Earnest Pugh
| Earnest Pugh | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Earnest Pugh |
| Born |
November 23, 1971 Memphis, Tennessee |
| Genres | Gospel |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, record producer, actor |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | EPM Music Group (2011–present) |
| Website | earnestpugh |
Earnest Pugh (born November 23, 1971) is an American singer-songwriter of gospel music with a five-octave vocal range. Public recognition for the artist commenced with the success of Rain on Us (2009) and I Need Your Glory (2011), and he subsequently attained the title of "Gospel Music's Leading Man". Pugh is also the founder of the record label, EPM Music.
Pugh was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the seventh of nine children. His father, Earnest Pugh Sr., worked at a Firestone plant in Flint, Michigan and commuted to see his family on weekends. His mother, Lillie Pearl Pugh, worked for the government and held a number of part-time jobs. She was the first to notice Pugh's singing ability and encouraged him to sing. “My mother believed in me and what I could accomplish” he once told the Miami Times. “Her death a few years ago hit me hard but I used that pain to inspire my writing on my last two CDs" January 2013
During his late teens, Pugh briefly sang with the Grammy Award-winning gospel choir, O'Landa Draper & The Associates. However, Pugh's tenure with the ensemble was short. He enlisted in the Army and remained there for fifteen years. He told The Washington Post that he "frequently was called on to sing at funerals.”
After retiring from the military, Pugh held a number of positions with churches as a worship leader in Texas and Georgia. In 2001, he became a worship leader at Ebenezer AME Church in the Washington, D.C. area.
After seeking recording contracts from major gospel record labels and being rejected, Pugh decided to launch his own label in 2006. His first album, Earnest Pugh Live: A Worshipper's Perspective, was released via a distribution agreement with Detroit's Crystal Rose Records label. The radio single Wrapped Up, Tied Up, Tangled Up rose to the Top 40 on the now defunct Radio & Records gospel radio chart and lay the foundation for his career. He followed up the next year with a CD entitled, Seasons Change, that failed to chart.
In 2007, his album, A Worshiper's Perspective, won Best Gospel Album at the 6th Annual Independent Music Awards.
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Wikipedia