Acclaimed Gospel Recording Artist Richard Smallwood Dies

He died of complications of kidney failure at a nursing home in Sandy Spring, Md.

Grammy-nominated gospel singer-songwriter Richard Smallwood died Dec. 30 from complications of kidney failure. He was 77.

“We are saddened to announce the passing of world-renowned artist, songwriter, and musician Richard Smallwood,” read an announcement on his Facebook page. “The family asks that you respect our privacy during this difficult time, while helping to celebrate the legacy he leaves behind and the gifts he unselfishly shared with the world.”

According to People, Smallwood died at a nursing home in Sandy Spring, Md. He had been diagnosed with “mild dementia and a variety of other health issues” in recent years, forcing him to stop recording music, according to a release.

Born in Atlanta and raised in Washington, D.C., Smallwood began playing piano by ear at age five and started his own gospel group at 11 at Union Temple Baptist Church, where his stepfather was the pastor.

In a career spanning more than 50 years, Smallwood made a name for himself as a composer, gospel singer, and songwriter. He was nominated for eight Grammys and won three Dove Awards plus multiple Stellar Gospel Music Awards.

He was a student of R&B legend Roberta Flack in high school, while she was building her own singing career. Smallwood attended Howard University, where he became a member of the school’s first gospel group, the Celestials. He also taught music at the University of Maryland before he started his group, the Richard Smallwood Singers, in 1977.

The group, which included Dottie Jones, Jackie Ruffin, and Darlene Simmons, topped Billboard’s Spiritual albums chart with its second offering, Psalms in 1984.

Several artists, including Whitney Houston, Boyz II Men, and Destiny’s Child, later covered Smallwood’s songs. His popularity rose again after he founded the choir Vision following the disbanding of the Smallwood Singers in the 1990s. His last album, Anthology, was released in 2015.

Smallwood is survived by his brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, and godchildren.