The singing pianist’s songs have been recorded by Whitney Houston, Future’s Youngster, Boyz II Males, Yolanda Adams and extra
Particular to the AFRO
Sandy Spring, MD — Richard Smallwood, an eight-time Grammy® Award-nominated, classically skilled composer and gospel recording artist, died on Dec. 30 at 12:36 a.m. on the Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Heart. He died of problems of kidney failure. He was 77.
During the last 5 many years, Smallwood has written among the greatest songs of the gospel music style, resembling “I Love the Lord,” which was remade by Whitney Houston and the Georgia Mass Choir for 1996’s “The Preacher’s Spouse” soundtrack. The Boyz II Males’s 1997 album “Evolution” additionally closed with a tune “Expensive God” that included a chorus of it. “Whole Reward” was coated by Future’s Youngster on their 2007 acapella observe, “Gospel Medley.” With The Richard Smallwood Singers and later Imaginative and prescient, Smallwood loved his personal hits with “I Love the Lord” and “Whole Reward” in addition to “Heart of My Pleasure,” “Anthem of Reward” and “I’ll Belief You.”
Smallwood was born Nov. 30, 1948, in Atlanta, Ga., however was primarily raised in Washington, D.C., by his mom, Mabel and his stepfather, the Rev. Chester Lee “CL” Smallwood, who was pastor of Union Temple Baptist Church in southeast Washington, D.C. He started to play piano by ear by the age of 5. By 7, he was taking formal classes and by 11, had fashioned his personal gospel group. Roberta Flack was one in every of his highschool lecturers previous to launching her recording profession with Atlantic Data. He graduated cum laude from Howard College with a level in music. He developed friendships with fellow classmates resembling Donny Hathaway, Debbie Allen and Phylicia Rashad. Smallwood was a member of Howard’s first gospel group, the Celestials, who had been reputed to be the primary gospel group to sing on the Montreux Jazz Competition in Switzerland. Smallwood was additionally one of many founding members of Howard College’s Gospel Choir.
Following school, Smallwood taught music on the College of Maryland for some time. Finally, he based the Richard Smallwood Singers in 1977 – impressed after seeing the Edwin Hawkins Singers carry out reside. The group introduced a progressive, modern sound to gospel music. They carried out all through the Washington, D.C., space earlier than they had been signed to Onyx Data (The Black gospel division of Benson Data) in 1982. Their debut LP, “The Richard Smallwood Singers,” spent 87 weeks on Billboard journal’s Religious Albums gross sales chart.
With lead vocals fluctuating between the charismatic Dottie Jones, the smoldering Jackie Ruffin, the earthquaking Darlene Simmons and Smallwood’s dry tenor, they created a definite sound that caught on with middle-class, largely Black Christian younger adults. Whereas most gospel artists of the interval appealed to an older crowd, the Smallwood Singers loved a younger, educated following. Their 1984 LP, “Psalms,” hit #1 on Billboard’s Religious albums gross sales chart and earned them a Grammy® nomination. They moved over to Phrase Data’ Rejoice black division for the 1987 LP, “Textures,” which peaked at No. 7 on the identical chart and produced the largest hit of the group’s profession with the ballad, “Heart of My Pleasure.” Composed by Smallwood with Invoice and Gloria Gaither, the tune had a delicate pop really feel that constructed to a rousing gospel crescendo, with a background vocal association alternating between a classical chorale sound and a passionate gospel blow-out. It was the primary tune to introduce Smallwood to the White Christian neighborhood and has since been coated by artists as numerous as Ron Kenoly, Tanya Goodman-Sykes and the Sensational Nightingales. The group’s reputation led to an invite to carry out within the Soviet Union – reportedly the primary gospel group to do a live performance tour of the nation on the time within the late Nineteen Eighties.
The group additionally provided background vocals for soul and gospel music legend Candi Staton on her 1988 LP, “Love Lifted Me,” and her 1989 album, “Stand Up and Be a Witness.” Smallwood shadowed Staton’s vocals on the title minimize of the latter venture. Smallwood was additionally among the many all-star choir that backed Quincy Jones’ “Handel’s Messiah – A Soulful Celebration” album in 1992.
By the early Nineteen Nineties, the Smallwood Singers had left Phrase Data for a quick tenure with Sparrow Data earlier than lastly touchdown at Jive/Verity Data (now RCA Inspiration).
“I’ve been with each main gospel label that there’s,” he as soon as mentioned. “I’ve been in a position to examine completely different labels and the way in which that issues are completed – the assist or lack of. I’ve been within the place of the brand new child on the block, the place the significance or focus was placed on the names that had been identified higher than I used to be on the time, and all of the vitality was placed on them … . The label simply didn’t give me the assist, and that’s a irritating feeling as a result of you’ve lots of concepts and ideas that you just’d prefer to see, and also you go to the label and say, `Hey, I’ve received this concept about advertising or promotion’ and so they say, `Nicely, we’ll see’ and so they simply sort of put on the market, and if it makes it, it makes it by itself with none critical assist from the label. I’ve been there.”
Together with his new label dwelling, Smallwood disbanded the Smallwood Singers. He fashioned a big backing choir named Imaginative and prescient that he featured on a string of albums that produced gospel radio hits resembling “Angels” and “Whole Reward.” The plush, near-classical “Whole Reward” was launched in 1996 and has develop into Smallwood’s greatest and most sudden hit.
“My mom was in poor health and my godbrother was terminally in poor health with mind most cancers,” he advised a reporter on the purple carpet on the 2014 BMI Trailblazer Awards the place he was honored. “So, I used to be feeling helpless when it comes to what I might do as a caregiver. And God simply kind of gave me that tune in the midst of all that which actually gave me a peace about the entire thing and let me know that he was nonetheless in command of the scenario. So, it got here to me in a really troublesome time of my life, however actually I had no concept it was going to have the impression that it had.”
Smallwood’s 2007 album, “Journey: Reside in New York,” featured performances from Chaka Khan, The Hawkins Household, Kelly Worth and Kim Burrell. Smallwood’s ultimate album, “Anthology” was launched in 2015 and featured the gospel radio hit, “Similar God.” In 2019, Smallwood revealed a e book, “Whole Reward: The Autobiography,” which detailed Smallwood household secrets and techniques in addition to his private battles with grief and melancholy.
In the previous few years, a wide range of well being points have prevented Smallwood from recording. In his darkest days, he at all times referenced music as a solace and a way of ministry. “I don’t know that I’ve all of the solutions or any of the solutions,” he as soon as mentioned in a 1993 Washington Submit interview. “However being a minister of music, I must be open to hear and provides a phrase of encouragement by means of songs of testimony. Singing is simply a part of it. The ministry itself is rather more than that.”
Except for eight Grammy® Award nominations, Smallwood earned three Dove Awards and a number of Stellar Gospel Music Awards. Smallwood was additionally honored with the Allstate Gospel Superfest Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.
Smallwood is survived by his brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and several other godchildren.
