Richard Smallwood, influential gospel singer and songwriter, dies aged 77

Gospel singer and songwriter Richard Smallwood has died aged 77, leaving legacy of widely performed church music

Richard Smallwood, a gospel singer, songwriter and pianist whose work became central to modern church music in the United States and beyond, died on December 30 at a nursing centre in Sandy Spring, Maryland. He was 77. His publicist Bill Carpenter said the cause of death was complications from kidney failure.

Smallwood rose to prominence as a composer of gospel songs that combined classical musical structure with contemporary church traditions.

Among his best-known works is “Total Praise”, a song that became a standard in church choirs and was later performed by artists including Destiny’s Child and Stevie Wonder. Another widely recognised composition, “I Love the Lord”, was popularised by Whitney Houston on the soundtrack to the 1996 film The Preacher’s Wife.

Born Richard Lee Smallwood in Atlanta on November 30 1948, he moved to Washington as a child, where his stepfather founded Union Temple Baptist Church.

Smallwood began playing piano in church and later received classical training at Howard University, earning degrees in music and piano. He cited Johann Sebastian Bach as a major influence, alongside Motown and musical theatre.

Smallwood released his first album, The Richard Smallwood Singers, in 1982. It spent 87 weeks on the Billboard gospel chart. Over his career, he received eight Grammy nominations and won multiple Dove and Stellar Awards.

He also performed for three US presidents and toured internationally, including performances in the former Soviet Union. He was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

Despite the celebratory tone of much gospel music, Smallwood spoke openly about his long struggle with depression. He said “Total Praise” was written during a period when he was caring for his mother, who had dementia, and a family friend with cancer. “I decided to write a pity-party song,” he said previously, before the song turned into an expression of faith.

Smallwood never married and described his gospel ensemble Vision as his family. He is survived by two brothers and three foster sisters.