Montrel Darrett (born as Charles Joseph Montrel Darrett on November 4, 1969 in Evansville, IN) is an American singer. He is the founder and CEO of Urban Icon Entertainment VII. Darrett served 8 years in the U.S. Navy and is a Persian Gulf War veteran. He is a former member of the award-winning gospel performing group Commissioned. As a member of Commissioned, Darrett was a four-time Stellar Award nominee. He wrote and produced the #1 selling Commissioned song to date Until My Change Comes. Darrett also sang with gospel artist, John. P. Kee, where he led the single Be Encouraged on the Show Up project, which became Pastor Kee's first gold selling record.
Darrett is the fourth of six children, all of whom sang. They grew up in Nashville, TN and performed as The Gospel True Notes. Darrett was known for his rendition of Walk Around Heaven from their self-titled debut record with Chanita Records. As a teenager, Darrett recorded several singles. Darrett comes from a lineage of legendary entertainers including Moses Gunn, The Fairfield Four, and singer Deniece Williams.
In 1999, Darrett released a solo album, Chronicles of the Soul. The album hit No. 23 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart.[1] In 2000, Darrett received a Canadian Grammy for writing Canadian gospel artist Sharon Riley’s hit single Life Is.
Darrett's achievements include an ASCAP Writers Award, presented by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, a gold and platinum recipient for Chronicles of the Soul, and a BMI Honorary Award for his work with Commissioned. In 1999, Darrett received a Soul Train Award nomination for New Male Gospel Artist of the Year and also a GMA Dove Award nomination for Male Vocalist of the Year. Darrett has performed and recorded with greats such as Boyz II Men, Dave Hollister, Jodeci, Brandy Norwood, Kirk Franklin, Guy, and Kim Burrell, to name a few.
After time away from the music industry, Darrett returned with his first Urban Soul and R&B project, A SOUL CONVERSATION, from his label Urban Icon Entertainment VII. It will be released Fall 2022. Darrett is also preparing to release his first national independent feature film, Project Black/Colors of Soul, which will star Darrett and Dave Hollister.
Kirk Dewayne Franklin is an American gospel singer, choir director, record producer and rapper. He is best known for leading urban contemporary gospel and Christian R&B ensembles such as The Family, God's Property, and One Nation Crew (1NC). His accolades include 20 Grammy Awards. Variety dubbed Franklin as a "Reigning King of Urban Gospel", and is one of the inaugural inductees into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.
Frederick Anthony Jackson is an American singer. Originally from New York, Jackson began his professional music career in the late 1970s with the California funk band Mystic Merlin. Among his well–known R&B/soul hits are "Rock Me Tonight " (1985), "Have You Ever Loved Somebody" (1986), "Jam Tonight" (1986), "Do Me Again" (1990), and "You Are My Lady" (1985). He contributed to the soundtrack for the 1989 film, All Dogs Go to Heaven with the Michael Lloyd-produced duet "Love Survives" alongside Irene Cara. He also appeared in the movie King of New York.
Raphael Saadiq is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He rose to fame as a vocalist for the R&B group Tony! Toni! Toné!, which he formed with his brother D'Wayne and cousin Timothy Christian Riley in 1986. Along with his groupwork and solo career, he has produced and written songs for other R&B artists, including Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé, Total, Joss Stone, D'Angelo, TLC, En Vogue, Kelis, Mary J. Blige, Ledisi, Whitney Houston, Solange Knowles and John Legend.
Priscilla Marie Winans Love, known professionally as CeCe Winans, is an American gospel singer who has garnered 15 Grammy Awards, the most for any female gospel singer; 31 GMA Dove Awards, 19 Stellar Awards, 7 NAACP Image Awards, 1 Billboard Music Award along with many other awards and honors to her credit including being one of the inaugural inductees into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia. Known as the "Queen of Gospel Music", Winans is the best-selling and most awarded female gospel singer of all time, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Music City Walk of Fame.
The Clark Sisters are an American gospel vocal group originally consisting of five sisters: Jacky Clark Chisholm, Denise "Niecy" Clark-Bradford, Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark, Dorinda Clark-Cole, and Karen Clark Sheard. The Clark Sisters are the daughters of gospel musician and choral director Dr. Mattie Moss Clark. They are credited for helping to bring gospel music to the mainstream and are considered pioneers of contemporary gospel.
Yolanda Yvette Adams is an American gospel singer, actress, and host of her own nationally syndicated morning gospel show. She is one of the best-selling female gospel artists of all time, having sold over 10 million albums worldwide. In addition to achieving multi-platinum status, she has won four Grammy Awards, four Dove Awards, five BET Awards, six NAACP Image Awards, six Soul Train Music Awards, two BMI Awards and sixteen Stellar Awards. She is also the first Gospel artist to be awarded an American Music Award.She is known as the "First Lady of Tributes", while Variety dubbed her the "Reigning Queen of Urban Gospel".
Frankie Beverly was an American singer, songwriter, and producer known primarily for his recordings with the soul and funk band Maze. He formed Maze, originally called Raw Soul, in his hometown of Philadelphia in 1970. After moving to San Francisco and an introduction to Marvin Gaye, Maze later released nine Gold albums and created a large and devoted following.
Samuel David Moore is an American singer who was best known as a member of the soul and R&B duo Sam & Dave from 1961 to 1981. He is a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.
Durrell Artaze Babbs, better known by his stage name Tank, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a backing vocalist for R&B singers Aaliyah and Ginuwine, and signed a recording contract with the former's record label, Blackground Records as a performing act in 1998. His 2001 single, "Maybe I Deserve" peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and led his debut studio album, Force of Nature (2001). It peaked within the top ten of the Billboard 200, while his second album, One Man (2002), peaked within the top 20 and was met with mixed critical reception.
Commissioned is an American urban contemporary gospel group from Detroit, Michigan. Members included Fred Hammond, Keith Staten, Karl Reid, Mitchell Jones, Marvin Sapp, Marcus Cole and Montrell Darrett.
Dorinda Grace Clark-Cole is an American Grammy Award-winning gospel singer, songwriter, musician, talk show host, and evangelist. Clark–Cole is best known as a member of family vocal group The Clark Sisters and as a daughter of pioneering choral director Mattie Moss Clark. As a member of The Clark Sisters, Clark–Cole has won two Grammy Awards. She is known to the music world as the Rose of Gospel Music.
Ayiesha Woods is a contemporary Christian musician signed to Gotee Records. She has released two studio albums on Gotee: Introducing Ayiesha Woods (2006) and Love Like This (2008). Woods is known for the hit songs "Happy" and "Big Enough" from her debut album. Her musical style is a distinct mix of several genres, predominantly including pop, soul, urban and rock.
Anthony Charles Williams II, better known by his stage name B.Slade and formerly known under the gospel moniker Tonéx, is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, rapper, dancer, producer, and activist from San Diego, California. He has gone by various names and aliases, but his primary stage name of choice had for years been "Tonéx". In 2010, he began using the stage name B.Slade to rebrand himself.
Malaco Records is an American independent record label based in Jackson, Mississippi, United States, that has been the home of various major blues and gospel acts, such as Johnnie Taylor, Bobby Bland, Mel Waiters, Z. Z. Hill, Denise LaSalle, Latimore, Dorothy Moore, Little Milton, Shirley Brown, Tyrone Davis, Marvin Sease, and the Mississippi Mass Choir. It has received an historic marker issued by the Mississippi Blues Commission to commemorate its important place on the Mississippi Blues Trail.
Kimberly Jean Burrell is an American gospel singer, songwriter, and pastor from Houston, Texas.
Thomas Anthony Whitfield was an American gospel singer, songwriter, arranger, pianist, choir director and producer best known for helping to shape the fabric of contemporary gospel music with his elaborate choral arrangements and the merging of musical styles ranging from jazz to classical into traditional gospel foundations. This style earned him the respectable title of "Maestro" by many of his colleagues and supporters. He was best known for organizing one of the popular contemporary gospel choirs of all time, the Thomas Whitfield Company, and for producing best-selling records for Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Shirley Caesar, Yolanda Adams, Douglas Miller, Keith Pringle, Paul Morton and for Aretha Franklin.
Cheryl Elizabeth Gamble, known professionally as Coko, is an American singer-songwriter best known as the lead singer of the R&B vocal trio Sisters With Voices (SWV). Aside from her R&B career, Gamble also has a solo gospel career. As a member of SWV, Coko has sold 10 million records in the US, and 25 million records worldwide, and is a four-time Grammy Award nominee.
Kirk Whalum is an American R&B and smooth jazz saxophonist and songwriter. He toured with Whitney Houston for more than seven years and soloed on her single "I Will Always Love You", the best-selling single by a female artist in music history. He was also featured on many Luther Vandross albums, most often playing on the singer's covers of older pop and R&B standards such as "Anyone Who Had a Heart", "I ", and "Love Won't Let Me Wait".
Koryn Mattanah Hawthorne is an American contemporary Christian music and gospel singer. Hawthorne was a finalist in season 8 of NBC's singing competition The Voice, at the age of 17, as a member on Pharrell Williams's team. After placing fourth on the show, Hawthorne got signed to RCA Inspiration, a division of Sony Music dedicated to gospel music recordings. Her debut studio album, Unstoppable, was released on July 13, 2018, and earned her multiple awards nominations, including two Grammy nominations.
Charles Kent Wilson, also known as Uncle Charlie, is an American singer and the former lead vocalist of the Gap Band. As a solo artist Wilson has been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards and 11 NAACP Image Awards, received a 2009 Soul Train Icon Award, and was a recipient of a BMI Icon Award in 2005. In 2009 and 2020, he was named Billboard magazine's No. 1 Adult R&B Artist, and his song "There Goes My Baby" was named the No. 1 Urban Adult Song for 2009 in Billboard.
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