Gospel Singer Troy Sneed died on April 27, 2020 due to Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Troy Lenard Sneed Jr. (December 14, 1967 – April 27, 2020) was an American gospel musician.

Troy Sneed was born on December 14, 1967, in Perry, Florida. He played football in college at Florida A&M University, but an injury on the field put an end to his playing days. He joined the choir at the university, and after graduating he became teacher at Jax Beach Elementary School in Jacksonville, Florida.

Troy Sneed married Emily Frances Ianson on July 2, 1993, and they started their own record label Emtro, which is a blend of their first names. Their label became a success with a list of artists including Alvin Darling & Celebration and Rev. Rudolph McKissick.

Rev. Milton Biggham asked Troy Sneed to lead the Georgia Mass Choir, in Atlanta, Georgia, as an assistant music minister. The Georgia Mass Choir, which has some 150 members, was founded in 1983 by Rev. Milton Biggham, who was lead vocalist and songwriter for the choir, after putting them together from over 600 applicants, and recorded with them on his record label Savoy Records in the middle of the 1980s. In 1996 the Georgia Mass Choir appeared in the Whitney Houston movie The Preacher’s Wife and also performed at the 1996 Olympic Games.

Troy Sneed’s music career began in 1999, with the release of his album “Call Jesus” on February 23, 1999 by Malaco Records, but this album would unfortunately not chart. His second album, “Bless That Wonderful Name”, was released by Rev. Milton Biggham’s Savoy Records in 2001, but also did not chart. The third album “A State of Worship” was released by his own record label Emtro Gospel on February 22, 2005, and it was his breakthrough release on Billboard magazine’s Gospel Albums chart reaching No. 22. He released, “In His Presence”, on October 10, 2006, again on his label, which charted at No. 44. His fifth album “In Due Season”, was again released by his own record label on August 25, 2009, but it was not successful and did not chart. Troy Sneed’s next album, “My Heart Says Yes”, released on May 10, 2011 by Emtro Gospel, peaked at No. 5 on the Gospel Albums chart. And he released his seventh album “All Is Well” on August 7, 2012 and this charted at No. 9 on the Billboard chart.

Troy Sneed helped form Youth For Christ, which was made up of members from the Georgia Mass Choir aged between 12 and 18. He earned a Grammy nomination for his work on the Youth For Christ’s 1999 album “Higher” and served as a producer on Youth For Christ’s “The Struggle Is Over,” which landed at No. 1 on Billboard’s gospel songs chart in 2006.

Troy Sneed died in Jacksonville, Florida, where he lived with his wife and children, on April 27, 2020 due to complications of Coronavirus (COVID-19), aged 52.

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  1. Pingback: Musicians taken by Coronavirus (COVID-19) | Dead Musicians

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