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{{Infobox musical artist | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->| Name = Michael Sweet| Img = | Img_capt = | Img_size = <!-- Only for images smaller than 220 pixels -->| Landscape = yes| Background = | Birth_name = Michael Harrison Sweet| Alias = | Born = {{Birth date and age|1963|7|4}}| Died = | Origin = [[Image:Flag of the United States.svg|25px]] [[USA]]| Instrument = [[vocals]], [[guitar]], [[piano]]| Genre = [[Rock music|Rock]]| Occupation = singer, guitarist, songwriter, producer| Years_active = 1984-present| Label = | Associated_acts = [[Stryper]]| URL = [http://www.michaelsweet.com www.michaelsweet.com]}}'''Michael Harrison Sweet''' (born [[4 July]], [[1963]]) is a [[Christian rock]] singer from the [[United States]]. Sweet is best known as co-founder, writer and [[frontman]] of the [[Christian metal]] band [[Stryper]]. His brother, [[Robert Sweet]] is the [[drummer]] of the band. ==Biography=====Youth===His voice has a range of about 3 and a half octaves. He began his musical career at age 5 playing [[guitar]] and at age 12 he began to sing. Sweet also learned to play the [[drums]], [[piano]] and [[bass guitar]]. ===Stryper===:''Main article: [[Stryper]]'' In the early 80s, Sweet and his brother started a band called '''Roxx Regime''' and started playing in small venues. This band would later became '''[[Stryper]]'''. The band challenged the stereotype of [[heavy metal]] being satanic and took [[Christian rock]] fully into mainstream. With the band, Sweet recorded five succesful studio albums that reached gold and platinum status and won him many awards, plus worldwide fame. However, in the early [[90s]], rock music was facing serious shifts in itself and the band fell into a steep decline. ===Solo===After 11 years as frontman of Stryper, Sweet decided to leave the band in [[1992]] in order to pursue a solo career. He first released a demo album titled ''[[Unstryped]]'' which featured several songs that were allegedly intended to be songs for the band. Sweet later featured some of this in his first full-length album. His [[Michael Sweet (album)|self-titled debut album]] was released in [[1994]] and sold over 250,000 copies. He followed it with a slightly softer album titled ''[[Real (album)|Real]]'' in [[1996]] which garnered him a nomination for a [[Dove Award]]. However, he left the Benson label with which he had released those two albums. During this time, Sweet and his wife moved to [[Massachusetts]], where Sweet worked as a park ranger in his father-in-law campground called ''Maple Park''. In [[1998]], he released an independent demo album titled ''[[Truth (demo version)|Truth]]'' which received critical acclaim. He was signed to [[Restless Records]] and re-released the album in [[2000]] with a new song-list and new artwork (see ''[[Truth (2000 version)|Truth]]''). ===Stryper Reunited===In [[1999]], Sweet reunited with former Stryper friends, Oz Fox and Tim Gaines during a concert in [[Puerto Rico]]. The concert featured Fox and Gaines' band at the moment, [[Sindizzy]], while Sweet was invited as a solo artist. The three of them got together for a brief set of four songs that showed that they still had the same intenstity as before. The next year, the first [[Stryper Expo]] was held in [[New Jersey]] and the whole line-up was reunited again.  The band has continued to work together releasing a new album titled ''[[Reborn (album)|Reborn]]'' in [[2005]]. However, Michael has continued with his solo career as well. In [[August 1]], [[2006]], he released a new solo album titled ''[[Him (album)|Him]]''. The album features traditional [[hymns]] re-written and arranged by Sweet. ==Solo Discography==<gallery>Image:Msweet-unstryped.jpg|<center>'''''[[Unstryped]]''''' ([[EP]])<center>[[1992]]Image:Michael Sweet - Self-titled.jpg|<center>'''''[[Michael Sweet (album)|Michael Sweet]]'''''<center>[[July 26]], [[1994]]Image:Michael Sweet - Real.jpg|<center>'''''[[Real (album)|Real]]'''''<center>[[October]], [[1995]]Image:Msweet-truth.jpg|<center>'''''[[Truth (demo version)|Truth]]''''' ([[demo]])<center>[[1998]]Image:Msweet-truth2.jpg|<center>'''''[[Truth (2000 version)|Truth]]''''' (official release)<center>[[2000]]Image:Msweet-him.jpg|<center>'''''[[Him (album)|Him]]'''''<center>[[2006]]</gallery> ===Guest Appearances===*''[[Mu5tard]] - Electra Glide''*''Longday - An Explanation For My Behavior''*''Mars Hill - Sink or Swim'' (2003)*''[[Michael W. Smith]]''*''[[Guardian (band)|Guardian]]''*''[[DC Talk]]'' ===Projects Produced===*''[[Mu5tard]] - Electra Glide''*''Longday - An Explanation For My Behavior''*''Mars Hill - Sink or Swim'' (2003)*''Savannah - Forever's Come and Gone" ==See also==* [[Stryper]]