Introduction
Bishop Marvin Louis Sapp Sr. was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on January 28, 1967. He began singing at the age of four, as he would make his debut at his local church, and then with a variety of Gospel ensembles and groups as grew into his adolescence. On the twenty-first of March in 2009, Marvin Sapp was inducted into the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, in the Grand Rapids Alumni chapter. With him receiving numerous awards and nominations, there is no doubt that Marvin Sapp is one the most legendary gospel artists.
Family Life
The wife of Marvin Sapp, MaLinda Sapp, passed away on the ninth of September in 2010 due to complications of colon cancer. She was the administrative pastor at his church, Lighthouse Full Life Center Church, which was founded by the two of them in Grand Rapids, Michigan, until Sapp was appointed as the senior pastor at The Chosen Vessel, located in Fort Worth, Texas, on the nineteenth of November in 2019. Together Marvin and Malinda birthed three children, Mikaila, Madisson, and Marvin Sapp Junior. On the twenty first of March in 2009, Marvin Sapp was inducted into Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, in the Grand Rapids Alumni chapter.
Music
He studied at Aenon Bible College, an unaccredited college in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he received his Doctor of Divinity degree, while also receiving his Doctor of Ministry Degree from Friends International Christian University. Sapp shortly dropped out subsequently to Fred Hammond’s invitation to sing with Commissioned, a highly respected group of Gospel music, after the departure of Keith Staten in 1990. He began his career as a solo singer in the mid-90s, and was widely known for his deep, rich voice and impassioned delivery. Marvin Sapp typically beautified his music with smooth jazz along with R&B, which created a more approachable platform for his communications of faith. Fashioning several hits, Sapp has supplied a variety of efforts that topped the charts.
These hits included Thirsty in 2007, which was also gold-selling, Substance in 2022, Close in 2017, and Be Exalted in 2005. With these records, he was nominated and awarded several BET and Dove awards, and his overlapping allure has even warranted him 11 nominations for the grammy awards. Marvin Sapp, along with the luminary of gospel music, Fred Hammond, was rejoined with Commissioned for numerous events, including Praise and Worship of 2006.
Playlist
Marvin Sapp made the decision to institute himself as a solo artist of contemporary gospel. Within this decision, he recorded 7 albums and began his crossover fame with the hit single, Never Would Have Made It, in 2007 from his album Thirsty. It climaxed at number 82 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 14 on the US Billboard Hot Hip-Hop/R&B songs, and number 1 on the Billboard Hot Gospel Songs chart. His album, Thirsty, debuted at number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 4 on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums, and number 1 on the US Billboard Top Gospel Albums.
The RIAA has gold-certified Thirsty due to the fact that over 500,000 copies were sold, deeming it to be Marvin Sapp’s best-selling album of his career after going solo, and has since sold over 712,000 copies of it. In 2009, Sapp was awarded with every seven Gospel Stellar Awards that he had been nominated for. On October 16, 2009, subsequently to releasing Thirsty, Marvin recorded Here I Am, in Wyoming, Michigan at Resurrection Life Church and on March 16, 2010, he released it.
With the release of this album, Marvin Sapp was deemed as the highest charting gospel artist in the 54 years of Billboard’s history of tracking the sales of albums. With him selling just about 76,000 copies of Here I Am within its first week of being released, Sapp’s album was charted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart, which made it the highest-charting album to ever be listed by a gospel artist. The lead single of the album, The Best in Me, co-written by the producer of the album, Aaron Lindsey, climaxed at number 14 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart, number 1 on Billboard’s Gospel Songs chart, and number 20 on Billboard’s Urban AC chart (by a bullet). Marvin Sapp was able to top off the list of winners during the 26th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards on January 15, 2011.
Awards
With him selling just about 76,000 copies of Here I Am within its first week of being released, Sapp’s album was charted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart, which made it the highest-charting album to ever be listed by a gospel artist. The lead single of the album, The Best in Me, co-written by the producer of the album, Aaron Lindsey, climaxed at number 14 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart, number 1 on Billboard’s Gospel Songs chart, and number 20 on Billboard’s Urban AC chart (by a bullet). Marvin Sapp was able to top off the list of winners during the 26th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards on January 15, 2011. One of Marvin Sapp’s hit albums, Thirsty, peaked at number 82 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 14 on the US Billboard Hot Hip-Hop/R&B songs, and number 1 on the Billboard Hot Gospel Songs chart. His album, Thirsty, debuted at number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 4 on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums, and number 1 on the US Billboard Top Gospel Albums.
Playlist
The RIAA has gold-certified Thirsty due to the fact that over 500,000 copies were sold, deeming it to be Marvin Sapp’s best-selling album of his career after going solo, and has since sold over 712,000 copies of it. With the release of Thirsty, Marvin Sapp was deemed as the highest charting gospel artist in the 54 years of Billboard’s history of tracking the sales of albums.
Conclusion
Having sold over 1.5 million albums in the United States, Marvin Louis Sapp Sr. is one of the greatest gospel personalities. He has certainly made his mark on contemporary gospel music, and his nominations and awards have proven this to be true. His music and talent will live on eternally, as they are a staple piece to gospel music.
Sources
AL HUNTER JR, h. (2005, Jul 01). Go to GospelFest 2005: Marvin sapp among the headliners. Philadelphia Daily News Retrieved from https://login.ezproxy.auctr.edu:2050/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/go-gospelfest-2005/docview/1908469648/se-2
Men of tomorrow celebrates its 20-year anniversary with a gospel concert fundraiser: The youth-serving, community organization will celebrate with national-recording gospel artist marvin sapp. (2010, Dec 02). Milwaukee Courier Retrieved from https://login.ezproxy.auctr.edu:2050/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/men-tomorrow-celebrates-20-year-anniversary-with/docview/872173253/se-2
Norsworthy, K. (2022, Jun 19). Marvin sapp releases 15th album on indenendent label. The Triangle Tribune Retrieved from https://login.ezproxy.auctr.edu:2050/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/marvin-sapp-releases-15th-album-on-indenendent/docview/2678516680/se-2
Terri Finch Hamilton / The Grand,Rapids Press. (2007, Apr 08). The sunday profile: Preacher and singer marvin sapp ; soul man: [all editions]. The Grand Rapids Press Retrieved from https://login.ezproxy.auctr.edu:2050/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/sunday-profile-preacher-singer-marvin-sapp-soul/docview/293534851/se-2
Terry DeBoer / The Grand,Rapids Press. (2001, Jan 29). Dove nominations for christian music include newcomers, old hands marvin sapp and kevin max, two music artist with local ties, also are nominated for doves.: [all editions]. The Grand Rapids Press Retrieved from https://login.ezproxy.auctr.edu:2050/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/dove-nominations-christian-music-include/docview/285071400/se-2
Landrum, J.,Jr. (2020, Oct 11). Marvin sapp on new album and dealing with pandemic at church. Philadelphia Tribune Retrieved from https://login.ezproxy.auctr.edu:2050/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/marvin-sapp-on-new-album-dealing-with-pandemic-at/docview/2458968638/se-2
