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John Michael Talbot (b. Oklahoma City, May 8, 1954 - ) – Singer, songwriter, guitarist, banjoist, and author. Although born in Oklahoma City, John Michael Talbot grew up in Indianapolis and played in regional rock bands starting around age twelve. Groups he joined early on included the Quinchords (a folk group), Fourscore (a folk-rock group), and Sounds Unlimited (a rock band). By age fifteen, he had dropped out of school and was playing guitar and banjo with Mason Proffit, a nationally-known country-rock band that included brother Terry (lead singer and guitarist). From 1969 to 1973, Mason Proffit toured the country tirelessly and recorded five albums. At the time of the break-up, he was only nineteen years old and married with a child. In addition, he was also in the early stages of a long period of spiritual exploration. At the same time, he performed as a duo with his brother and recorded three successful albums—including two spiritual LPs on Sparrow Records. He also began releasing solo albums in this transitional phase of his life. In 1977, he divorced and lived as a hermit at the Franciscan Alverna Center in Beech Grove. There, he converted to Catholicism and became a spiritual guide leading others in prayer and music. In 1982, he and his followers moved to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, on land that he owned. He named his new monastic community the Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage, which included both celibate and non-celibate Brothers and Sisters. By this time, he was an established Christian singer-songwriter, and he won a Dove Award for Worship Album of the Year for Light Eternal in 1982. In 1988, Billboard Magazine voted him the Christian Artist of the Year. A prolific recording artist who donates generously to charities, Talbot has recorded over fifty solo albums.
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