Richard Smallwoodeight-time Grammy Award-nominated gospel singer and recording artist, has died. He was 77 years old. Smallwood’s songs have been performed and recorded over the years by artists such as Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Destiny’s Child and Boyz II Men.
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Richard Smallwood’s Cause of Death Revealed
Richard Smallwood died Tuesday (Dec. 30) of complications from kidney failure at a rehabilitation and nursing facility in Sandy Spring, Maryland, his representative Bill Carpenter announced. Smallwood had health problems for many years, and music gave him strength to endure, Mbazi said in an interview.
“Richard was devoted to music, and it was the thing that kept him alive all these years,” he said. “Making music that made people feel like something made him want to keep breathing and keep moving and keep living.”
In recent years, mild dementia and other health issues have kept Smallwood from recording music, and members of his Vision choir help care for him.
The Legend of the Gospel is Gone But Not Forgotten
As mentioned, Whitney Houston brought her music to film by performing ‘I Love the Lord’ in the 1996 film ‘The Preacher’s Wife,’ according to Smallwood’s biography at the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
Richard Smallwood was born on November 30, 1948, in Atlanta and began playing the piano by ear at the age of 5, according to the Associated Press. By the time he was 7, he was taking formal lessons. He had founded his own gospel group by the time he was 11 years old.
Later, Smallwood became a musical pioneer in many ways at Howard University in Washington, where he received a cum laude degree in music. He was a member of Howard’s first gospel group, the Celestials. He was also the first member of the university’s gospel choir, according to a statement written by his lawyer, Carpenter.
After college, Smallwood taught music at the University of Maryland and went on to form the Richard Smallwood Singers in 1977. He brought a modern sound to traditional gospel music.
He later formed Vision, a large choir that fueled his greatest gospel hits, including ‘Total Praise.’ This song has become a modern hymn that affects people from all kinds of backgrounds and walks of life, said Mbazi by phone on Wednesday.
“You can walk into any kind of church — a black church, a white church, a non-denominational church — and you might hear that song,” he said. “Somehow it found its focus throughout the Christian world. If he had never written anything else, that would have put him in the modern hymnal.”
Stevie Wonder performed ‘Total Praise’ at the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr.’s son. Dexter Scott King at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Feb. 10, 2024.
Chaka Khan Reacts to Richard’s Death
Richard Smallwood “opened up my whole world of gospel music,” singer-songwriter Chaka Khan wrote on Facebook after his death.
“His music not only inspired me, it changed me,” he said. “He is my favorite pianist, and his brilliance, spirit, and dedication to music have shaped generations, including my journey.”
His legacy will live on “for every scripture and every soul it touches,” Khan said. “I look forward to singing with you in heaven,” he said.
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The Associated Press’ Jeff Martin contributed to this report for the AP Newsroom.
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