Richard Smallwood, the eight-time Grammy Award–nominated composer, pianist, and singer who helped shape modern gospel music, has died at the age of 77.
He passed away on December 30 due to complications from kidney failure, according to those close to him.
Early life and musical beginnings
Born on November 30, 1948, in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in Washington, DC, Smallwood displayed musical talent at an early age. He began playing the piano by ear at just five years old and formed his first gospel group by the age of 11.
He later graduated cum laude from Howard University, where he studied music alongside notable figures including Donny Hathaway and Phylicia Rashad.
Founding Howard’s gospel legacy
While at Howard University, Smallwood helped establish the university’s Gospel Choir and its first gospel group, the Celestials.
The ensemble made history as the first gospel act to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Their debut album spent 87 weeks on Billboard’s Spiritual Albums chart, while their 1984 release Psalms earned a Grammy nomination.
Influential career and lasting songs
Smallwood went on to write some of gospel music’s most enduring compositions, including Center of My Joy and Total Praise.
His work was recorded by a wide range of mainstream artists, including Whitney Houston, Destiny’s Child, and Boyz II Men, helping bridge gospel with broader popular music audiences.
Global reach and later work
In the late 1980s, the Richard Smallwood Singers became the first gospel group to tour the Soviet Union. Smallwood later formed Vision, a large choir that released songs such as Angels and Total Praise.
Total Praise was written during a period of personal hardship and later gained global recognition as an anthem of faith.
Legacy
Richard Smallwood is survived by his family. His contributions to gospel music, both as a composer and mentor, left a lasting imprint on the genre and influenced generations of artists and worship communities worldwide.
