Andrae Crouch - Gospel songwriter
Andrae Crouch -- A gospel music legend
Andrae Crouch is a premiere influence in the world of contemporary gospel music. He was a pioneer in bringing modern rhythms, instrumentation, and harmonies to the black gospel tradition. He also broke racial barriers, as many white Christian artists covered his songs. His contributions as a performer and songwriter are unparalleled by any living gospel musician. This page takes a closer look at Crouch's craft as a songwriter.

Richard Smallwood - Gospel songwriter
Richard Smallwood - A songwriter's songwriter
This page looks in depth at the songwriting work of Richard Smallwood, one of the most important gospel songwriters in history. Smallwood stands unchallenged in his niche as a creator of gospel music. He brings classical elements to black gospel music in a way that incorporates the best of both traditions. A lot of his music is not for novices, but for experienced singers and choirs, he inspires us to work harder, refine our skills more, and bring ourselves up to the level of this splendid m...

Edwin Hawkins - Gospel songwriter
A gospel music pioneer
Edwin Hawkins and The Edwin Hawkins Singers were pivotal in introducing black gospel music to mainstream audiences. Hawkins was also instrumental in pulling together singers, musicians, and writers from all over the country to make workshop albums that allowed lesser known writers to share their music with the world.

Walter Hawkins - Gospel songwriter
Walter Hawkins - A giant in gospel choir music
A look at the songwriting of Walter Hawkins. His brother Edwin might be better known to non-gospel audiences, but the contributions of Walter Hawkins to gospel music are unrivaled. His Love Alive series brought songs that are indispensable to the gospel choir repertoire. His songwriting was a mixture of traditional and modern influences, expanding the complexity of gospel choir music.

John P. Kee - Gospel songwriter
John P. Kee - A gospel workhorse
John P. Kee has been a musician all his life, but only began singing gospel after being called out of a dangerous criminal lifestyle. In the mid-1980s he formed a choir and has been performing and writing choir music ever since. He is a prolific songwriter, and a staple of the gospel music scene.

Nate McNair - Gospel songwriter
Nate McNair - Gospel hitmaker for the '90s and beyond
Nate McNair has a long history of writing hit songs for gospel singers and choirs. His work tends toward the "youth sound" of contemporary gospel music. He is little known by the general public because he is not a singer, but many people know his songs. The reason I only have a picture of his hands here is because there were no other pictures of Nate McNair in Google Images. The search on his name produced lots of pictures of other people, primarily Hezekiah Walker.

Darius Brooks - Gospel songwriter
Darius Brooks - The sound of the '80s gospel choir
Darius Brooks made his mark as a songwriter working primarily with the Thompson Community Singers, writing contemporary songs that were favorites of choirs everywhere. He is also a great singer and has had success in that part of his career as well. But I'm a choir director, so this page is focusing on his choir work.