If you think Mariah Carey is all in on Christmas, Christian singer Michael W. Smith has Carey beat in terms of pure output.
The veteran performer has released five Christmas albums since 1989, including “Every Christmas” in 2023. He has regularly toured at this time of year for decades, usually with his longtime friend Amy Grant.
This year, Grant decided to take a break from touring, so Smith is doing a set of solo dates.
“I think she just wants to be home with the grandkids,” said Smith in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I’m totally down with that. I wasn’t offended. We’ll be back. It’s just a matter of time.”
Smith, 67, who lives in Nashville, Tennessee, himself has 18 grandkids from five children. “A 19th is on the way,” he said. “We’re populating the county.”
Christmas Day at the Smith household, he said, “is beautiful chaos. It’s insane. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world. It’s loud. It’s wonderful. Our dog Penny waits by the tables for scraps. It’s a glorious day for her.”
Expect his Christmas set list to include classics such as “All is Well” and “Gloria.” And without Grant, he is bringing in another artist to help him out: 24-year-old Christian singer Riley Clemmons. “She’s vibrant,” he said. “She’s going to bring a lot of joy to the stage.”
Also, for the first time in several years, he is including bagpiper Skip Cleavinger with the band. “I’m definitely excited,” Smith said. “There is something about bagpipes that make your hair stand on your neck. We’ll do some songs we haven’t done in awhile because they’ll feature Skip.”
Smith said this is only the second time he is starting his tour before Thanksgiving, which is Nov. 28 this year, the latest the holiday can happen. This leaves just 27 days between the two holidays. Smith’s first Christmas concert this tour is this Friday, Nov. 15, in Charleston, S.C.
“People are ready for it,” Smith said. “I think they’re ready earlier than maybe 10, 20 years ago.”
Smith himself grew up in a West Virginia household that began playing Christmas tunes on Sept. 1. He absolutely adored “The Andy William’s Christmas Album” growing up and, when he became an adult, went out of his way to catch Williams in concert in the late 1970s. He almost always includes at least one or two Williams songs on his set list.
“His voice is so soothing,” Smith said. “There’s something so compelling about it. He’s effortless. Nobody else sounds like him.”
Smith said he has never gotten tired of doing these seasonal concerts and has no plans to stop any time soon.
“These nights sort of center everybody and remind us what’s important: being kind and celebrating the most important thing in life — Jesus. There is always something special about singing ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ or ‘O Holy Night.’ That never changes.”
