Biography of Matt Maher, Christian Musician and Worship Leader

Matthew Guion Maher (November 10, 1974) is a Canadian contemporary Christian music artist, songwriter, and worship leader who has written and produced nine solo albums.

Early Years

Matt grew up with love for music, taking piano lessons, playing in school concert and jazz ensembles, singing in the choir and even playing in a garage rock band while in high school.

He was a young adult in college when his parents divorced and his mother, an American citizen, made a move back to the states. Matt made a move to Arizona with her and found himself in a whole new world. Going to church with his cousin, he encountered a youth group for the first time and a Jesus that he had never met. In a matter of weeks, the youth pastor and music director asked Matt to help out, and his road to serving God through music began.

During this time other things changed for Matt as well. He went back to college to finish and get his music degree, and he received a scholarship from Arizona State University to study Jazz Piano.

After college, he moved to Mesa, Arizona and met Dove Award-nominated songwriter and artist Tom Booth. Through that relationship, he worked with several popular artists like Israel Houghton, Kathy Troccoli, and Rich Mullins.

Maher accepted a full-time position at St. Timothy Catholic Community and started writing songs for his church. He released three independent albums through spiritandsong.com.

Publishing Deal

In 2005, Matt signed a publishing deal with EMI publishing, and several artists like Bethany Dillon, Chris Tomlin, Kathy Troccoli, Michael Olson and Phillips, Craig and Dean recorded his songs. He began traveling around the world to perform, and it quickly became apparent that his talents as a singer and worship leader were just as strong as his talents as a songwriter. Two years later Essential Records signed him to a recording contract, and his major label release hit stores in 2008.

Discography

• Saints and Sinners, 2015
• All The People Said Amen, 2013
• The Love In Between, Sept. 20, 2011
• Alive Again, 2009
• Empty & Beautiful, 2008
• Overflow, 2006
• Welcome to Life, 2004
• The End and the Beginning, 2002

Matt appeared on WOW Worship Purple and WOW Hits 2009.

Trivia

• NASA astronauts have taken Matt's music to space three times (2008, 2009, 2010).
• In April 2008, when Pope Benedict XVI visited the United States, Maher was asked to lead worship for crowds of thousands at the Rally for Youth and Seminarians in Yonkers, New York.
• Matt sang "Litany of the Saints" for Pope John Paul II and 700,000 youth at 2002 World Youth Day.
• "Your Grace Is Enough" has been sung in roughly 150,000 Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) licensed churches in the U.S. (5 million people).
• "Just Like You" and "Love Has Come" were recorded by Kathy Troccoli for her album The Heart of Me, which received a Grammy nomination for 2002 Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year.