Legendary gospel composer, pianist, and choir leader Richard Smallwood, whose songs like “Total Praise,” “I Love the Lord,” and “The Center of My Joy” became staples in churches and on gospel charts, will be remembered in a public Celebration of Life on Saturday, January 24, 2026 at First Baptist Church of Glenarden International in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. 

The service is scheduled to begin at 12:00 noon ET (doors open at 9:30 a.m.), with services entrusted to Precious Memories Funeral Home. The announcement with service details was posted to Smallwood’s official social channels and by the funeral home. 

Smallwood, who died Dec. 30, 2025 at age 77 after complications from kidney failure, leaves a catalog that fused classical training with spiritual purpose — a body of work that helped define contemporary gospel for decades. Born Nov. 30, 1948, in Atlanta and raised in Washington, D.C., he learned piano by ear as a child, studied at Howard University (graduating cum laude), and later founded the Richard Smallwood Singers (1977) and the larger ensemble Vision. His music crossed into mainstream culture: Whitney Houston recorded his “I Love the Lord” for “The Preacher’s Wife,” and groups including Destiny’s Child and Boyz II Men have performed his songs. 

A respected figure in the gospel community, Smallwood earned multiple honors during a career that included eight Grammy nominations, Dove and Stellar awards, and induction into gospel halls of fame. He is widely credited with helping bridge traditional church music, classical influences, and contemporary R&B textures, crafting arrangements that choirs and soloists still sing today. 

The Jan. 24 celebration will be held at First Baptist Church of Glenarden International (600 Watkins Park Drive, Upper Marlboro) with Pastor John K. Jenkins Sr. listed as host pastor. Organizers note additional information regarding donations and hotel accommodations will be provided. Online obituary pages and the funeral home list memorial details and ways for mourners to leave condolences. 

Smallwood’s music — from choir-led worship anthems to intimate piano-driven hymns — became a soundtrack to milestone moments across Black churches and beyond. As communities prepare to gather later in January to honor him, his work will be celebrated not only for its technical craft, but for the spiritual comfort it offered listeners through grief, joy, and praise.