Smallwood began his recording career in the late seventies with an album simply titled, The Richard Smallwood Singers. The debut project spent 87 weeks on Billboard's Gospel chart. Grammy nominations followed for his subsequent albums, Psalms (1984) and Textures (1986) containing the classic, "The Center Of My Joy" penned by Richard Smallwood along with Bill and Gloria Gaither. His 1992 release Testimony won the Dove Award for Best Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year. Smallwood finally struck Grammy gold with his next project Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration, which won the award for best song production.
Smallwood has played on stages across the United States including a performance at the White House and throughout Europe. His musical genius has taken him to the far ends of the earth. It was Richard Smallwood and his gifted ensemble who were the first African-American gospel group to perform in the Soviet Union. Richard has performed before three presidents and a number of other high ranking dignitaries. Additionally, Richard Smallwood performed at The Festival of Black Gospel, a 22-year-old campus organization dedicated to strengthening ties between Cornell and the community through an annual weekend of gospel music and worship.
Richard Smallwood formed a new, 23-voice gospel choir, Richard Smallwood and Vision, with Washington, D.C. area singers and including members of The Richard Smallwood Singers. Richard, with his group Vision, have recorded three projects for Verity records, "Adoration", "Rejoice" and the newest entitled "Healing...Live in Detroit". Bound to be another hit in the gospel music arena. Healing-Live In Detroit continues to demonstrate Richard's incredible talents and those of his background vocalists-Vision. Recorded before a capacity crowd, Richard was at the top of his performance. He employed an orchestra again that performed an incredible musical overture of Richard's past hits.
Richard Smallwood has been honored by the Smithsonian Institution as a "gospel innovator and songwriter," and his hometown, Washington, D.C. heralded two separate occasions as "Richard Smallwood Day," also, distinguishing him with the Mayoral Art Award for "precision and excellence in artistic discipline." Smallwood's gift has made room for him to minister to presidents and dignitaries at all of D.C.'s halls of fame, including the Smithsonian, the Kennedy Center and the White House. Touching all areas of the arts, Richard and his singers toured with a theatrical musical, "Sing Mahalia Sing" starring Jennifer Holiday, which segued into a guest appearance on television's "Ryan's Hope" for ABC.
