Michael Harrison Sweet (born July 4, 1963) is a singer and guitarist from
Whittier, California
Whittier () is a city in Southern California in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, part of the Gateway Cities. The city had 87,306 residents as of the 2020 United States census, an increase of 1,975 from the 2010 United States ...
; he is the co-founder, songwriter, guitarist and lead singer of the
Christian metal
Christian metal, also known as white metal, Jesus metal or heavenly metal, is heavy metal music distinguished by its Christian themed song lyrics and the dedication of the band members to Christianity. Christian metal is typically performed by ...
band
Stryper
Stryper is an American Christian metal band from Orange County, California. The group's lineup consists of Michael Sweet (lead vocals, guitar), Oz Fox (guitar), Perry Richardson (bass guitar), and Robert Sweet (drums).
Formed in 1983 as Roxx ...
. He's also had a successful solo career, and briefly served as singer and guitarist for
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
from 2007 to 2011.
Stryper
In the early 1980s, Sweet and his brother started a band called Roxx Regime and played in small venues. They were a trio for a period of time with Sweet being the only guitar player in the band. This band would later become Stryper. The band challenged the stereotype of
heavy metal being satanic and took
Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...
into mainstream.
With the band, Sweet was not only the lead vocalist and shared lead guitar duties, but he also wrote most of the music for the band as well as co-producing and arranging the music. The band recorded five successful studio albums. The band's reputation declined in the 1990s.
Solo
After nine years as the lead singer/lead guitarist of Stryper, Sweet left the band in 1992 in order to pursue a solo career. He first released a demo album, ''Unstryped'', which featured several songs allegedly intended for the band. Sweet later included some of these on his first full-length album.
His
self-titled debut album was released in 1994 and sold over 250,000 copies.
He followed it with a slightly softer album titled ''
Real
Real may refer to:
Currencies
* Brazilian real (R$)
* Central American Republic real
* Mexican real
* Portuguese real
* Spanish real
* Spanish colonial real
Music Albums
* ''Real'' (L'Arc-en-Ciel album) (2000)
* ''Real'' (Bright album) (2010) ...
'' in 1996 earning him a
Dove Award
A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards are presented annually. Formerly held in Nashville, Tennessee, the Dove Awards ...
nomination.
Soon after the release of ''Real'', Sweet left Benson Records, with whom he had released the two albums.
During this time, Sweet and his wife Kyle moved to
, where Sweet worked at his father-in-law's campground/cranberry business, Maple Park.
In 1998, he released an independent demo album titled ''
Truth
Truth is the property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth 2005 In everyday language, truth is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, such as beliefs ...
'' which received critical acclaim. He was signed to
Restless Records
Restless Records is a record label that was started in El Segundo, California in 1986 by Enigma Records and primarily released alternative, metal, and punk records. Restless also licensed and released records from Bar/None Records, Metal Blade R ...
and re-released ''
Truth
Truth is the property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth 2005 In everyday language, truth is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, such as beliefs ...
'' in 2000 with a new song-list and new artwork.
On August 19, 2007, Sweet was asked by
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
's
Tom Scholz
Donald Thomas Scholz (born March 10, 1947) is an American musician. He is the founder, main songwriter, primary guitarist and only remaining original member of the rock band Boston. He has appeared on every Boston album.
Scholz is an MIT-traine ...
to be one of the lead singers and guitarists for ''Come Together: A Tribute to the Life of
Brad Delp
Bradley Edward Delp (June 12, 1951 – March 9, 2007) was an American musician who was the original lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Boston. He joined Boston in 1970 and performed on the band's first three albums.
Early life
...
'' at the Bank of America Pavilion in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
. Scholz then asked Sweet to join Boston for the band's summer 2008 tour with
Styx as the opening act.
Boston
![MichaelSweet](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/MichaelSweet.JPG)
Sweet performed lead vocals, background vocals, and guitar work for Boston. Sweet was asked to be a part of what was supposed to be Boston's last performance on August 19, 2007. It was a benefit and tribute show and names such as
Sammy Hagar
Samuel Roy Hagar (born October 13, 1947), also known as the Red Rocker, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose and subsequently launched a successful solo car ...
,
Mickey Thomas and
Ann Wilson
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie.
Anne is sometimes used as a male name in th ...
were among the invited guests.
Tom Scholz
Donald Thomas Scholz (born March 10, 1947) is an American musician. He is the founder, main songwriter, primary guitarist and only remaining original member of the rock band Boston. He has appeared on every Boston album.
Scholz is an MIT-traine ...
was moved by what Sweet had written about the late Brad Delp and then heard Sweet sing and play guitar. Scholz was so impressed with Sweet's talents that he invited him to join the band and become a permanent member.
Boston began booking a tour for 2008 with
Styx as the opening act.
Sweet handled lead vocals on roughly half of the set list and played guitar for the entire set and handled solo work as well. In August 2011, it was announced that Sweet had left Boston to focus on his priorities and contributions to Stryper.
Stryper reunion
![Michael sweet-1474062276](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Michael_sweet-1474062276.jpeg)
In 1999, Sweet reunited with former Stryper bandmates Oz Fox and Tim Gaines during a concert in
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
. The concert featured Fox and Gaines's band,
SinDizzy. Sweet was invited as a solo artist. The three of them got together for a set of four songs. The next year, the first Stryper Expo was held in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
and the entire line-up was reunited again.
Although original bassist, Tim Gaines, left the group in 2005 and was replaced by
Tracy Ferrie
Tracy Ferrie is an American musician, who is the current bass player for the classic rock band Boston and was the former bass player of Christian metal band Stryper.
Biography
Ferrie grew up in Northern Indiana where he was encouraged by his h ...
, the band has continued to work together, releasing a new album titled ''
Reborn
Reborn may refer to:
Film
*''Reborn'', a 2015 video produced by the Augustine Institute
* ''Re:Born'' (film), a 2016 Japanese action film
* ''Reborn'' (film), a 2018 American horror film
Music
* Reborn (band), a Moroccan death metal band
Albums
...
'', produced by Sweet. However, he has continued with his solo career as well. In August 2006, he released a solo album titled ''
Him'' which features traditional
hymns
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
re-written and arranged by Sweet. The band then released the album ''
Murder by Pride'', produced by Sweet in July 2009. Perry Richardson who is formerly of the band Firehouse is now the bassist for the band. Perry has brought a new life into the band and they are currently touring and planning a new studio album to be released in 2020.
In 2007, Sweet released an album called ''
Touched'' in honor of his wife, Kyle, who died on March 5, 2009, after a two-year battle with ovarian cancer.
In September 2009, Stryper embarked on its 25th anniversary world tour, "Rocking the Hell Out of You for 25 years" with the original members. The tour included two opening bands:
Manic Drive
Manic Drive is a Canadian Christian rock band, formed in 2004 by brothers Michael and Shawn Cavallo. After receiving interest from a record label, they released ''Reason for Motion'' in May 2005. Over the last several years, the band has release ...
and Flight Patterns, the latter which includes Sweet's son, Michael Sweet, Jr.
On February 15, 2011, Stryper released a new record entitled ''
The Covering
''The Covering'' is the thirteenth release and eighth studio album by American Christian heavy metal/hard rock band Stryper, released by Big 3 Records/Sony on February 15, 2011. The album is a collection of twelve cover songs from bands that ins ...
'', produced by Sweet.
In 2013, Stryper released two studio albums, ''
Second Coming
The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is a Christian (as well as Islamic and Baha'i) belief that Jesus will return again after his ascension to heaven about two thousand years ago. The idea is based on messi ...
'' and ''
No More Hell to Pay
''No More Hell to Pay'' is the fifteenth release and tenth studio album from Christian glam metal band Stryper, produced by band frontman Michael Sweet and released on November 5, 2013 by Frontiers Records. The album garnered positive critical rece ...
'' via
Frontiers Records. They released a live album and DVD, ''Stryper: Live at the Whiskey'', recorded in 2013 at the
Whisky a Go Go
The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed "the Whisky") is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boule ...
on the
Sunset Strip recorded from November 2013. Sweet has also worked with
Lynch Mob founder and former
Dokken
Dokken is an American glam metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. It split up in 1989 and reformed four years later. The band had several hit singles which charted on the Billboard Hot 100, such as " Alone Again", " In My Dreams", and " Burn ...
member,
George Lynch on recording an album, ''
Only to Rise'', released under the name Sweet & Lynch. Sweet discussed the group on Eddie Trunk Podcast dated February 4, 2015. The group also consists of former
White Lion
The white lion is a rare color mutation of the lion, specifically the Southern African lion. White lions in the area of Timbavati are thought to have been indigenous to the Timbavati region of South Africa for centuries, although the earliest ...
and former
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...
member
James LoMenzo
James LoMenzo (born January 13, 1959) is an American heavy metal bass guitarist. He was a member of the band White Lion, performing with them from 1984 to 1991. He was later the bassist for Black Label Society, Slash's Snakepit, and Megadeth. ...
on bass, and former
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own entit ...
and former
Foreigner member
Brian Tichy
Brian Tichy (born August 18, 1968) is an American musician, best known as having been the drummer for Whitesnake, Billy Idol, Foreigner, Sass Jordan, and Ozzy Osbourne. He was the drummer of Whitesnake from 2010 to 2013. His surname means ''si ...
on drums. ''Only to Rise'' was released on January 27, 2015.
Aside from Stryper developing their new album, ''
Fallen
Fallen may refer to:
People
* Carl Fredrik Fallén (1764–1830), Swedish botanist and entomologist
* Gabriel Toledo (born 1991), known as FalleN, Brazilian ''Counter-Strike'' player
Arts, entertainment, and media
Fictional entities
* Fallen ...
'', Sweet has confirmed he has signed with Rat Pak Records to release a new solo album in early 2016, ''
One Sided War''.
During an interview with Antihero Magazine in November 2016, Sweet confirmed that he is recording another Sweet & Lynch album titled ''
Unified'' which released November 2017. Since then, Sweet has gone on record stating Sweet & Lynch may have run its course citing Lynch's hands in many different projects has not allowed them to tour to promote the albums, the way Sweet would have liked, and he feels he has to do most of the promoting himself.
Sweet, as a member of Stryper, released ''
God Damn Evil
''God Damn Evil'' is the seventeenth release and twelfth studio album by Christian metal band Stryper, produced by frontman Michael Sweet and released on April 20, 2018. Bass guitar was played by John O'Boyle as current bassist Perry Richardson c ...
'' on April 20, 2018. Due to its album title, it was deemed offensive and garnered a "parental guidance" label and was banned from Walmart. Despite this controversy the album sold and charted well with most major music indexes. Perry Richardson did not perform on the album but toured in support of the album.
Sweet released his tenth studio album, ''Ten'', on RatPak Records in late 2019.
Sweet also participated as guitarist, lead singer and producer on Stryper's ''Even the Devil Believes'' that was released on September 4, 2020.
Personal life
Sweet met his wife Kyle while making Stryper's first video. They were married for 22 years and had two children together. In 2009, Kyle died after a two-year battle with cancer.
On January 8, 2010, Michael married Lisa Champagne.
Discography
Solo
Studio albums
Extended plays
Video albums
Guest appearances
*1989: ''
I 2 (EYE)
''i 2 (EYE)'' is Michael W. Smith's fifth album overall and his second album to be certified gold. Smith collaborated again with lyricist Wayne Kirkpatrick, and produced a music video for the song "Secret Ambition". The album peaked at No. 1 on ...
'',
Michael W. Smith
Michael Whitaker Smith (born October 7, 1957) is an American musician who has charted in both contemporary Christian and mainstream charts. His biggest success in mainstream music was in 1991 when " Place in This World" hit No. 6 on the '' ...
(duet and background vocals on "All You're Missin' Is a Heartache")
*1992: ''
Free at Last'',
DC Talk (background vocals)
*2004: ''Welcome to the Revolution'',
Liberty N' Justice (lead vocals on "Blind Man's Bluff")
*2014: ''
Onward to Freedom'',
Tourniquet
A tourniquet is a device that is used to apply pressure to a limb or extremity in order to stop the flow of blood. It may be used in emergencies, in surgery, or in post-operative rehabilitation.
A simple tourniquet can be made from a stick an ...
(lead vocals & lead guitar on title song)
Notes
References
*
*
External links
*
Synconation Speaks with Michael Sweet*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sweet, Michael
1963 births
American Christians
American heavy metal guitarists
American heavy metal singers
American male singers
American performers of Christian music
Boston (band) members
Converts to Christianity
Living people
Musicians from Whittier, California
People from Cathedral City, California
Guitarists from California
Stryper members
20th-century American guitarists
American male guitarists
Restless Records artists