Louder Than The Music

Two of Christian music's most iconic singers will unite for a major US tour in 2011. Multi-platinum recording artists Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith have announced plans for the '2 Friends Tour' kicking off in early February with dates in approximately 20 cities across the US, including Chicago, Omaha, Minneapolis and Cleveland, among others.

Amy and Michael have together won nine Grammy Awards and sold more than 47 million albums. The two first toured together in 1982 on Grant's 'Age to Age Tour'. Smith toured as Grant's keyboard player and opening act, supporting his debut release, 'Project', which generated instant classics like 'Great Is The Lord' and 'Friends'. They toured together on and off through the rest of that decade, culminating in the record-setting 'Lead Me On' tour. They have continued to collaborate together musically over the years.

"I've always said I wouldn't be where I am without Amy Grant," Smith says. "When Amy hired me to play keyboards for her, I never could have anticipated where it would take me. This many years later, to get to tour together again is just awesome. When I think about set lists and what we might do together, the question isn't, 'Where do we start?' The question is, 'Where do we stop?' This will be a fun night with a lot of great memories."

"That first decade we toured together was really pretty amazing," Grant adds. "There's a nostalgia element that comes with having worked with someone solidly for so long and I'm ecstatic about hitting the road with Michael again. We will share the stage and participate in each other's sets. But no kidding, I will have just as much fun sitting on the side of the stage and watching him. It will be like old times."

Both artists will perform music from their vast catalog of fan favorites, along with selections from their current chart-topping albums: Grant's 'Somewhere Down The Road' (March 2010), and Smith's brand new project, 'Wonder' (Sep 2010).