Richard Smallwood, an eight-time Grammy-nominated gospel singer and composer, died on December 30 from complications of kidney failure. The 77-year-old artist, known for hits like 'Total Praise' and 'Center of My Joy,' left a lasting impact on gospel music over five decades. His songs were covered by major artists including Whitney Houston and Destiny’s Child.
Richard Smallwood passed away at the Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Sandy Spring, Maryland. Born on November 30, 1948, in Atlanta and raised in Washington, D.C., Smallwood showed early musical talent, playing piano by ear at age five and forming his own gospel group by eleven. He took formal lessons starting at seven and was taught by Roberta Flack in high school before her recording career.
Smallwood graduated cum laude from Howard University with a music degree, where he joined the Celestials—the school's first gospel group—and helped found the Gospel Choir. After teaching at the University of Maryland, he established the Richard Smallwood Singers in 1977, inspired by the Edwin Hawkins Singers. Signed to Onyx Records in 1982, their debut album charted for 87 weeks on Billboard's Spiritual Albums list. The 1984 release 'Psalms' topped the chart and earned a Grammy nomination.
Transitioning to Word Records, the group's 1987 album 'Textures' peaked at No. 7 with the hit 'Center of My Joy,' co-written with Bill and Gloria Gaither. They became the first gospel act to tour the Soviet Union in the late 1980s and provided background vocals for Candi Staton and Quincy Jones. By the early 1990s, Smallwood moved to Jive/Verity Records, disbanding the Singers to form Vision, which backed hits like 'Angels' and the 1996 anthem 'Total Praise.'
Reflecting on 'Total Praise,' Smallwood shared in 2014: “My mother was ill and my godbrother was terminally ill with brain cancer... God just sort of gave me that song... which really gave me a peace.” His 2007 live album 'Journey: Live in New York' featured Chaka Khan, the Hawkins Family, Kelly Price, and Kim Burrell. The 2015 anthology included 'Same God,' and his 2019 autobiography 'Total Praise' explored personal struggles.
In a 1993 Washington Post interview, Smallwood said: “Being a minister of music, I need to be open to listen and give a word of encouragement through songs of testimony.” He received three Dove Awards, multiple Stellar Awards, and the 2015 Allstate Gospel Superfest Lifetime Achievement Award. Smallwood is survived by siblings, nieces, nephews, and godchildren.
