Michael Sweet

Michael Harrison Sweet (born July 4, 1963) is a singer and guitarist from Whittier, California; he is the co-founder, writer, lead guitarist, lead singer and front man of the Christian metal band Stryper. He was also singer and guitarist for Boston from 2007 to 2011.

For other people named Michael Sweet, see Michael Sweet (disambiguation).

Michael Sweet
Sweet performing with Boston, June 13, 2008 in Hinckley, MN
Background information
Birth nameMichael Harrison Sweet[1]
Born (1963-07-04) July 4, 1963
Whittier, California, U.S.
OriginOrange County, California
GenresChristian rock, Christian metal, hard rock, glam metal
Occupation(s)Musician, singer-songwriter, record producer
InstrumentsVocals, guitar, piano
Years active1975–present
Associated actsStryper, Boston, Sweet & Lynch
Websitewww.michaelsweet.com

Career

Stryper
Main article: 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 into mainstream.[2]

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.[3] He followed it with a slightly softer album titled Real in 1996 earning him a Dove Award nomination.[4] 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 Massachusetts, where Sweet worked at his father-in-law's campground/cranberry business, Maple Park.[5] In 1998, he released an independent demo album titled Truth which received critical acclaim. He was signed to Restless Records and re-released Truth in 2000 with a new song-list and new artwork.

On August 19, 2007, Sweet was asked by Boston's Tom Scholz to be one of the lead singers and guitarists for Come Together: A Tribute to the Life of Brad Delp at the Bank of America Pavilion in Boston. Scholz then asked Sweet to join Boston for the band's summer 2008 tour with Styx as the opening act.

Boston
Main article: Boston (band)

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, Mickey Thomas and Ann Wilson were among the invited guests. Tom Scholz 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.[6] Boston began booking a tour for 2008 with Styx as the opening act.[7] 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 reunited
Michael Sweet at Tivoli, Utrecht

In 1999, Sweet reunited with former Stryper bandmates Oz Fox and Tim Gaines during a concert in Puerto Rico. 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 and the entire line-up was reunited again.[8]

Although original bassist, Tim Gaines, left the group in 2005 and was replaced by Tracy Ferrie, the band has continued to work together, releasing a new album titled Reborn, 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 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 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, produced by Sweet.

In 2013, Stryper released two studio albums, Second Coming and No More Hell to Pay via Frontiers Records. They released a live album and DVD, Stryper: Live at the Whiskey, recorded in 2013 at the Whiskey A Go Go on the Sunset Strip recorded from November 2013. Sweet has also worked with Lynch Mob founder and former Dokken 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 and former Megadeth member James LoMenzo on bass, and former Whitesnake and former Foreigner member Brian Tichy on drums. Only to Rise was released on January 27, 2015.

Aside from Stryper developing their new album, Fallen, Sweet has confirmed he has signed with Rat Pak Records to release a new solo album in early 2016, One Sided War.[9][10]

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.[11] 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.[12]

Sweet is planning the release of his tenth studio album, Ten, to be released on RatPak Records in late 2019.

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.[13]

On January 8, 2010, Michael married Lisa Champagne.

Discography
See also: Stryper discography

Solo

Studio albums
Year Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
US
[14]		 US
Christ.
[15]		 US
Rock
[16]		 US
Hard Rock
[17]
1994 Michael Sweet
  • Released: April 7, 1994
  • Label: Benson
 — 4 — —
1995 Real
  • Released: September 28, 1995
  • Label: Benson
 — 12 — —
1998 Truth (demo)
  • Released: October 30, 1998
  • Label: Independent
 — — — —
2000 Truth (official)
  • Released: 2000
  • Label: Restless
 — — — —
2006 Him
  • Released: August 1, 2006
  • Label: Infinity
 — — — —
2007 Touched
  • Released: November 30, 2007
 — — — —
2014 I'm Not Your Suicide
  • Released: May 6, 2014
  • Label: Big3
 154 14 40 10
2015 Only to Rise
(with George Lynch, as Sweet & Lynch) 		120 4 18 6
2016 One Sided War
  • Released: August 26, 2016
  • Label: Rat Pak Records
 77 1 4 1
2017 Unified
(with George Lynch, as Sweet & Lynch)
  • Released: November 10, 2017
  • Label: Frontiers
 —[upper-alpha 1] 7 —[upper-alpha 2] 15
2019 Ten 185
[20]		 4 34 11
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

Extended plays
Year Album details
1992 (Recorded) /
1999 (Released)		 Unstryped
  • Released: September 23, 1999
  • Label: Independent

Video albums
Year Album details
2017 Sole: Songs and Stories From a Life in Music

Guest appearances

Notes
  1. Unified did not enter the Billboard 200, but peaked at No. 69 on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart.[18]
  2. Unified did not enter the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart, but peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Rock Album Sales chart.[19]
  3. Cassette available only by pre-order.
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References
  1. "Michael Sweet Discography, Michael Sweet, Stryper". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  2. Powell, Mark Allan (2002). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music (First printing ed.). Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers. pp. 891–895. ISBN 1-56563-679-1.
  3. "Michael Sweet: The Stryper vocalist with solo album". www.crossrhythms.co.uk. the CR Mag 20. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  4. "Dove Awards 1995 - CMnexus". cmnexus.org. CMnexus. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  5. "Michael Sweet of Stryper: 2006-04-05". www.randybrandt.net. Beyond the Turntable. Archived from the original on September 19, 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  6. Sweet, Michael. "Boston gets Michael Sweet, thanks to some divine intervention". www.phoenixnewtimes.com. Michael Alan Goldberg. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  7. Boston, Styx. "Boston, Styx @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre". www.heyreverb.com. Billy Thieme. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  8. Stryper. "The Annual Stryper Expo". www.planetrapture.com. JonasWeb. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  9. "Stryper's Michael Sweet Taps EVANESCENCE Drummer WILL HUNT For Next Solo Album". www.blabbermouth.com. blabbermouth.com. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  10. "Stryper's Michael Sweet Announces 'One Sided War' Solo Album". Retrieved August 26, 2016.
  11. Leu, Tommy. "Interview: Michael Sweet of STRYPER". Antihero Magazine. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  12. "MICHAEL SWEET Says SWEET & LYNCH Collaboration With GEORGE LYNCH May Have 'Run Its Course'". BlabberMouth. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  13. "Kyle Sweet, Wife of Stryper Frontman, Dies". Charisma Media. March 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  14. "Michael Sweet Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  15. "Michael Sweet Chart History: Top Christian Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  16. "Michael Sweet Chart History: Top Rock Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  17. "Michael Sweet Chart History: Hard Rock Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  18. "Michael Sweet Chart History - Top Album Sales". Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  19. "Michael Sweet Chart History - Rock Album Sales". Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  20. @billboardcharts (October 21, 2019). "Debuts on this week's #Billboard200 (3/3)" (Tweet). Retrieved October 22, 2019 – via Twitter.
  21. Sweet, Michael. "MICHAEL SWEET, DOUG PINNICK, MARTY FRIEDMAN Guest On TOURNIQUET Drummer's 'Onward To Freedom'". www.blabbermouth.com. blabbermouth.com. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
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