A LIFE LIVED IN TOTAL PRAISE

Recently the world heard of the death of Richard Smallwood and it prompted me to think when I first came across his music. I can't remember the moment but do remember that when I heard his composition, ‘Jesus you’re the centre of my joy’, it gripped my attention. It wasn’t just for the beauty, and tunefulness of the music, but also for that simple, profound, and memorable phrase, ‘centre of my joy.’ From that moment on, Smallwood’s music demanded my attention, and when he released, I love the Lord,’ it cemented my admiration for what was then to me, a new artist.  

So impactful was Smallwood’s music, that while I was producing ‘ People Get Ready’, the gospel television programme in the 1980s, I included I love the Lord,’ in one of the episodes.  Beverly Wint delivered a credible, memorable and deeply moving performance of it, which became a stand out moment of the programme. Yet it was ‘Total Praise,’ that truly stopped me in my tracks, and if anyone knows anything about me, knows my love of gospel, classical and choral music. What Smallwood did with ‘Total Praise’ was to seamlessly incorporate these three traditions, and in so doing created a new gospel sound.   

It’s been my pleasure  to present and promote Richard Smallwood in concert in the UK on more than one occasion, and what struck me about him, was that he was a quiet, unassuming man,- a maestro in the original sense of the word, ‘a distinguished conductor and performer.’ His singers, ‘ The Richards Smallwood Singers, were unlike anything I’ve ever heard before in gospel singing, the nearest being the Clark Sisters in their prime. And while it’s difficult to describe what makes a piece of music ‘great,’ what we know is that any assessment, appraisal or evaluation, is likely to be subjective, and its why we rely on experts to guide us. Yet  with Richard Smallwood’s music, there is complete unanimity, for not only was he a ‘great’ gospel artist /composer, but also one of the most significant and influential gospel artist of the twentieth century. So when his death was announced in December 2025, it had me reaching back to when I met him and was first exposed to his music. 

While I may not recall the precise moment, I know that Jesus, You’re the Centre of My Joy and I Love the Lord were the gateway to my deep admiration of his music and although both are exquisite pieces of music, they nevertheless follow a familiar traditional gospel format.‘Total Praise,’ his famous and undoubtedly greatest hit, though is like no other, and when it was released, it signalled a fresh new, totally original gospel sound. It was majestic, modern, emotionally charged and completely different, a fusion of gospel, classical and choral music, all of my three music loves, rolled into one. His music reminds me of the sacred composition and church music of great composers like, Handel, Bach and others, who I know Smallwood admired.             

Like many gospel artist, Smallwood's musical journey follows a familiar course. Born in Atlanta Georgia, he moved with his parents at the age of ten to Washington DC, where from an early age, he started singing and playing in his father’s church. In his teens, while in school, he started his own gospel group, with Roberta Flack, the famous soul singer, one of his high school teachers. As a graduate of Howard  University, Richard Smallwood is a classically trained composer, pianist and arranger, and along with a strong background in music theory and choral composition, these have become the hallmark of his sound. He credits, Roberta Martin, Clara Ward, Mahalia Jackson and James Cleveland among his influences, along with Edwin Hawkins and others, who are today the foundation of the modern gospel sound.

In the last few years, Richard Smallwood have suffered from a variety of illnesses which has prevented him from performing and when in December 2025 it was announced that he had died, gospel music had lost one of its towering figure and practitioner, worthy of ranking alongside the likes of Tomas Dorsey, Mahalia Jackson, James Cleaveland and Andrae Crouch. His songs will forever be sung in churches by choirs and artists, and the likes of, ‘ I love the Lord, Total Praise,’ are today gospel standards, as well as timeless compositions. Smallwood is a musical genius, one who has incorporated classical motifs and complex vocal harmonies to his sound and in so doing, created a new sound and new levels of artistic expression.