Worship Musician June 2020 | Page 46

Gateway Music’s PHIL KING by Alex MacDougall A down-to-earth soul, Phil comes from a fairly rural upbringing. His musical giftings are deep and developed as a songwriter, musician and vocalist. He’s toured with and ministered alongside Michael W. Smith, Lauren Daigle, Jennie Lee Riddle and Leeland, and serves regularly in worship at Christ For the Nations Institute, and Gateway Church, both in the greater Dallas, TX, area. His newest project, All Glory, was recently released through Gateway Music. [WM] What mainstream musical influences first caught your ear, and who were your earliest Christian music influences? [Phil King] I guess you could say… Mainstream came much later than Christian music. My first CD that I ever bought was a Michael W. Smith CD. I was at a Family Bible store in Turlock (CA), and I walked over to one of those little sample th headphones on and hit Live the Life album, and mesmerized as an eig this guy. And my mom w she loved his music in t Now, to be able to cal cool, and to have work And the Newsboys, ther in there too when I was Mainstream though cam John Mayer concert in m that I made up my mind how to play the guitar ( I loved his songs and h because of John Maye like Eric Clapton and S that opened up a whole guitar playing, and a lot things just got deeper a 24 June 2020