Matt & Sherry McPherson
Interview & Bio - ChristianMusic.com
Matt & Sherry's Review * McPherson Lyrics * Matt & Sherry's Video
About Matt & Sherry McPherson
Matt McPherson
"The order of my priorities is very clear; my God, my family and my work. My faith comes first in my life."
His favorite verse: John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." "That really says it all, " says Matt.
"Many of the Psalms have ministered to me, and the book of Proverbs is full of words of wisdom."
"Something that I pray repeatedly is, 'Lord, please give me wisdom.' I made up my mind a long time ago that I wasn't going to serve God conditionally, but unconditionally because He loves me unconditionally. It's the least I can do for Him."
Been involved in music ministry and evangelism most of his life, beginning in his early teen years.
The Lord inspired his two popular inventions, which not only allows Matt and Sherry the financial stability to be in music ministry together for Him, but also helps others in building confidence in using their gifts.
1) A revolutionary archery bow, called the Mathews Solocam, revolutionized the sport of archery, and has been used in school programs to develop self-esteem, because it is accurate and easy to learn to use.
2) "State of the Art" McPherson Guitar - with unique features which produce a glorious sound, that encourages and inspires creativity for many Christian acoustic artists, as they compose and perform. Sends acoustic music lovers like me over the moon and back again.
Sherry McPherson
Likes faith building scriptures. Sherry explains to ChristianMusic.com, "They are a great reminder of how powerful God is and it's in His power alone that I am able to overcome. I have had many difficult trials to over come throughout the years. Some of my struggles have been physical infirmities and I have had need of God's healing. Sometimes I was healed miraculously. Other times I had to walk through and trust Him for His timing and His strength."
1 John 4:4 - You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
And Revelation 12:11: "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony"
Ephesians 3:20: Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according o his power that is at work within us.
Sherry comments, "Encourages me to dare / ask above and beyond and expect what may even seem impossible."Sherry has also been involved in music ministry since her youth, making good use of her musical talents. Sherry plays the piano and guitar, composes songs, and can sing lead vocals or provide harmony.
Sherry has been serving the Lord as worship leader in the various churches the McPherson family had attended over a twenty year span. The last three years she worked with teenagers participating in the teen church music program.
Sherry and Matt have now teamed up to compose and perform together, going on tours for the sake of the Gospel, and run Autumn Records together as well.
Matt and Sherry McPherson graciously answered some interview questions for Christianmusic.com, sharing generously about their early years, their testimony, what they have learned from their walk with the Lord during personal trials & successes and about their music and creative process.
Matt shares with ChristianMusic.com about his early spiritual influences and training.
"At the age of 3 my family moved us from Wisconsin to Minneapolis, Minnesota. I grew up in a Christian home where we attended church pretty much when ever the doors were open. I am the second oldest of 7 siblings. I accepted the Lord around age 4 and I've served Him ever since."
His parents, especially his mother planted seeds which took hold in his character and molded him.
"Growing up, my Mom was always good about reading the Bible to me and teaching me how to pray. She instilled truth and honesty, and the importance of doing what's right. I never had to go through a rebellious time. I was very obedient, I really wanted to please my parents and not give them a hard time. There were two times that I lied to my parents. One was to my Mother at age 4 and the other time was to my Dad. I was around 7 years old. Both times made me sick to my stomach and I realized lying wasn't worth it. Telling the truth is paramount to me."
The gift of musical talent flowed through Matt's large family, and eventually became a family affair, performing in churches and high schools as a evangelistic group. Matt shares with ChristianMusic.com about his involvement with music during his growing up years.
"My Mother and Father sang and performed together and when the first 4 of us kids grew old enough, we joined them. I started learning to play pedal steel guitar. My family and I did country music and I picked it up really well. When we started singing with my family I was usually singing harmony while playing pedal steel guitar."
Matt reflects upon his early beginnings in his music ministry, and shared with ChristianMusic.com:
"Around the age of 13, I began learning acoustic guitar and then writing songs. It soon became my main instrument. When I began writing songs, I always wrote them about the Lord in some fashion. I soon began performing my songs in church and was asked to be a regular 'Special Music' performer.'"
As a teenager, Matt got his first experiences in singing lead vocals in a trio, which led to experiencing his first challenge to what he knew was his calling, by a well-meaning person.
"In my teens my parents had stopped singing and performing but I continued doing some with my two sisters. I sang lead and they harmonized. My Father once told me (I think I was around age 15), 'You'll never be a singer.' That really hurt me. I believed I could be what ever God wanted me to be. I knew the call God had on my life and I was going to follow His leading and not let my Father's words hold me back."
As a young man, Matt auditioned for a Gospel band in Minneapolis, which is where he met the love of his life, Sherry.
"Sherry and I had met in a Christian Band in Minneapolis, which we had auditioned for. We traveled with this band for approximately 1 year. Then we became engaged and left the group. We began singing together as a duo."
This was the beginning of their music ministry together. As a newly married couple they attended a huge church in Minneapolis, and were asked to perform for the pastor's evangelistic crusades.
Sherry shares about this experience: "Around the time we were first married, we were asked to travel with an Evangelist and do the music for the crusades. We did this for about one year. We went to the Philippines for 3-1/2 weeks to minister with the Evangelist and his team. It was a great experience to see so many people come to Christ, dedicating their lives at the altar."
ChristianMusic.com: How do you describe your music?
Matt shares, "Although I grew up doing and listening to Country Music, I don't always write Country. I like Pop music as well. I think my music is a blend of Country and Pop.
Recent Musical Influences: "As of recently I really enjoy listening to Celtic music as well, I find it very relaxing. Michael McDonald has a voice that I love and admire. I also admire Whitney Houston and Celine Dion. A great voice will always move me. I've learned a lot vocally by studying some of these great singers and I've encouraged Sherry to do the same."
About His songwriting Process....
Matt explains, "Writing songs for me is usually slow and some times painful. I almost always get the tune first. Tunes come very easy for me. The hard part that takes so much labor for me is the words. It can some times take months for me to finish a song, which is very frustrating for me."
Matt continues, "It's good that Sherry and I can compose together when I get into a writers cramp. She is some times able to help me past it. Our song "HE IS" was written from a guitar tune I came up with. Sherry heard it and said, 'I can write words to that. Let me try.' So she did and I helped on some of the words, song structure, etc.
The song, "I FELT HIM BREATHE" came quicker for me. It really moved me as I wrote it. I could tell it was something very special that the Lord wanted me to write. It almost didn't make it on our album. It was the last song written and we had kind of decided all of the songs at that point. But Sherry said, 'This song HAS to go on our album.' We were able to get it arranged and recorded in time."
Sherry McPherson
Sherry shares with ChristianMusic.com about her early spiritual influences, the beginnings of her relationship with Jesus and her musical training which prepared her for their music ministry.
Sherry shares, "I grew up in the small town of Excelsior, Minnesota, outside of Minneapolis. My family always attended church but were not taught about receiving Christ as your Savior and making Him Lord of Your life. When I was eleven, my older brother came to know Jesus as His Lord and he often shared with me about the Lord. I was twelve when I committed my life to Christ."
Her gift for song writing came to her soon after she committed herself to Jesus, which must of been a powerful witness, along with her brother's testimony, to the rest of her family who also came to this same commitment to Jesus.
Sherry explains, "It was soon after this that I wrote my first song. The rest of my family came to Christ over the next few years."
Her musical training....
Sherry shares, "I began piano lessons at age 5 and took them into College. My brother learned to play guitar and I became interested in guitar around age 14. He taught me how to play. I sang in choirs since 3rd grade at both church and school. I had my first solo performance in the 6th grade choir concert and I was also one of the accompanists. I entered some solo contests related to school, and I was involved in drama."
"It became very natural for me to perform and be in front of people but what I enjoyed the most was performing songs I had received from the Lord that were birthed out of personal experiences."
Her family also toured around as an evangelical musical group.
"My family was very musical. During my Junior and High School years we often sang together at other churches."
Besides taking care of her family, Sherry began her long service to the Lord being a leader in worship through music.
Sherry shares with ChristianMusic.com, "About two years later I was asked to be the Worship Leader for a church in Minneapolis. I led there for 3-1/2 years. I learned more about Spiritual Warfare at this time, as I was experiencing it a lot. This was another time of training in intercession and spiritual warfare for me. My prayer life and Bible studying increased a lot at this time."
Sherry continues, "We moved several times while our children were young and I always ended up leading worship in the local church, which I continued to do for over 20 years. The last 3 years, at the church we attend now, I volunteered as music director and trainer of 21-23 teens for our Youth Worship Bands. I really loved working with these kids; it was such a blessing for me to pour into their lives the things I felt they should learn."
"I've recently stepped down to pursue our concert tour. It was very hard to leave my work there. I will always have a special place in my heart for 'my kids.' But I am excited for what lies ahead with our music and ministry."
Her musical influences and About Her Musical Style...
"During my earlier years of walking with the Lord, I enjoyed listening to Keith Green's music. He always had a message to his songs and I loved playing his style of piano. Amy Grant was another artist I listened to. I also listened to secular music which was mostly pop, although I liked a real variety of styles. The only style I didn't listen to was Country, which is funny because that's about all Matt was allowed to listen to growing up. Being trained classical with piano and voice lessons, I was told to never 'slur' your notes and have lots of vibrato."
"When I sang the songs the Lord gave me, that kind of singing didn't fit with the style I was writing. I quickly developed my own style of singing. Today I really like the "new" country music. It's a nice blend of country and pop. My song "COLORS OF LIFE" seems like a left turn to my writing for this album but it is one of the styles I enjoy."
Her Songwriting Process...
Sherry shares with ChristianMusic.com about how she creates her music.
"Most of my songs were written out of personal experiences. More times than not my songs would come quickly, usually the tune and words would flow at the same time. (Although not every time) Sometimes I would write at the piano, other times with guitar.""While I was a Worship Leader there were times when I was leading that the Lord would give me a song on the spot and I would sing it as He gave it to me. This took a LOT of trust in hearing Him and believing that it was His timing for it to come. One time I received a song and went into it and at the end, I couldn’t remember what I just did but it was beautiful and very special."
"Matt had tried to write it down as it was flowing out of me, but he soon had to stop because he couldn't keep up. Later Matt was talking with the sound man and found out that he had recorded it. I took the recording home and learned it and made it a regular song for our congregation. It was one of the best loved songs, and was recorded on our Praise and Worship Album. The song is called, LET HIM BE. It doesn't happen to me very often, but when it does it's really a blessing."
Other Important Faith-building Experiences....
Romans 8:28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Sherry and Matt had a hard time having children... In the process of growing their family to 3 sons, whom Sherry and Matt were blessed with to parent, Sherry and Matt endured 5 miscarriages, depending on the Lord to get them through it, strengthening their faith. Through these trials, the Lord used these situations to build His relationship with them when they turned to Him for strength, comfort and hope.
Sherry shares her testimony with ChristianMusic.com, about how the Lord blessed them through their pain, their prayers and their joy, and how they were able to pass on what they learned to others.
"During the years of having children I lost 5 babies to miscarriage. Sure it was terribly painful, our hearts were breaking, but the Lord was who we leaned on. He was our strength and our comfort. He was the one we held on to in the pain and loss. Jesus said in His word, 'In this world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.' Even in this painful time, He showed us how to 'overcome' and He has helped heal our hearts."
"A man that worked for us at the time of our losing a son to miscarriage had asked Matt, 'How are you getting through this? Aren't you and your wife angry at God?'"
"Matt's response to him was (and I agreed 100%) 'No, I'm not angry with God. If I were angry, then I would be assuming that God owed us something. God doesn't owe us anything. We live in an imperfect world and that is how Matt and I looked at it.'"
Sherry also shared with ChristianMusic.com the results of prayer and stepping out in faith. Sherry shares about her first pregnancy, and the medical problems of this son.
"When I was 5 months pregnant with our first son, he was almost lost to miscarriage. There was tremendous prayer put forth by family and friends for his life. I ended up delivering him at full term. When he was 3-1/2 he began to have severe seizures. We prayed hard for 7 months for God to spare his life once again and he was healed."
Matt also has experienced the power of prayer and trusting in the Lord. Besides being a talented musician, Matt has been able to grow two businesses which support Matt and Sherry's music ministry, through the blessings, gifts and guidance given to him through the Lord.
Matt shares in 2005 Decision article by Jim Dailey, "I can truly say that I have seen the hand of God in everything that has happened in our businesses. Somehow, God has given me the gift to see the finished product in my mind and avoid a lot of steps in between."
In 1992, he finished his new invention, a revolutionary archery bow and through his company, Mathews Archery, produced the Mathews Solocam, the only bow with a single-cam bow technology.
Also in the 1990's, the concept of a revolutionary acoustic guitar began with a prayer, asking God to help him create a better acoustic guitar. The result was Matt's invention of "the mother of all" acoustic guitars, the McPherson Guitar, which has been embraced by many well-known acoustic guitar players because of its glorious sound.
Moving the soundhole to the edge of the instrument - increases the flexible surface area on the central part of the instrument.
Innovative, state-of-the-art bracing - Maximizes top vibration and resonation.
Unique cantilevered neck /fingerboard - Creates a "no-touch" design which allows "the top to vibrate and resound to its fullest potential."
Matt and Sherry together formed their own record label, Autumn Records
They have studios and offices in Nashville, Tennessee and Sparta, Wisconsin. They have made 3 of their own albums, and produced / sponsored 5 other albums of other talented Christian music artists.
Matt and Sherry continue to be involved in Christian ministry in this country and in projects abroad, giving of their talents, gifts, and time all for the glory of the Lord and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Sources:
ChristianMusic.com interview with Matt & Sherry McPherson
Quotes taken from: Addicted to Hurry: Spiritual Strategies for Slowing Down, Kirk Byron Jones, Judson Press, June 2003
McCain & Co. promotional materials: "The One Who Has the Answers" by Jim Dailey, 2005 Decision article
mcphersonguitars.com/activea.asp * autumnrecords.comInvestmentBanker.com * TuxedoRentals.com * Receptions.com
