The life of Michael Tyrrell

Published on november 7th, 2022 | by Anthony Martinez

Michael Shawn Tyrrell passed away on November 1st, 2022, we present a short biography of Michael based on his biography written in Michael's old website and complementing it with other info about his career.

The life of Michael Tyrrell

Born and raised in Clearwater, Florida, Michael started playing guitar around the age of ten and later studied classical guitar with Joseph Lazarro, a protégée of Andre Segovia. Michael came to know the Lord at a young age during the “Jesus People” movement of the early 70’s. During his senior year in high school Michael was discovered and began touring with Young American Showcase.

After knowing success for several years, his circumstances changed. Michael’s life became filled with harsh realities and sorrows which began to derail his dreams of stardom in the music industry. During this time, an acquaintance introduced him to cocaine, and it quickly overtook all else in his life. After a few years of being a prodigal and running from the Lord, Michael decided to end it all inorder to stop the pain, and decided to kill himself. In what he thought were his final conscious moments, he called out to God, saying “only you can save me now.” To Michael’s surprise, he awoke in the morning......surrounded by the glory of the Lord’s presence and was instantly set free from his drug addiction. During this time of cleansing and dying to self, God touched Michael and re-formed him into a vessel for His own use.

When Michael returned to the world of music, his focus and his life had changed. In the early 80’s the way opened for him to travel and minister with Mylon Lefevre and Broken Heart (1984-1987) and recorded the album Look Up in 1986.. Eventually, he met and married the love of his life, Lillian, and for a time they traveled with the band, DuBeel, playing and ministering in bars and clubs all over the East coast and Canada, sharing the gospel and the love of Jesus in their songs and with their lives. Michael saw many lives transformed – just as his had been – by the unexpected presence of God in what most people would consider the most unlikely of places. With DuBeel, Michael recorded the albums Yeah! in 1989 and Box-O-Rock in 1990. He always remembered those moments as some of the most satisfying in his walk with Christ.

Michael and Lillian eventually moved to Nashville, where Michael began working in ministry with Don Finto at Belmont Church, opening the Common Ground Coffee House and then was offered an opportunity to tour with the Doro Pesch Band in Europe (1991). He was in full time ministry for the last 26 years and toured and played with many well known Christian and secular bands. In last years he traveled and ministered with Jason Upton, he was playing, touring and recording with Rick Pino and Fire Rain ministries. He traveled and ministers in music and the Word with his own team of skilled ministers and musicians, sharing his bold and loving message all over the US and abroad.

Michael was a fiery messenger, who walked in the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. His experience as a youth pastor, worship leader, accomplished musician, producer and itinerant speaker allows him to cross age barriers as he ministers out of the heart of the Father from a deep well of love, power and revelation. Michael's heart and focus was always to network Christians for a greater impact on the world, and to be a voice to awaken the church. Michael and his wife Lillian started a ministry called "The Network Center".

Michael also worked on various projects as a producer and solo artist. The Burning Man was released in 2002, Change in 2006, Downside Up in 2011. But perhaps his most ambitious project was The Wholetones in 2015, a project that according to Michael in an interview he gave to the portal Music Existence, took him around 18 years, inspirational music based on frequencies, therapeutic music, The Wholetones is a box set with 7 cds and a book which filled Michael with much pride.