Tribute To Legendary Gospel Musician

Grammy ® and Dove Award nominated Christian music composer, worship leader and recording artist Morris Chapman died on May 2, 2020 in Las Vegas after a prostate cancer battle.

His songs have been recorded by a who’s who of Christian music such as Sandi Patty, Donald Lawrence & the Tri-City Singers, The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, Bill & Gloria Gaither and football legend, Rosey Grier. As a recording artist, he’s best-known for the songs “I Know the Plans” and “Bethlehem Morning.”

“On behalf of the Gospel Music Association and the Board of Directors and officers, I want to extend our sincere condolences to the family of Morris Chapman,” says Jackie Patillo, President and Executive Director of the Nashville-based Gospel Music Association.

 “Morris Chapman will always be a part of the tapestry of Christian and Gospel music. He was a true worshipper who set the atmosphere with his gentle authority and led us to the throne of grace with his songs. He will be missed but never forgotten.”


The second oldest of a dozen children, Chapman was born February 26, 1938 in Camden, Arkansas. He taught himself to sing and play the piano by sneaking into a local church at night.

After dropping out of high school, Chapman and his entire family relocated to Las Vegas in 1957. By the 1970s, he was working as a janitor while serving as a member of televangelist Bill Sharp’s Centerama Christian Church where he worked in the music department. The first recording bearing his name was the church’s “New Sounds from Vegas” LP which included him singing, “Give Them All to Jesus.”


In 1978, he released his first solo LP, “Jesus, I Put All My Trust in You.” From the start, he crafted a middle of the road sound that bridged the divide that often separated churches among racial lines.

 Soon, he signed to Word Records where he released five albums – including “Longtime Friends” which earned him a 1983 Grammy® Award nomination for Best Soul Gospel Performance.

 During that period, he became known for songs such as “I May Not Always Be There,” “Be Bold, Be Strong” and “Since God is For You,” a Top 15 Contemporary Christian radio hit.- gospelmusic.org