Richard Smallwood, the Grammy-nominated gospel singer whose music has been covered by Destiny’s Child and Whitney Houston, has died. He was 77.
A rep for Smallwood confirmed to Variety that he died of complications from kidney failure on Tuesday at the Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Maryland.
Throughout his career, Smallwood established himself as a powerful vocalist, pianist and songwriter in the gospel space, earning eight Grammy nominations and winning several Dove and Stellar Awards. As leader for the Richard Smallwood Singers and later Vision, Smallwood scored several hits including “Total Praise,” “Trust Me” and “I’ll Trust You.” Over the years, his songs were covered by artists including Houston, who remade “I Love the Lord” for “The Preacher’s Wife,” as well as Destiny’s Child, who covered “Total Praise” as part of a 2007 acapella track “Gospel Medley.”
Smallwood was born in November 1948 in Atlanta, GA, and was raised in Washington, D.C. by his mother and stepfather. He began playing piano at the age of five and formed his own gospel group by 11. He attended Howard University, where he earned a degree in music, and was a member of the university’s first gospel group, the Celestials.
In 1977, he founded the Richard Smallwood Singers and signed to Onyx Records in 1982 to release their debut album “The Richard Smallwood Singers,” which spent 87 weeks on the Billboard Spiritual Album Sales chart. They received their first Grammy nomination for their 1984 album “Psalms,” and continued to release five more records.
Smallwood disbanded the Smallwood Singers in the early 1990s and formed the backing choir Vision, which accompanied him on numerous albums through 2015. Their song “Trust Me,” which hit No. 9 on the Hot Gospel Songs chart, scored his final Grammy nomination in 2012 in the best gospel song category. In 2019, he published the book “Total Praise: The Autobiography,” detailing his family’s personal history. In the last few years of his life, Smallwood battled mild dementia and other health issues that prevented him from recording new music.
Smallwood is survived by his brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and godchildren.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
