Biography

A Grammy-nominated American gospel singer, songwriter, and producer, Troy Sneed had a long, distinguished career in faith-based music. Emerging in 1999, he broke into the mainstream in 2005 with the release of his third record, A State of Worship, which like subsequent efforts In His Presence (2006), My Heart Says Yes (2011), and Taking It Back (2017), found success on the gospel charts. In addition to his solo work, Sneed wrote songs and produced projects for numerous other artists and ran his own record label, Emtro, with his wife Emily. He remained a prominent figure in modern Black gospel until his death in 2020. Born in Perry, Florida on December 14, 1967, Sneed played football in high school, but after sustaining an injury while playing for Florida A&M, he chose to concentrate on gospel music. He sang in a choir while at college, working as the director for FAMU's Gospel Choir, and taught elementary school teacher after he graduated. Eventually, he met Savoy Records' Milton Bingham, who hired him as an assistant music minister for Atlanta's Georgia Mass Choir. Sneed signed with Malaco for 1999's Call Jesus but moved to Savoy for 2001's Bless That Wonderful Name! In 2005, he established his own Emtro Gospel label, launching the imprint with A State of Worship, which marked the first of many of his appearances on the Billboard Gospel Albums chart. Between 2006 and 2017, Sneed issued six acclaimed full-length studio albums (In His Presence (2006), In Due Season (2009), My Heart Says Yes (2011), All Is Well (2012), Awesome God (2015), and Taking It Back (2017), many of which yielded singles that would soar to the top of various Billboard Gospel charts. In 2019 he released All My Best, which compiled 12 of his biggest hits including "Hallelujah," "Work It Out," and "My Heart Says Yes." Troy Sneed passed away in 2020 after succumbing to complications from Covid-19. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi