You may have heard that For King and Country will be embarking on their Homecoming Tour in Australia this May. They will be promoting their fourth studio album titled What Are We Waiting For? and will also be featuring previews from their new film, Unsung Hero, which is set to be released in Australia on May 30th.
Unsung Hero tells the inspiring true story of the Smallbone family’s faithful and courageous journey to America. After David Smallbone’s concert promotion business collapsed in Australia, he and his wife Helen, along with their six children (and one on the way), arrived in America with all their belongings packed in suitcases and the last of their savings.
They slept on the floor of their new home, taking on odd jobs like mowing lawns and raking leaves to make ends meet. Those initial years were challenging, but now three of their seven children—Rebecca St. James, Luke, and Joel Smallbone—have won Grammy Awards and worked with music legends like Dolly Parton.
But there’s another reason why Unsung Hero is special to us here at Vision. When our Phil Edwards finished school in 1986, he was uncertain about his future. But he had always had an interest in media and the music industry. Before long, Phil found himself working in Christian radio, which happened through David Smallbone. ‘It was really exciting for a young fellow,’ says Phil. ‘I was just thrust into this creative scene.’
Over the next few years, Phil worked with various bands, ranging from well-known to lesser-known artists. Some of these included Amy Grant, White Heart, Sheila Walsh, and comedian Mike Warnke.
‘At the time, some of them were a little controversial,’ says Phil. ‘But it was an interesting experience. And to get to actually hang around with these people and go on tour with them was great fun.’
The Highs and Lows of the Australian Christian Music industry
‘The music business is a tough gig,’ says Phil. ‘It doesn’t matter what you’re doing. And there’s a lot of passionate people that are trying. But there are few who can succeed and make a living out of it. It’s certainly the case in something like Christian music.’
‘But it was a different scene back then. There was a lot more going on that changed quite substantially in the 90s. The bottom fell out of it being sustainable as far as tours and things go.’
Phil described touring in the Christian music industry as similar to farming—you might lose money on two or three tours but could potentially make enough to recover losses on the next one. It was a tough going for everyone.
Phil attended the uncut preview of Unsung Hero and found the experience quite emotional, as he was working for David when his business collapsed.
‘It’s kind of surreal actually watching a movie, knowing that this is a story that I was part of at the time,’ says Phil. ‘I worked for them when all of this was happening.’
The film screening was attended by a group of Christian media professionals, and Phil was invited to speak a few words after the showing.
‘I was still sort of processing everything that we had just seen,’ says Phil, ‘so it was pretty emotional.’
Phil believes the film faithfully portrays the struggles the Smallbone family endured, and it gave him some further insight. Although he wasn’t with them in America, he knew they were facing challenging times.
Perhaps someone you know has been hurt or gone through a challenging experience, and by gaining extra insight, you can better understand what they went through at the time. ‘That’s the thing that really hit me,’ says Phil. ‘I’m a bit older now too. This was 30 years ago, so I’m putting myself in David’s shoes much more now than I possibly could have then.’
Joel Smallbone not only directed the movie but also portrayed his father, David.
Based on Phil’s recollection of that time, he believes the movie is a faithful retelling. One detail that stood out to him was seeing David’s leather jacket in the film, something he recalls David wearing often.
‘It’s no surprise that they have featured it prominently in the movie,’ says Phil. ‘I think they’ve captured all of the characters quite well. They’re very unique personalities, and they’re a wonderful family. I think one of the reasons why they’ve succeeded in ministry is because of that family together thing. I think there’s a there’s a good lesson there for all of us with families that we need to pull together more.’
Unsung Hero focuses on the financial losses that David Smallbone suffered after a challenging tour he did with Amy Grant in Australia. Unfortunately, the tour coincided with an economic downturn in the country, which adversely affected ticket sales.
As a result of this loss, the Smallbone’s faced significant financial hardship and decided to relocate to America with limited funds. The film portrays David’s feelings of failure and the family’s reliance on faith during this time.
We see the highs and lows of the family’s journey, highlighting their resilience, unity, and the inspiring role of Helen Smallbone. In essence, Unsung Hero beautifully captures the family’s faith-filled journey through challenging times.
‘It’s an inspirational story of faith,’ says Phil. ‘I often think about things like this as being a bit like a train going past. You only get to see the train from where you’re standing. But God sees the whole thing. He’s got the helicopter view up there and can see the train from start to finish. He can see where the track is going, and where it’s come from.’
‘The challenge for us when we’re in the middle of that is to say, God, I trust you in this. I know you can see the destination even though I can’t right now.’
Over the years Phil has maintained his friendship with David and the Smallbone family, and they keep in regular contact. ‘I’ve actually been to their house in the US,’ he says. ‘They’re good friends.’
After the Smallbone’s left for America, Phil also pursued a new career path. He took on some casual roles just to pay the bills, but it wasn’t long before he received a phone call from a friend who worked in commercial radio, a connection he knew through David and Helen.
‘It was a guy named John O’Donnell,’ Phil says. ‘He was working at a commercial station in Newcastle and he said there was a job going in advertising sales. He knew that I was interested in radio, and he said, I see potential in you and I’m happy to put in a good word if you’re interested in applying. Which he must have done, because I got the job.’
After spending about 10 years in commercial radio, Phil began to feel like he wanted to do something more significant with his life. ‘I was drawn toward Christian media, and that took me to New Zealand. My wife and I and the kids went over there for three years and I worked with Rhema in New Zealand, which is a fairly long established and reasonably large organisation.’
Phil initially managed programming for three radio networks in New Zealand. Later, he was also involved with a TV network. He then joined Vision and moved back to Australia, where he has been for the past 20 years. For the first decade at Vision, he held programming-related positions.
‘Then the board invited me to consider becoming the CEO, to which I said, sure, I’ll have a crack at that. And ten years later, I’m still here!’
Looking back on his music industry experience, Phil believes that overnight success is a myth. Similar to the Smallbone family’s journey, persistence and faith in God’s calling are essential keys to success.
‘I’m sure David must have thought of quitting when this collapse happened in Australia,’ says Phil. ‘It would have been quite devastating. But that persistence and surrounding himself with strong Christian people, like his wife Helen, was a great support.’
Phil’s Unsung Hero
‘Certainly my mother would be up there,’ says Phil. “She was an amazing lady who went to be with the Lord in the mid 90s. She’d sit there and she’d play hymns like Great Is Thy Faithfulness. She was a woman of faith. And it was a tough journey for her too, you know, because my dad passed away in the early 80s. She was a single mum with six kids herself from from that point on.’
‘But, you know, she had good people around her, and she had trust and faith in God, so I think she’d get my vote.’
To listen to Phil Edwards full interview, click the link below:
