Allard (Al) Smith was born into a Christian home. His parents had come to know the Lord about six months before Al was born. His father and mother both became preachers and the entire family was always involved in some form of ministry. They lived in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.
As a young boy Al learned to play the guitar and piano. He started singing at eight years of age. By the time he was twelve he felt the call of God in his life and began preaching. During one summer he traveled with an evangelist, assisting with the music and they journeyed throughout South Dakota, Wyoming and Idaho.
A few years later he met Elaine Murphy and they fell in love and were married. They have been married for thirty nine years and have two married daughters. Al and Elaine have five grandsons. The youngest grandson is three years old, loves gospel music and sometimes performs at Joyful Sound concerts.
Al has been in business for over twenty years as an insurance and investment consultant. He and Elaine have worked in church ministry their entire married lives as Sunday School teachers, youth camp and retreat directors, home mission and church planting across the country, and as the State Director for his church. The Smiths served as pastors in Caldwell for fifteen years. Currently, he is the senior pastor at Foundations Community Bible Church in Meridian.
Together, Al Smith and Phil Batton felt led of the Lord to form the Joyful Sound Trio. The group has ministered throughout Idaho and the northwest for the past two years. They recently decided to expand the group to a quartet. In late 2007 the Joyful Sound Quartet was organized. Al has always dreamed of singing with a group but he never thought it would happen until God opened this door for him. Elaine runs the sound system and mixer board for the group.
Al's greatest desire is not for the group to be known for their great singing but to be known for singing in the Spirit. As he is fond of saying, "without the Lord's presence we are nothing." "We don't want to entertain, but we want our music to minister to people's needs and to lead them closer to the Lord."
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