part in that, is so fulfilling.” In the last year M.R. Music group has signed two other artists to the label, and is in the midst of a deal for distribution with Universal Music Group. Michael Robert Smith was born in New Jersey. At the age of 6 his father relocated the family to a ranch in the middle of nowhere in Applegate, Oregon. He settled into the country life and quickly made friends with the guitar at his early age. It has been his best friend and confidant ever since. Leading worship at his youth group soon led to leading worship at Applegate Christian Fellowship and other churches in the area. The mission field then called to him and he traveled the world ministering through music in Mexico, Honduras, and the Philippines with Youth with a Mission. When back in the states he soon formed a new band and hit the road, sharing Jesus with anyone who would listen. Along the way he shared the stage with everyone from Skillet and The Kry to NewSong and Randy Thomas. Then one Fourth of July he met a young, single mom named Linda, and Michael admits to seeing fireworks – literally and figuratively. Marriage was inevitable. Linda became Michael’s grounding and counter-weight; an anchor that holds him fast and the compulsion that drives him forward. Through the ensuing years of marriage they have faced all the trials and tribulations that are common to believers on both edges of the twenty-first century, and some that no one wants to even contemplate. “We’ve gone through some trials over the years,” Michael understates. “Depression, health issues, kidney problems, open-heart surgery – we’ve been through it all. We are truly thankful for modern medicine and the working of the Holy Spirit. There is nothing like watching your children suffer to keep you on your knees, to keep you trusting the Lord.” With the new responsibilities of being a husband and father Michael felt called to lay aside the music - at least the touring aspect of it - and get a real job. Michael’s irrepressible creativity simply shifted gears and began expressing itself through a completely unrelated outlet. “I started my own pest control business,” Michael explains. “I invented my own line of natural pest control products called NatureLine, jumped in my old 1971 Datsun pickup, and started treating homes.” Michael’s drive and creativity soon propelled the company to phenomenal growth in the Pacific Northwest, and it is now one of the largest natural pest control businesses in the country. “It is interesting how the Lord sometimes puts you in places you never expected to be,” Michael says with an ‘aw shucks’ grin. While Michael poured his energies into his pest control business, Linda embraced motherhood as the Lord blessed the couple with five more children. With an athletically inclined brood, Michael soon found himself President of the local Little League, and coaching all levels of sports. But the music was never far from his mind and opportunities to lead worship and minister in the local church continued to present themselves. Drawing on the life of the legendary Keith Green and the raw abandon of Christian rockers like Rez Band for inspiration, Michael continued to pour out his heart in song. The thrill of seeing hearts reborn continued to resonate in Michael’s spirit, and with an unexplained burst of fresh creativity, he says the Lord started giving him new songs, songs that had the potential to impact lives. As an outlet for this new found creativity he formed Michael Robert Music Group. He teamed up with Grammy/Dove award-winning Engineer Ron Davis, formerly of Integrity Music and Hillsong. “I’ve always written songs,” Michael explains, “but during the last five years in particular the Lord has given me some amazing songs, songs that I can’t ignore, songs that I believe are meant for more than just me. The time was never right before, but when God puts a call on your life and makes it clear, you simply have to obey. That’s the way it feels right now.” As the songs began to pour out, Michael began to carve more time out of his schedule to record. Two full length worship CDs, “I Come Into Your Presence” and “Lift Up Your Voice” were the first fruits of his efforts, produced with Ron Davis, formerly of Integrity Music. They were shortly followed up with "Livin' in a gray World" and the most successful release yet, "At the Cross". Currently Michael is writing new songs and working on a new hymns project with Billy Smiley formerly of the band Whiteheart. “Hymns have always played an important part in my life.” says Michael. “I was saved at a Community Church in Ruch, Oregon where I grew up singing hymns. The new project coming out in June is titled “Revived Hymns”. Michael Robert does an excellent job of bringing the old current and introducing hymns to a new Generation. As radio stations continue to add his songs, Michael has found opportunities everywhere to travel and perform. In the past few years he has shared the stage at festivals with Casting Crowns, NewsBoys, Big Daddy Weave, Kutless, Phil Stacey, Chris & Conrad, and Paul Baloche. He has performed or shared at hundreds of churches throughout the USA, Canada and the UK. The groundswell of interest in new ways to sing hymns comes as no surprise to the seasoned worship leader. “I think people are hungry for more than just a rock concert. There is a place in all of us that only worshiping God can fill. Being able to be part of a group in intimate worship and praise is a thrilling experience. I think people long for more of that. I know I do.” Whether rocking hard with a full band or gently strumming a peace-evoking hymn or worship ballad on his trusty acoustic guitar, one thing is certain for Michael Robert – he loves the thrill of leading people into the presence of God. “I may be a little older than most touring Christian artists,” Michael grins, “but I’ve got a lot of life under my belt, a lot of life in front of me, and a lot more than ever to write about.”