Michael Card (born April 11, 1957) is an American, Christian singer-songwriter, musician, author, and radio host from Franklin, Tennessee. He is best known for his contributions in contemporary Christian music, which combine folk-style melodies and instrumentation with an in-depth study of the Bible. Since his debut in 1981, Card has sold more than 4 million albums and has written 19 No. 1 singles. He has also authored several books, including the Gold Medallion Book Award winner, A Sacred Sorrow. Career Card was born in Madison, Tennessee. He is the son of a doctor and the grandson of a Baptist minister. He received bachelor's and master's degrees in biblical studies from Western Kentucky University, and was awarded university's Distinguished Alumni Award in 1997. His studies in physics and astronomy led to a job at a planetarium, allowing Card to fund his education. In 2005, Card worked on a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Classical Literature. Musician Card got his start as a professional musician when his professor and mentor, William L. Lane, asked him to write some music to accompany weekly sermons at their church. Card's friend and fellow musician, Randy Scruggs, then requested that Card record a demo tape to help Scruggs get a job as a producer. The record label agreed to hire Scruggs as long as his first project featured Card. Since then, Card has released thirty two original albums and six compilation albums. Card's project, Starkindler, is composed of Card's interpretations of traditional Celtic hymns. The compilations often include one or two new songs along with previously released material. With the exception of Starkindler and Hymns, Card writes a vast majority of the music he records. Many of Card's albums are structured around a unifying theme. The songs from The Beginning are all based on the Pentateuch. The individual songs have subjects such as Genesis, Leviticus, Abraham, Isaac and Moses. Card is particularly adept at relating difficult or obscure concepts from the Old Testament to more understandable themes from the New Testament. The song Jubilee concerns the period of rest and the release from debts and slavery commanded in the Jubilee year as described in Leviticus 25, but also relates to the rest and freedom from condemnation offered through Jesus. Card's most famous song is "El Shaddai", which was also recorded by Amy Grant. Grant's recording was named No. 326 on the RIAA's list of 365 Songs