Michael W. Smith

The song is about America's ability to rise from the ashes and remain strong even after such horrific events. All the chart positions are for the UK, Suede has never charted in the US Top 40. Smith mentioned that the President, a personal fan of the artist, had asked him to attempt to write a song about the attacks.
. Bush in the Oval Office in October of 2001, a short time after the attacks. Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler are now at work with their new band, The Tears. In introducing the song before he performed it, he made remarks about meeting personally with President George W. The name was undecided, but would be neither "Anderson and Butler", nor "Suede".

He performed this song live for the 2004 Republican National Convention. In May 2004 Anderson confirmed rumours that he and Bernard Butler were working together again – they had written 15 songs and were putting together a band. Smith wrote a song entitled "There She Stands," prompted by the |September 11th terrorist attacks. "See you in the Next Life" was their closing remark. After two decades, Smith finally won the coveted Male Vocalist of the Year award at the GMA Music Awards in 2003. Brett made an annoucement that "there will be another Suede album" to everyone's delight, but added "...but not yet". A Worship Again DVD was released in 2002, which immediately topped the Billboard video charts. Their last concert at London's Astoria on December 13, 2003 was a two-and-a-half hour marathon show, split into two parts (plus encore) with the first part being "songs we want to play".

Both albums were recorded live in concert. After the release of their singles album and single "Attitude", the band announced there would be no more projects under the Suede name for the foreseeable future – effectively announcing the end of the band. The following year, Smith released an all praise and worship album, called Worship, which was followed by a sequel, Worship Again. In Autumn 2003, after issuing a large retrospective of their work, they played five nights at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts, playing an entire album a night – with B-sides and rarities as encores – in chronological order (a mammoth rehearsal task for any band). Nearly all of Smith's albums contain at least one instrumental track, and in 2000, Smith recorded his first all instrumental album, Freedom. In concerts Lee now plays second guitar, as well as keyboards, backing vocals and, at one point, the harmonica. He states the label is driven by the artists, and one of its first artists signed was Chris Rice, who had written "Go Light Your World," a #1 hit song by Kathy Troccoli, in 1995. This album saw Neil Codling leave the band, citing chronic fatigue syndrome, to be replaced by long-time band associate Alex Lee.

In 1996, Smith opened his own record label (although he does not record on it), Rocketown Records, named for a teen club which he established for Christian youth in the Nashville area. Their next album, Head Music (1999) was generally considered a disappointment, and Suede parted company with Nude Records, signing instead to Sony to record their fifth album A New Morning (2002). Smith had been asked to perform at some of the memorial services that were held in honor of the victims, which made a huge impression on Smith. The album was a hit throughout the Europe, Asia and Canada, but still not in the U.S. In 1999, Smith released This Is Your Time, largely inspired by the Columbine shootings. Butler was replaced by Richard Oakes before an international tour to promote the album; the band were also joined by keyboardist and backing vocalist Neil Codling in the making of the album that gained the most mainstream success, Coming Up (1996). Also in 1998, Smith released his second Christmas effort, Christmastime. Though sales were sluggish, the album was generally critically acclaimed.

That album was followed by 1992's Change Your World, 1995's I'll Lead You Home and 1998's Live The Life. Dog Man Star (1994) was released to mixed reviews. In 1990, Smith released Go West Young Man, which was his first real mainstream effort. The remainder of the guitar work on the album was completed by (depending on the source)studio musicians, or Brett Anderson himself. The following year, Smith recorded his first Christmas album. Butler quit the band in the middle of the recording sessions, and left behind his tapes which contained his ideas for the songs that had been written. After the release of his 1988 effort, I 2 eye, Smith once again teamed up with Amy Grant for her "Lead Me On World Tour". Anderson and Butler fought constantly; a major issue was the production of the album.

In 1986, Smith released the critically acclaimed rock effort The Big Picture, with well known record producer Johnny Potoker (Brian Eno, Genesis, Madonna, No Doubt, Talking Heads, etc). Tensions within the band mounted as they began working on the second album. By the time Smith's second pop album was released in 1984, he was headlining his own tours. albums under the moniker The London Suede. He would eventually become Grant's opening act, and recorded his first Grammy nominated solo album, Michael W. Smith Project (which he also produced), in 1983, on the Reunion label, a label started by Grant's brother-in-law, Dan Harrell, along with Michael Blanton. Moreover, a lounge singer's lawsuit forced the band to stop using the trademarked American name "Suede" and to record all of their future U.S. In 1981, Smith was signed as a writer to Meadowgreen Music, where he racked up a number of highly successful gospel hits penned for artists like Sandi Patty, Kathy Troccoli, Bill Gaither and Amy Grant. The following year, Smith began touring as a keyboardist for Grant on her Age to Age tour. Their American success was limited, even though they were touring with the Cranberries, who had support from MTV.

He cleaned up his substance abuse problem and began playing keyboards for the CCM group, Higher Ground. However, the fan hysteria that surrounded Suede in Britain would be short lived and never duplicated by the American public. In October of 1979, Smith suffered an emotional and mental breakdown that awakened a recommitment to the Christian beliefs of his childhood. The band won the Mercury Prize for best album of the year and had an enormous level of popularity. Nevertheless, he was able to get through a couple of years of college and develop his songwriting skills with various local bands. "The Drowners" was a moderate hit, though surpassed by "Metal Mickey" and "Animal Nitrate" a few months later. Their first albumSuede became the fastest selling debut since Frankie Goes To Hollywood's "Welcome To the Pleasuredome" and was catapulted onto the charts after Suede's ferocious breakthrough performance on the 1993 Brit Awards. By the time Smith graduated from high school, he had found himself with serious drug and alcohol abuse problems. The two b-sides, "My Insatiable One" and "To The Birds" were stunning, album quality songs that could have been singles on their own.

By 2003, he had 10 gold records and 3 platinum records. The single created an enormous amount of excitement because of its sharp contrast to the grunge sounds of the time. Smith had sold more than seven million records and had 25 #1 hit songs. The band's first single "The Drowners" was released amid an alternative media frenzy that began before Suede had released any actual note of music. Smith has frequently topped both Christian radio and Billboard charts, and is often listed as one of the top keyboardists in rock and roll in Keyboard Magazine. Simon Gilbert soon replaced the drum machine and Suede signed to Nude Records (sans Frischmann, who quit because the band never played any of the songs she wrote.). Since his first solo project in 1983, Smith has become one of the most popular artists in the Contemporary Christian music world, while also finding considerable success in the mainstream. The few surviving records out of a batch of 2000 are considered amongst the rarest of Suede collectibles.

Michael Whitaker Smith (born October 7, 1957 in Kenova, West Virginia), often nicknamed "Smitty", is an American singer, songwriter and keyboardist. With Mike Joyce famously filling in as drummer, Suede's first record "Be My God"/"Art", was printed but never released due to a dispute with the label. They soon added guitarist Bernard Butler – who was recruited through an advertisement in the NME and along with a drum machine, Suede were signed to RML Records, a label from Brighton. Suede was formed in London in 1989 by bassist Mat Osman, singer Brett Anderson and his girlfriend, Justine Frischmann, on rythym guitar. 14.

2003 "Attitude/Golden Gun" No. from Singles