{"id":14912,"date":"2026-01-03T11:03:35","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T11:03:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/?p=14912"},"modified":"2026-01-03T11:03:35","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T11:03:35","slug":"award-winning-singer-who-changed-the-face-of-gospel-music-dies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/?p=14912","title":{"rendered":"Award-winning singer who &#8216;changed the face&#8217; of gospel music dies"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/> By  Ryan Foley<span class=\"quiet\">, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, January 01, 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Quick Summary<\/h2>\n<p>AI Summary<\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul\">\n<li>Award-winning gospel singer Richard Smallwood has died at 77.<\/li>\n<li>Smallwood&#8217;s family announced his passing on Instagram, citing complications from kidney failure.<\/li>\n<li>His honors include multiple Dove Awards, Stellar Awards and a GRAMMY.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"summary-disclosure\">An artificial intelligence-powered tool created this summary based on the source article. The summary has undergone review and verification by an editor.<\/p>\n<p>See <span\/> Summary<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"photo-des\">Minister Richard Smallwood performs during an &#8220;Evening with Richard Smallwood and Yolanda Adams&#8221; benefiting The National Museum of African American Music at Mt. Zion Baptist Church on Sept. 17, 2017. in Whites Creek, Tennessee. <\/span> | <span class=\"credit\">Rick Diamond\/Getty Images for NMAAM<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Award-winning gospel singer Richard Smallwood has died at the age of 77, leaving behind a legacy that \u201cclearly and solidly changed the face of black gospel music.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>An official announcement from Smallwood\u2019s family was posted on his Instagram account on Tuesday, announcing the passing of the \u201cworld-renowned artist, songwriter, and musician.&#8221; The message included a request to respect the family\u2019s \u201cprivacy during this difficult time\u201d as they seek to \u201ccelebrate the legacy he leaves behind and the gifts he unselfishly shared with the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Instagram post, which featured multiple photos of Smallwood taken throughout his lifetime, indicated that \u201cofficial arrangements are forthcoming.\u201d An obituary compiled by Smallwood\u2019s representative, Bill Carpenter, identified the cause of the singer\u2019s death at the age of 77 early Tuesday morning at Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Sandy Spring, Maryland, as the result of complications of kidney failure. The obituary also mentioned that \u201cmild dementia and a variety of other health issues have prevented Smallwood from recording\u201d in recent years.<\/p>\n<p>Smallwood graduated cum laude from Howard University in Washington, D.C., with a degree in music. He had legendary singer Roberta Flack as a high school teacher. Smallwood, who was born in Atlanta, Georgia, but raised in Washington, D.C., is survived by his brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews as well as several godchildren.<\/p>\n<p>Smallwood \u201cclearly and solidly changed the face of black gospel music,&#8221; according to his profile on the Gospel Music Hall of Fame\u2019s official website, written upon his induction in 2006.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis impeccable blend of classical movements with traditional gospel has earned Smallwood many honors in his 20-plus year career including multiple Dove Awards, Stellar Awards and a GRAMMY,\u201d the profile added.<\/p>\n<p>Smallwood was nominated for a GRAMMY eight times and helped secure a GRAMMY for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album for the 1992 production of <em>Handel&#8217;s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Additional honors received by Smallwood include recognition by the Smithsonian Institution as a \u201cgospel innovator and songwriter\u201d and Washington, D.C.\u2019s Mayoral Art Award for \u201cprecision and excellence in artistic discipline.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One of Smallwood\u2019s best-known songs is \u201cTotal Praise,\u201d and the late singer published an autobiography of the same name in 2019. The Amazon description of the book says it touches upon his upbringing as the stepson of CL Smallwood, who founded the historic Union Temple Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., as well as other churches across the United States.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Noting how his mother \u201cencouraged his early love of music,\u201d the Amazon description of Smallwood\u2019s autobiography states that the late singer \u201cbegan to play by ear at the age of five,\u201d started taking formal lessons at the age of 7 and \u201cformed his own gospel group made up of neighborhood children\u201d at 11. Additional topics addressed in the book include Smallwood\u2019s struggles with \u201closs, love, grief, mental illness\u201d as well as \u201cvictory.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Smallwood elaborated on the contents of his autobiography in a 2019 interview with the Journal of Gospel Music, highlighting his decision to discuss his \u201cdepression battle\u201d in the book.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the things I realized while writing the book was truly seeing God\u2019s plan in my life,\u201d Smallwood said. \u201cIt was like a set up. God put so many people in my life, starting when I was a kid, listening to the great gospel singers of the \u201840s, \u201850s, \u201860s. No matter how short or long they were there, they were key influences to who I am today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, January 01, 2026 Quick Summary AI Summary Award-winning gospel singer Richard Smallwood has died at 77. Smallwood&#8217;s family announced his passing on Instagram, citing complications from kidney failure. His honors include multiple Dove Awards, Stellar Awards and a GRAMMY. An artificial intelligence-powered tool created this summary based on<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14913,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[4495,1329,1174,1002,234,252,4496],"class_list":["post-14912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-christian-living","tag-awardwinning","tag-changed","tag-dies","tag-face","tag-gospel","tag-music","tag-singer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14912\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}