Matt Maher
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| Matt Maher | |
|---|---|
 Matt Maher at Steubenville West 2008
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| Background information | |
| Origin |  St. John's, Canada |
| Genres | Christian rock |
| Years active | 2002-present |
| Labels | Essential Records |
| Website | www.mattmahermusic.com |
| Members | |
| Matt Maher Kemi Ndolo Dan Hinze Kenny Butler |
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Matthew "Matt" Maher is a Roman Catholic singer/songwriter/worship leader originally from Newfoundland, Canada, who later relocated to Mesa, Arizona. He has written and produced five solo albums to date. His most well-known song is "Your Grace is Enough."
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[edit] Early Life
Matt Maher was born and raised in Newfoundland, Canada. His parents realized his musical talent. Matt took piano lessons, and later immersed himself in many different styles of music.[1]
[edit] Musical Career
Matt Maher began by writing songs for his church, where he is a worship leader. He released three independent albums: The End And The Beginning, Welcome to Life, and Overflow. All three albums were produced by Maher, with Welcome to Life and Overflow both being co-produced by Maher and Nashville engineer Jeff Thomas. All three albums were released through www.spiritandsong.com.
In 2005, Maher signed a publishing deal with EMI publishing, and went on to have several of his songs recorded by other artists, including Phillips, Craig, and Dean, Michael Olson, Bethany Dillon, and Chris Tomlin.
In the spring of 2007 Maher signed to Essential Records. He released the album Empty and Beautiful on April 8, 2008. His second album with Essential Records, Alive Again, was released on September 22, 2009.[2]
[edit] Your Grace is Enough
Matt is very well-known for his song, "Your Grace Is Enough," which Chris Tomlin recorded on his 2004 Platinum release, Arriving.
The two met at a Youth Specialties conference held in Phoenix, when Tomlin's band was asked to back Maher up. Tomlin instantly fell in love with the song and made some changes to the song.[3]
Since then, the song has become a popular worship anthem. Matt recorded a new version of the song, combining both his and Tomlin's versions, for the album "Empty and Beautiful".
The song was released as a single on iTunes in March 2008, and reached #2 on Billboard's Adult Christian Contemporary Chart, where it remained in the top ten for over eight weeks.
[edit] Visit of Pope Benedict XVI
When Pope Benedict XVI visited the United States in April 2008, Maher was asked to lead worship for crowds of thousands at the Rally for Youth and Seminarians in Yonkers, NY, which also featured Kelly Clarkson, tobyMac and Third Day, among others. He was subsequently interviewed on Fox News, where he played his title track from Empty and Beautiful on the secular airwaves.[4]
[edit] Discography
[edit] OCP/Oregon Catholic Press/Spirit and Song
- The End and the Beginning (2002)
- Welcome to Life (2004)
- Overflow (2006)
[edit] Essential Records
- Empty & Beautiful (2008) U.S. #168[5]
- Alive Again (2009) U.S. #128[6]
[edit] Awards and recognition
- 2008 Praise And Worship Album Of The Year: Empty & Beautiful[7]
- 2009 nominee, Male Vocalist Of The Year
- 2009 nominee, Song Of The Year: "As It Is In Heaven"
- 2009 nominee, Praise And Worship Song Of The Year: "As It Is In Heaven"
- Other
- 2008 Catholic Album Of The Year: Empty & Beautiful
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.mattmahermusic.com/bio.php
- ^ http://www.newreleasetuesday.com/coming_soon.php
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIgGHA27nG4
- ^ http://providentpress.com/artists_pr.php?id=32
- ^ [http://www.billboard.com/album/matt-maher/empty-and-beautiful/1111175#/album/matt-maher/empty-and-beautiful/1111175
- ^ [1]
- ^ Matt received four other GMAC nominations in 2008: New Artist Of The Year, Inspirational Song Of The Year: "Empty And Beautiful", Praise And Worship Song Of The Year: "Your Grace Is Enough", and Song Of The Year: "Your Grace Is Enough" GMA Canada list of 2008 nominees
