BMI Remembers Gospel Legend Richard Smallwood
BMI was saddened to learn of the passing of renowned Gospel singer/songwriter Richard Smallwood on December 30 at the age of 77. An accomplished pianist, composer, arranger, music director and recording artist, Smallwood’s creative contributions and impact extended far beyond the Gospel music community, for whom he was a tireless champion.
Starting his musical journey with piano at the age of 5, Smallwood was soon playing for his stepfather’s Baptist congregations in Washington D.C. Over time, he formed his own Gospel groups, infusing the church-centric music with wide-ranging influences from classical composers like Bach through classic Motown soul. By the time he was attending Howard University, studying classical vocal performance and piano, in addition to graduate work in the field of ethnomusicology, Smallwood had formed the school’s first Gospel group, the Celestials.
After graduating cum laude from Howard with a dual B.A. degree, Smallwood’s career in the Gospel community continued to ascend. He signed with Onyx, Benson Records’ Christian music subsidiary at the age of 33. His debut album in 1982 spent an incredible 87 weeks on the Billboard Gospel chart. Over the course ofhis next several albums with the Richard Smallwood Singers and Vision, he would be become a 4-time Dove Award winner and an 8-time GRAMMY nominee. He would go on to win his first GRAMMY for his production work on Quincy Jones and Mervyn Warren’s 1992 album, Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration.
Smallwood’s songs have been recorded by numerous luminaries, including names like Yolanda Adams, Karen Clark-Sheard, Chaka Khan, Boyz II Men and Kim Burrell, among others. One of his best known songs, “Total Praise,” was recorded by both Destiny’s Child and Stevie Wonder. Smallwood’s song “I Love the Lord,” meanwhile, was recorded by Whitney Houston for the 1996 film, The Preacher’s Wife. Smallwood also performed on three separate occasions for three different presidents. In 2006, he was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and, in 2014, he was honored at BMI’s Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards.
Richard Smallwood will be tremendously missed by his fans, friends and family at BMI.
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