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Richard Smallwood Some things you just know for certain, even if you can’t explain them. Richard Smallwood epitomizes the best of the mainstay that is gospel music while managing to stay cutting edge and current in his artistry. He is a living example of the adage: “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Holding fast to what has become traditional gospel music Smallwood says, “The awards I got in mid 80’s to early 90’s say ‘Best Contemporary’. Now my awards say ‘Best Traditional’ and it’s the same music!” Smallwood continues to provide the same music that can always be labeled as excellent, no matter the classification. His musical genius surfaced literally from birth - as a toddler, the young Smallwood was heard humming from his crib. “My mother was shocked … instead of a goo goo ga ga baby - I was a humming baby,” recalls Smallwood. “And this was before I could talk. My father didn’t believe it, but soon after he caught me, so they got me a toy piano. By four years old I was playing the piano and little by little I could pick out melodies. By seven I was playing for the main choir at my father’s church. I began formal lessons around then and continued through high school and on to Howard University where I earned my undergraduate degree in piano performance.” And though his performance ability is perfected it is his heart for ministry that continues to expand. With his new project Persuaded - Live in DC releasing on August 7, 2001. Smallwood reaches from his history and pulls it to the present. “I think this project is a total musical package of who I am in 2001. It exemplifies everything that I am in terms of my musical influences - all the different styles that I am - a little bit of everything.” Recorded in April of 2001 at the Maryland/Washington DC’s Jericho City of Praise before a packed house, Smallwood pulled out all the stops. “It’s the first time I had a forty piece orchestra. We’ve done small ensembles but never had the opportunity to do a full orchestra in a live setting. It’s been my dream.” And the audience at large was the benefactor of the dream. From the onset of the regal “Procession of the Levites” and the trumpeting voices on the “Anthem of Praise” the production was stellar. People came from near and far, which speaks volumes of the love people have for Smallwood. “It was a blessing for all the people to come out. People came in from France, some of the Islands and other places. It was a great experience. And my hometown, of Washington, DC has always been supportive. They’ve always surrounded me with love and supported me from the beginning.” But no other guest was to be outdone than Smallwood’s mother, Mabel Smallwood. “That was the highlight of the evening. She’s been very ill for the past five or so years. This is the first time she’s been able to attend a live recording of mine. To have her on the front row was just a blessing.” The relationship that mother and son share with the Lord was captured during Smallwood’s customary solo piano medley. As he began with “It Is Well With My Soul”, Smallwood’s mother cried out in exaltation. “Mom is from the old school. If she had been able to walk she would have run through the place. [Her outcry] made it hard to get through that piano solo. When I heard her voice the tears started welling up. I just closed my eyes and asked God to help me through it. ‘It is Well’ said so much about all of the adversities that she has gone through in her life. It says ‘whatever my lot’ - it’s alright.” Smallwood completed the medley that also features “Come Ye Disconsolate.” Smallwood continues to etch his sure place in the musical history of this generation. Such classics as “Center of My Joy,” along with a few of Smallwood’s other songs have now been recorded in this year’s release of the African American Heritage Hymnal, alongside the masters of days gone by. But he is careful not to try to compete with himself. “You really get in trouble if you try to do that. Its’ so easy to do because people will push you into doing that. With Adoration everybody asked ‘How are you going to top Total Praise, then was asked the same thing after ‘Healing’. I try to not think of what I did the last time or what I’ve done in the past, but to receive what God is giving me for now. And right now God has granted His touch again. The first single to be released is “My Everything (Praise Waiteth)” - a flowing mid-tempo ode to God that builds to the rafters. Certain to make its mark is the driving “Hold On” that features Smallwood in vocal trio with VISION members Jeffrey Waddy and Ted Winn (also of Ted & Sherry). A reflective song, it is a simple encouraging ballad that reaffirms the message that in time all will be all right. Also included on the album is the Latin-flavored "Nothing Without Your Love," sung by vocalist Lorree K. Slye. And once again, in reverence to what has previously worked for him, Smallwood revisits some previously penned and recorded songs. “Your Love Divine,” “Psalms 8” and “Calvary” receive a warm welcome like old friends. On the whole the project is a collective of orchestral swirl, vocal distinction, and sound melodic framework. Smallwood doesn’t have a problem with the classifications of old or new. “Music does not stay the same. I think the church falls down because we have tried to put God in a box. We’ve tried to say He can only work if it sounds like this or looks like this. I believe the God we serve is so awesome and so magnanimous that we can’t even begin to imagine how He works. I believe He raises up artists and music styles that will reach others that I may not reach … you’ve got to reach people where they are. As long as the message is there and you don’t water down the message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, then I have no problems with the trappings of the music.” As Richard Smallwood’s music continues to rise to higher heights, his awareness of what he is really doing won’t permit him to forsake his calling. “You have to look at what you do as ministry. It has to be that first. Your reason for doing what you do has to be about making a difference in people’s lives. You have to become a lover of people’s souls.” “I don’t deserve this [gift I have]. I have traveled all over this world and walked into storefront churches and seen some sixteen and seventeen year old kids who could out sing, out play and out write some folks out here. So we certainly don’t have a monopoly on these gifts, it’s just for some reason God chose to elevate us and chose to put us where we are. We have a responsibility not to let that gift get in the way of what we should be doing. Ultimately, when I leave here I just want people to know that I was somebody who loved God and wanted to make a difference in peoples lives through my music.” Undoubtedly, Smallwood will be remembered for both his ministry & his music - some things you just know for sure. |
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