The Prodigal Story In All Of Us
An Interview with Michael English
by Ken Wiegman

Shortly after the release of Michael English's “The Prodigal Comes Home,” I had the opportunity to speak with him over the phone about the CD and his own prodigal story. Although it is difficult to encapsulate his story in a nutshell, Michael did his best to summarize.

Michael's story began at childhood as he and his family sang together as a group. Out of High School with no intentions of singing for a living, Michael enrolled in cosmetology school. At this time in his life he was presented with the opportunity to perform with the Singing American's. The first warning sign may have been when he left to pursue this opportunity without the blessings of his family. For a short stint Michael joined the Goodman's and then subsequently returned to the Singing American's a second time. This was around 1983 and near that time Michael scored a #1 hit in the gospel genre with “I Bowed On My Knees and Cried Holy.” After leaving the Singing American's and prior to striking out on a full fledged solo career, Michael also performed with the Gaithers. To this point, much of what Michael was involved in career wise were singing groups and he admittedly felt uncomfortable with the thoughts of going solo. None the less, his solo career started to take off exponentially.

As a solo artist Michael started to accumulate accolades and awards for his singing. However, in the midst of all this fame, things were not all well with Michael. “All this great stuff was going on for me, yet I was a very unhappy guy,” stated Michael. With hind sight, Michael realizes now that this unhappiness was due in part to the fact that he did not have a one-on-one relationship with God. “I was not prepared or strong enough to handle [success]” says Michael. At the time of his third #1 song, Michael was sitting in a treatment center suffering from depression. His marriage was also falling apart and while things looked bright in his musical career, everything under the surface was suffering.

At this point, Michael tells of how he “fell from grace” a term that Michael says he feels uncomfortable with. “The way I look at it, I just plain outright sinned,” explained Michael. While on a tour, Michael led himself into an adulterous affair with a backup singer. When the affair became public everything changed for Michael. His career in Christian music was over as far as he was concerned. Michael stated that it was like the rug was taken out from under him, except that he was the one who pulled it out himself. With the sudden slump of his career his identity was loss and Michael started to feel empty. “I felt like I had to be a Christian singer to be a Christian. That was my salvation, music was my religion.” It was not until years later that Michael came to grips with the fact that Christ did not die for his music, but for him as a person.

Continuing down a spiral of despair, Michael began to rebel against beliefs that were engrained in him as a child. “Everything I had been taught not to do, I was doing,” explained Michael. It was a confusing time because growing up Michael would hear about all the things he was not supposed to do, while at the same time he saw alcohol and drinking in the home. In his mind, he was already condemned to hell and there was nothing he could do to change that.

In a turn of events on one particular night in the year 2000, Michael heard from God. As Michael puts it, “God was giving me a chance to come home, or deal with the consequences.” Michael had come to a realization that God was offering him an opportunity and this is when he came to believe that Christ died for him personally and not for his music as he had thought before.

What followed this encounter was not a storybook tale of healing. “God did not just heal me of drug addiction. I had to do something about it,” Michael explained. Michael entered in to a rehab program and as he described it went through the worst experience in his life. Michael's withdrawals were painful physically and mentally. Michael's recovery was marked by a few set backs and relapses until he finally said to himself that God had given him this opportunity and if he did not follow through with the recovery it would be “like spitting in the face of God.”

Michael enrolled in a new treatment program and is now six and half years drug free. Michael stated that he still seeks counseling and he has not forgotten the pain that his addiction has caused. His new beginnings are marked with a realization that he does not need to have a stellar career to have a close relationship to God. A big part of his recovery has been daily Bible readings, which is also a particular challenge for Michael. Staying equipped to handle his own life and to minister to others is his driving motivation. Michael further explained that he has ADD and it is difficult for him to read for long periods of time. At times he would feel frustrated about that this condition. However, Michael stated that even reading the Bible just a few minutes at a time, has planted seeds that help to remind him of how to live his daily life. Michael likes to encourage others with similar problems to dig into the Word even if it is just in small doses.

Michael now has a new CD and book out titled “The Prodigal Comes Home,” and the theme of redemption runs thick through out both. I asked Michael if the songs on the album were written specifically for him in order to tell his story and he stated that all the writers were asked was to tell the story of redemption. Michael believes that the way things worked out and how the songs just fit perfectly was a blessing from God. Only one song on the CD, the title track, was specifically written for him. This song in particular was written almost ten years ago and the writer saved it specifically for Michael when he was ready to record it.

When asked about a favorite song on the CD, Michael shared the story of how “Feels Like Redemption” made the final mix. Michael explained that after the CD was finished he was taking a break vacationing with family his manager sent him a song and asked him to listen to it. Michael was not sure what was going to happen with the song because the CD was already completed. Somewhat unexpectedly, Michael receive the go ahead to record “Feels Like Redemption.” He stated that the record label (Curb) was very supportive and understanding and so the song that nailed it all was recorded and added to the CD. Michael stated that this was one of his favorite songs on the disc because it had such a powerful message, “It fit perfectly,” said Michael. He went on to say that the song does not have a huge ending which is typical in most songwriting. A big ended is sometimes added to manipulate listeners to react. Michael described how people reacted the first time he sang this song, and how he was amazed at their reaction. “It didn't take manipulation to move people,” he explained, but at the end of the song the audience was up on their feet cheering.

Michael is now on the road again for the first time since 1994 touring with Avalon. The most important thing for him now is following the will of God. He explains, “the will of God is sometimes hard to pray for. If I can find the will of God that is where my peace lies.” Although his story is painful to tell, Michael does not shy from sharing it. When he was younger in his career, Michael stated that he prayed for something to say, to have a testimony, looking back he said, “Lord you sure gave me something to say!”

The new CD, “The Prodigal Comes Home,” is out on Curb Records and the new tracks sound great. Michael shows that there is still vitality in the male vocalist genre. With a multitude of producers the sound is distinctly different from song to song. The overall theme of redemption is clear and the goodness of the CD is a tribute to God's great mercy. The story of the Prodigal Son is for all of us no matter where we are in life. There is nothing outside of the grace of God that can make us worthy to sing to Him, to praise Him, and to one day meet Him in all His glory.

Michael English's official website can be found at www.michaelenglishmusic.com.