which he worked with
Christian author Gary
Thomas to write.
Michael Whitaker Smith was
born to Paul and Barbara Smith
in Kenova, West Virginia. His
father was an oil refinery
worker at the Ashland Oil
Refinery, in
nearby Catlettsburg, Kentucky.
His mother was a caterer. He
inherited his love of baseball
from his father, who had
played in the minor leagues. As
a child, he developed a love of
music through his church. He
learned piano at an early age
and sang in his church choir.
At the age of 10, he had "an
intense spiritual experience"
that led to his becoming a
devout Christian. "I wore this
big cross around my neck," he
would recall, "It was very real
to me." He became involved in
Bible study and found a group
of older friends who shared his
faith.
After his older Christian
friends moved away to college,
Smith began to struggle with
feelings of loneliness and
alienation. After graduating
from high school, he gravitated
toward alcohol and drugs. He
attended Marshall
University while developing
his songwriting skills but
dropped out after one semester.
He also played with various
local bands around Huntington,
West Virginia. During that
time, his friend Shane Keister,
who worked as a session
musician in Nashville,
encouraged him to move to
Nashville, the Country Music
capital, and pursue a career in
music.
In 1978, Smith moved to
Nashville, taking a job as a
landscaper to support himself.
He played with several local
bands in the Nashville club
scene. He also developed a
problem with substance abuse.
“ I really started losing
touch when I moved to
Nashville, around April
of '78. I was smokin'
marijuana, drinking,
doing some other drugs;
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