Stormie Omartian () is an American Christian author. She is married to Michael Omartian, with whom she recorded five musical albums before she launched her writing career.

Early career

Omartian aspired to be a singer and actress at a young age. While still in college at UCLA, she started work as a singer, dancer, and actress, appearing in several professional theatrical productions in the

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

area and later on

The Dean Martin Show ''The Dean Martin Show'', not to be confused with the ''Dean Martin Variety Show'' (1959–1960), is a TV variety-comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes. It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by Dean Martin. The theme song to the ...

The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour ''The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour'' was an American comedy and variety show television series hosted by the Smothers Brothers and initially airing on CBS from 1967 to 1969. The series was a major success, especially considering it was sc ...

, The Mac Davis Show, and

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, along with many other roles. She worked as a backup singer for

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting '' The Glen Campbell Good ...

, Neil Diamond,

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

The Imperials The Imperials are an American Christian music group that has been active for over 55 years. Originating as a southern gospel quartet, the innovative group would become pioneers of contemporary Christian music in the 1960s. There have been many ...

, and other well-known artists. She also sang for a time in the Norman Luboff Choir and toured with

The Sandpipers The Sandpipers were an American easy listening trio who carved a niche in 1960s folk rock with their vocals and innovative arrangements of international ballads and pop standards. They are best remembered for their cover version of " Guantanamer ...

. The duo Stormie & Sunny released a pop single in 1967 titled "All The Warm Is Gone" but it did not make the charts.

Recordings

Omartian and her husband have written hundreds of songs, including the Christian musical ''Child of the Promise''. They have released several singles and albums containing familiar worship songs plus original music arranged and produced by Michael Omartian, and multiple audiobooks including ''The Prayer that Changes Everything''.

Books

Stormie Omartian has sold more than 28 million copies of her series of Christian-oriented books worldwide. She has written over 50 books. In May 2002, ''The Power of a Praying Wife'' broke a 21-year-old industry record by claiming the top spot on the Christian Booksellers Association bestsellers list for 27 consecutive months, selling over eight million copies. ''The Power of a Praying Husband'' has sold over 1,500,000 copies. ''The Power of a Praying Parent'' has sold over two million copies, and ''The Power of a Praying Woman'' has sold over 1,600,000 copies.

Omartian.net

In July 2014, Omartian announced that she and her daughter-in-law Paige Omartian would be launching a new online community called Omartian.net (now defunct). This online community gave its members an opportunity to receive exclusive, members-only content from Stormie and Paige.

Personal life

Born in 1942 in Nebraska to Herbert Richard and Virginia Faith (Campbell) Sherk, Omartian was raised on a small farm in eastern Wyoming before moving with her family to Compton, California at age eight. She has a sister, Susan, 12 years younger. In the early 1960s she had a romantic relationship with comedian

Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominate ...

when they were both aspiring theater performers at

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. He credited her with introducing him to philosophy and other topics that "reconfigured his thinking". After a 1971 marriage to Michael Piano of

the Sandpipers The Sandpipers were an American easy listening trio who carved a niche in 1960s folk rock with their vocals and innovative arrangements of international ballads and pop standards. They are best remembered for their cover version of " Guantanamer ...

, she married Michael Omartian in 1973. They are the parents of three children, Christopher (b. 1976, wife Paige Omartian), John (b. 1979), and Amanda (b. 1981), and have resided in the Nashville area since 1993.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Omartian, Stormie American Christian writers Living people University of California, Los Angeles alumni Writers from California 1942 births