When Michael W. Smith wrote a farewell tune for a friend leaving town 35 years ago, he never dreamed the song might become his signature.
"We (wife Deborah and he) wrote it for a friend of ours who was in a Bible study with us and was leaving town. He was coming over for dinner, and my wife had a crazy idea to write him a song and sing it for him that night. I kind of blew it off, but 30 minutes later, Debbie walked outside and handed me a lyric, and it was finished. I went inside, wrote the music, we played it that night and everybody cried," Smith recalled during a telephone interview.
"I woke up the next morning and thought 'I might have something here.' I didn't know I would play it the rest of my life," he jokes.
Over three decades, "Friends" has been played by fans from Nashville to Kennebunkport, Maine - it was such a favorite of former President George H.W. Bush that the Bush family requested Smith perform it at the late president's state funeral in Washington National Cathedral last year.
If you go
* What: “Michael W. Smith: 35 Years of Friends”* Where: Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St* When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4* Admission: $21-$78* For more information: 423-757-5580
Now "Friends" is the focus of Smith's new, 23-city tour that launches Thursday, Oct. 3, in Springfield, Missouri. The second stop on "Michael W. Smith: 35 Years of Friends" will be the Tivoli Theatre on Friday, Oct. 4. The tour is a follow-up to Smith's recent star-studded concert in Nashville that celebrated his 35 No. 1 songs.
The Gospel Music Hall of Famer and Grammy winner says "Friends" remains special because of how he sees it affect his fans.
"It's one of those songs that's held people up through difficult times," he explains.
On this tour, Smith says he will take fans "back to record one." Mixing crossover pop hits such as "Place in this World" with worship anthems such as "Above All" (which he sang at the funeral of evangelist Billy Graham), Smith will entertain his audiences with a retrospective of almost four decades of hits.
"The set list is way too long. I don't know how we're going to do it all," he jokes.
In fact, as the Christian music artist was designing this tour, he decided he would be his own opening act in order to spend as much time with his audience as possible. He says never before has he opened a show himself.
In addition to the tour launching Thursday, Smith has more music out to his fans this week. An album of hymns - "Songs I grew up singing," he describes - is being released digitally and hard copies of the album will be sold at his shows.
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.