Mike Manuel’s faith in God and love for country music guide his life and career path. As an accomplished singer and songwriter, Mike combines the traditional sounds of country music with inspirational lyrics about faith, hope and promise. Mike wants his songs to have meaningful messages that resonate with his audiences and that is what his original songs offer.

Mike grew up in Houston, Texas, and as a teenager learned to play the guitar and sing the songs of Merle Haggard, Marty Robbins, Elvis Presley and George Jones. He is following in the footsteps of his father, Gerald, who once performed on the same show as Elvis Presley and sang at a music theater called the Tarkington Prairie Jamboree. It was at that weekly show that Mike first performed before a live audience.

Mike credits the fall of 1971 as being a dramatic turning point in his life that would shape him and his music for years to come. That year at a little country church in Shepherd, Texas, the entire Manuel family was saved. It was this event that cultivated the pure country sound complete with wholesome lyrics that is so recognizable in Mike’s music today. In the following years, Mike traveled with his brothers as the Manuel Family Band. They received a warm reception from the gospel market with three single releases reaching the Singing News top 40, as well as reaching number one in the Christian Country and Country Gospel charts.

In 1996, Mike decided to relocate his family to Nashville, Tenn., to begin a full-time solo music career. What followed is a succession of 15 number one Christian Country radio singles and over 20 awards from various music organizations including the Country Gospel Music Association’s 1998 and 1999 National Entertainer of the Year, the 1998 National Songwriter of the Year and the 1999 Christian Country Music Association’s Male Vocalist of the Year. In 2006, Mike picked up the coveted Songwriter of the Year award at the Inspirational Country Music (ICM) awards. In 2006 he was a featured performer on the nationally televised ICM awards show alongside country stars Charlie Daniels, Lonestar and Trent Tomlinson. And in 2007, he took home “Song of the Year” for “Back in the Country Again”, and also “Songwriter of the Year”, with a performance on the awards show again.

Mike Manuel continues to travel entertaining audiences all over the country. The timeless recordings, including the latest “NEW VINTAGE” is now available. Expectations are high with this project and there is much to come in 2013! It is evident when you hear his collection of songs that the early love Mike developed for music has grown into a deep respect for its power to invoke emotions and affect the lives of people in a positive manner.

AS A SONGWRITER
Being a songwriter, it is easy for me to look back over the years and recognize a difference in my styling and content. To put it in simple terms…..my writing is a true reflection of my life and growth as a person naturally and spiritually.

My early compositions were more “churchy” and addressed relationships between humanity and God inside the confines of religion or as some would call “inside the box”. As I gained more insight through the word of God I would begin to cross my religious lines and venture out. You may have a puzzled look on your face by now while reading this as you try to ascertain what I’m trying to say. Maybe this will help. I grew up in a very legalistic environment where sincere leaders sincerely taught doctrines and ideas that I embraced whole heartedly. While I knew they were looking out for my best interest, many things they taught were derived from a partial revelation of the Living Word of God. I speak for myself now when I say “I took A truth and made it THE truth” meaning I was good at taking a scripture and nailing it down, putting a lid on it and saying this is everything this scripture means! Nothing less nothing more! This is what I refer to as “Classic Religion”.

Well, I didn’t plan on saying all that but it is important to understand that where your treasure is, there will your heart be also! I write from the heart so you get to look inside my life through the songs I write and find out what is important to me!

Thanks for listening to my songs and taking this journey with me. I have learned so much from others so I trust that I too can impart something meaningful and spiritually productive into your life through the songs I write. To God be the glory!

MY STYLE OF MUSIC
Even though country music has plenty of lyrics filled with the despair of reality, there is a continuing trend that drives positive, faith based lyrics to the surface of this popular genre. Many have made a speculative attempt as to why this trend remains ranging from recent catastrophic events all the way to a supernatural intervention. Whatever the rationale behind the movement, one thing is certain, it only produces positive results. Mike Manuel is committed to giving this trend a home!