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Before becoming an award-winning CCM artist, Matthew West began his professional career penning hits for other artists, including Billy Ray Cyrus, Rascal Flatts, and Point of Grace. A high-school baseball star, he'd originally hoped to attend college on a sports scholarship; instead, West accepted a four-year music scholarship from Millikin University, where he wound up recording several solo albums before graduating in 1999. On the strength of the spiritual pop songs that appeared on September Sun (1997), Every Step of the Way (1998), and Sellout (2002), he began landing work as a songwriter for hire. West also drew interest from Universal South Records, who signed the artist and released his major-label debut, the Dove Award-winning Happy, in 2003. History followed in 2005, and West supported the album's release with the first headlining tour of his career. Excessive use of his voice led to severe medical problems, though, forcing West to undergo throat surgery in 2007 to remove mu...