Overview
Marvin Sapp
"I am not a singer who happens to preach," Marvin Sapp has said. "I am a preacher—called of God—who happens to sing." He is one of the most beloved voices in modern gospel and his 2007 signature song “Never Would Have Made It” proves it. It’s the first gospel song to sell a million digital downloads. It also spent a record 47 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot Gospel Songs chart making it the longest running #1 on any Billboard chart—a feat that even the Beatles, Michael Jackson and Elvis had not accomplished.
The Grand Rapids, MI native first sang in church at the age of four. He grew up on a musical diet of D.J. Rogers, the Winans, Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway. He sang in various gospel groups before becoming an evangelist in 1988. Then, in 1990 while matriculating at Aenon Bible College in Indiana, Sapp received a call that changed his life. Fred Hammond, who had seen Sapp sing before, was looking for a vocalist to replace Keith Staten in the urban flavored gospel group, Commissioned. Sapp’s first album with the group was Number 7. He appeared on two further albums with the group and led on songs such as “Until My Change Comes” and “I Am Here.” After the group officially disbanded in circa1996, Sapp signed a solo recording contract with Word Records. Initially, he enjoyed some respectable radio hits with “Calling Me” and “In His Presence.” However, it was 1997’s Grace and Mercy CD that really established Sapp as a solo artist. The set included the mid-tempo megahit “Not the Time, Not the Place” that remains a popular radio recurrent. After Word shut down their black music division circa 2000, Sapp moved on to Verity Records where he has released a steady string of hit songs such as “I Believe,” “One Thing” and “Do You Know Him?”
Within the space of a few months in 2007 and January 2008, Sapp lost two of his most cherished influences; his father Henry Lewis Sapp Jr. (a gospel singer in his own right) and Rev. William Abney, who helped him turn away from street life as a teenager. Sapp told USA Today reporter Steve Jones that he didn’t think he’d get through preaching his father’s funeral. “I started singing, `Never would have made it, never could have made it without you, I would have lost my mind.’ The Lord told me that he would always be there for me,” he recalled.
As he was putting together the songs for his 2007 Thirsty CD, it did not include “Never Would Have Made It.” His wife pushed him to add it to the set list for the live recording and the rest is history. The dramatic ballad is a triumph over adversity and it resonated with the gospel audience in a huge way. After reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot Gospel Songs chart, the song then crossed over to Urban AC radio where it also peaked at #1 before spending a few weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 pop songs chart. Not only was it Sapp’s first million selling single, but it also earned him the first gold album certification of his career for the Thirsty album.
Since 2003, Sapp has been the pastor of the Lighthouse Full of Life Center Church in Grand Rapids, MI. He started the church with 24 followers and the membership roll has swelled to over a thousand. Pastor Sapp and his wife, MaLinda, have three children.
