Cleavant Derricks (songwriter)
Cleavant Derricks | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 13, 1910[1][2] |
| Died | April 14, 1977 (aged 67) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S |
Reverend Cleavant Derricks (May 13, 1910[1] in Chattanooga, Tennessee – April 14, 1977) was a pastor and choir director at a number of black Baptist churches.
Early life and education
[edit]Derricks was born at East Chattanooga, Tennessee, second of five children of stove-factory moulder John T. Derricks and Ora Mae, née Kinamore, who worked as a domestic servant for a family in Chattanooga. He studied at Cadek Conservatory of Music in Chattanooga, A & I State University and American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville.[3][4][5]
Career
[edit]At age 21, Derricks directed a gospel choir of more than 100 voices in Washington, D.C. at the Vermont Avenue Baptist Church. Derricks counted among his friends many well-known artists, one of whom was Mahalia Jackson. He was the pastor at churches throughout Tennessee at Dayton, Knoxville and Jackson; also in Beloit, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C. Along with being a pastor, Derricks was a church builder, choir director, poet, musician, and composer of note, having written more than 300 songs and several song books. Among his more famous songs are the much-recorded and performed "Just a Little Talk with Jesus[1]," "When God Dipped His Love In My Heart,"[6] "We'll Soon Be Done With Troubles and Trials," and "When He Blessed My Soul." He was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1984.
Derricks had been a warrant officer in the United States Army, having enlisted in 1942. His term of service ended October 1945.[7]
Personal life
[edit]On 31 May, 1935, Derricks married Cecile, daughter of Ben F. Gay and Eugenia Gay, in Chattanooga. They lived in Washington, D.C., then Chattanooga, followed by Knoxville, Tennessee, where- having separated from his first wife after a few years- he married secondly Carrie Louise (1919-2005), daughter of Horace and Lovie Glanton. Their twin sons are actors Cleavant Derricks and Clinton Derricks-Carroll; they also had a daughter, Lovie Gwendoline. Derricks died 14 April, 1977 from colon cancer,[8] and was buried at New Gray Cemetery in Knoxville.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Cleavant Derricks". Hymnology Archive. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- ^ Congress, The Library of. "Derricks, Cleavant, 1910-1977 - LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies | Library of Congress, from LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies (Library of Congress)". id.loc.gov. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- ^ "Cleavant Derricks".
- ^ "Hymnology".
- ^ "Cleavant Derricks Grave". 27 April 2023.
- ^ "When God dips his pen of love in my heart". Hymnary.org. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- ^ "Cleavant Derricks Grave". 27 April 2023.
- ^ "Cleavant Derricks".
- ^ "Cleavant Derricks Grave". 27 April 2023.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
   | This article about an American songwriter is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |