Music / Religion
Vanessa Bell Armstrong
born 1953
· gospel and R&B singer
Detroit gospel singer whose debut Peace Be Still (1983), produced by Thomas Whitfield, launched a career of seven Grammy nominations.
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Vanessa Bell grew up in the Detroit area, where her father was pastor of Greater Mount Everett Church of God in Christ; she directed its choir and sang in it. Mattie Moss Clark, the Detroit choir director who shaped modern gospel choirs, helped her career. Her debut album, Peace Be Still (1983), produced by fellow Detroiter Thomas Whitfield, made her a gospel star, and her second album, Chosen, reached No. 1 on Billboard's Top Gospel Albums. She sang on the first Soul Train Music Awards, and Following Jesus (1986) won the Soul Train award for best gospel album by a solo artist in 1988. Over her career she has recorded with the Clark Sisters, Rance Allen, James Cleveland and Daryl Coley, received seven Grammy nominations and won a Stellar Award.
Highlights
- Debut Peace Be Still (1983), produced by Thomas Whitfield
- Chosen: No. 1 on Billboard Top Gospel Albums
- Soul Train Music Award for Following Jesus (1988)
- Seven Grammy nominations