Mike Webb was born in
London on 21 September 1956, and migrated to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
at age 11 in 1967. Webb was initially well known for his appearances on Channel
NWS-9 in
Adelaide in the 1970s. The "Webb Brothers"were regular guests on a number of TV variety / entertainment programs. He later became a
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
, and eventually a
pastor and the
South Australian state leader for the
Apostolic Church Australia.
Background
Webb and his brother
Keith
Keith may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters
* Keith (surname)
* Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949)
* Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons ...
Webb had a passion for music at a young age, which led them to their appearances and performances on local television channel
NWS-9 in
Adelaide. The "Webb Brothers"were regular guests on a number of TV variety / entertainment programs.
The Webb brothers initially received the "Encouragement Award" alongside
Faye Nelson and
Deborah Kirk on SAS 10's ''
New Faces'' in 1971. This was a unique event, as it was the first occasion that three acts had received the award in the same show. The Webb brothers later went on to win the grand final of the series, and became guest presenters on numerous TV
Telethons, a popular form of raising funds for charity in the 1970s. They also appeared regularly on NWS 9's ''
Stars of Tomorrow
''Stars of Tomorrow'' is an Aruban reality-drama television series that premiered on ATV (Aruba) on May 5, 2010. The series was created and is largely written by Ben Steel and explores the life of a group of young actors in Aruba with acting aspi ...
'' and were popular guests on Ernie Sigley's ''
Adelaide Tonight'' in the 1970s. In particular, they became teen hosts on Adelaide's version of the popular television show ''
Hey Hey It's Saturday
''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' was a long-running variety television program on Australian television. It initially ran for 28 years on the Nine Network from 9 October 1971 to 20 November 1999, with a recess in 1978. Its host throughout its entire ...
'' in 1973.
However, ''
Hey Hey It's Saturday
''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' was a long-running variety television program on Australian television. It initially ran for 28 years on the Nine Network from 9 October 1971 to 20 November 1999, with a recess in 1978. Its host throughout its entire ...
'' only lasted a single season before the format was changed, and within a few years the
Melbourne show hosted by
Daryl Somers was syndicated throughout the Nine Network Australia Wide. The Webb brothers appeared alongside the likes of
Lisa Edwards
Lisa Anne Edwards (born 25 September 1958) is an Australian solo and session singer and musician. In July 1992 she had a top 5 hit on the ARIA Singles Chart with her cover version of Godley and Creme's "Cry". Edwards is primarily a backi ...
who later went on to be one of
John Farnham's backing singers. In addition, the Webb brothers performed as one of the support acts for
Farnham
Farnham ( /ˈfɑːnəm/) is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a trib ...
during an Australia Day concert at
Memorial Drive in 1973.
Their performances also included a number of "live" appearances on local radio stations.
The Webb brothers formed the band Web in the late 1970s, performing at various Adelaide venues, eventually recording a number of their original songs at the ABC studios in
Collinswood, showcasing their talent on
ABC radio.
Webb went on to play in numerous bands and cover acts in the Adelaide area including Stiletto, the Michael Hunter Band, No Moving Parts and The Works.
He currently plays solo gigs in the Adelaide area at weddings, in hotels and wineries and private parties on a part-time basis. https://www.facebook.com/MusicianMichaelJWebb/
Marriage and children
Webb married Chrys (Christine Ann Webb) in 1976 and had their first child Lauren in 1979. Webb's love of music led him to name their first son, Marc, born in November 1980, after
T-Rex front man
Marc Bolan. They later had their second son Luke in 1985.
Conversion to Christianity
Webb and his brother Keith (who had since moved to
Queensland) eventually began working on a
Rock Opera based on the prophecies of
Nostradamus. It was during research for this project that Webb first became a
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
, initially worshiping at the Noarlunga Corps
Salvation Army
Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...
in
Morphett Vale
Morphett Vale is a southern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of Onkaparinga. It is the largest suburb in the state, with a population of more than 23,000 and an area of 12.76 km2, followed by Paralowie with nearly 10,000 few ...
.
Webb and his family moved to
Berri, South Australia
Berri is a city in the Riverland region of South Australia. It is 238 kilometres north-east of Adelaide, the capital of the state of South Australia and a few kilometres west of the SA-Victoria border. It is primarily an agriculture, agricultura ...
in 1994, where they started a small home fellowship group that eventually became Riverland
Shekinah, and in a later name change
Riverland Central Christian Church a member of the
Apostolic Church in Australia. It was here that Webb once again began singing and playing guitar as both Pastor and worship leader for the church. Later, Webb was officially ordained as a minister of religion in the Apostolic Church. The church initially met in
Berri but eventually moved to
Glossop
Glossop is a market town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is located east of Manchester, north-west of Sheffield and north of the county town, Matlock. Glossop lies near Derbyshire's borders with Cheshire, Greater Manches ...
, South Australia.
After his time in Riverland Central, Webb became the National Church Planting Director for the Apostolic Church, which included the beginning of churches across Australia. This included a church plant in
Gerard
Gerard is a masculine forename of Proto-Germanic origin, variations of which exist in many Germanic and Romance languages. Like many other early Germanic names, it is dithematic, consisting of two meaningful constituents put together. In this ca ...
, an Australian
Aboriginal
Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to:
*Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology
* Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area
*One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...
mission in South Australia, and a church and orphanage in
Kerala India. Webb later passed on the role for "church planter" to become the state leader of the Apostolic Church for South Australia and the Northern Territory.
In 2006, Webb and his wife Chrys returned to Adelaide to take over
Gateway Community Church in
Morphett Vale
Morphett Vale is a southern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of Onkaparinga. It is the largest suburb in the state, with a population of more than 23,000 and an area of 12.76 km2, followed by Paralowie with nearly 10,000 few ...
, but remained the Senior Pastors for Riverland Central until the leadership was passed on to Pastors David and Joella Crossfield in January 2007.
[Gateway Community Church Website – http://www.gatewaycc.org.au]
References
External links
* http://www.apostolic.org.au
* http://www.gatewaycc.org.au
{{DEFAULTSORT:Webb, Mike
English Pentecostals
Australian Pentecostals
Australian television presenters
Living people
1956 births