Where is the Smallbone family now? | As featured in the movie ‘Unsung Hero’

Where is the Smallbone family now?

The new film Unsung Hero tells the story of David and Helen Smallbone, and their six children, who take a huge step of faith and move from Australia to the United States to start a new life together after David’s music business collapses. 

With no money, no home, and no contacts in the US, life certainly wasn’t easy for the Smallbones after they moved. However, it was their faith in God that kept them going through turbulent times and that eventually helped them get their lives back on track. 

When speaking about the event that led them to move country, Helen said:

“My husband, David, had a passion for making a difference in people’s lives and Christian music. He was promoting Christian concerts and had a small record company. It was a normal sort of life,” said Helen Smallbone. “Then he ended up marketing a tour in Australia in 1988 that lost us a quarter of a million dollars.”

“You don’t lose that sort of money in business and not have a major life change.” (source)

After this “major life change,” the Smallbones became one of Christian music’s best-loved families. You can learn more about their story by watching the film which is playing in theatres from April 26 in the US and June 14 in the UK.

Upon seeing the film, you may be wondering where the members of the Smallbone family are now. Here’s what we know:

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The Smallbone family

Helen Smallbone

Helen, the daughter of a pastor, gave her life to God as a teenager. She went on to marry David Smallbone, a promoter of Christian music artists. When his business collapsed, she helped her family remain steadfast and hopeful when they moved from their Australian home to the United States.

Helen chronicled her family’s story in the book Behind the Lights: The Extraordinary Adventure of a Mum and her Family.

Today, she lives with her husband David on their farm in Tennessee and is the co-founder of a mothers’ ministry, MUMLife (Mothers Uplifting Mothers) which encourages mums through mentoring. On speaking of her work in this ministry, she said:

“My passion is the family, is motherhood. I know that the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that holds the world of tomorrow. I want to encourage mums in this season of my life to keep on keeping on, to continue to be strong, [and] to serve knowing that they’re making a difference. I just want them to know that they’re prized and that they’re seen, and if this book and anything that I do can encourage them on that journey, then God-willing, I’ll be there.” (source)

David Smallbone

David continues to be the patriarch of the family. While we haven’t been able to find a lot of information on what he is doing currently, we can imagine that he is busy with his 13 grandchildren while continuing to be a guiding light to his own children. 

He and Helen live on a farm in Nashville, where they are surrounded by the open fields that contain the horses, donkeys, and other animals that they rear together. 

Rebecca St James

Rebecca St James (formerly Smallbone) is now a successful Christian singer, songwriter, and actress. She achieved fame in the late 90s with her albums ‘God’ and ‘Pray,’ the latter of which won the 1999 Grammy Award in 1999 for Best Rock Gospel Album.

During her career, Rebecca has earned nine no.1 hits on Christian radio and has sold nearly two million albums. 

Outside of her music, Rebecca has also starred in such films as Sarah’s Choice and A Strange Brand of Happy. She has written several novels too. 

Rebecca is married to former bassist Jacob “Cubbie” Fink and they have three children together.

Joel Smallbone

Joel joined forces with his brother Luke in 2007 to form the Christian pop duo For King & Country. To date, they have released five albums together. 

Outside of music, Joel has acted in several films, including The Book of Esther, Like a Country Song, and Priceless. He is also the director of Unsung Hero, in which he stars as his father David. 

Joel now resides with his wife Moriah and family in Nashville, Tennessee.

Luke Smallbone

Luke currently lives with his wife Courtney and children in a historic farmhouse in rural Tennessee

The move to the farmhouse was instigated by Luke’s diagnosis with colitis which left him burnt out and in need of renewal. For a while, he took time away from his music career to recuperate, but he is now performing again with Joel. Information on their current tour (with dates) can be found here.

Other members of the Smallbone family

The Smallbone family also consists of Ben, Libby, Josh, and Daniel Smallbone. 

Ben is married to Paige Smallbone and they have two children together. He has directed several films, the most recent being Homestead, which is in post-production. 

Libby started singing when she was 4 years old and travelled around the world with her family. She did a featured performance on a tour with her brothers, For King and Country, and provided backup vocals for her sister Rebecca. Outside of music, Libby works as an actress, with her most recent role being Ellie in Unsung Hero. 

Josh Smallbone currently manages a staff team of five and oversees daily operations, sales, and marketing for America’s Largest Autographed Book Store.

We don’t know a lot about Daniel Smallbone, but according to his X account, he currently lives in London. 

 

Read More: Unsung Hero: A True Story

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Have you been inspired by the Smallbone family? Have you seen Unsung Hero? Let us know in the comments below.