Vanessa Bell Armstrong
| Vanessa Bell Armstrong | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Vanessa Bell |
| Born | October 2, 1953 |
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan, United States |
| Genres | gospel music |
| Occupation(s) | singer |
| Instruments | voice |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Labels | Muscle Shoals Sound (1983-87) Jive (1987-95) Verity (1995-98) Tommy Boy (2000-02) EMI Gospel (2006-present) |
| Associated acts | Margaret Bell-Byars |
| Website | http://www.emigospel.com |
Vanessa Bell Armstrong (born Vanessa Bell on October 2, 1953 in Detroit, Michigan) is a gospel singer who released her debut album Peace Be Still in 1983.
Vanessa Bell Armstrong made her solo debut on Onyx/Muscle Shoals Sound Records in 1983 with the album Peace Be Still. The title track has since became one of Armstrong's signature songs. Armstrong's second album Chosen hit number one on the US Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart.
Bell Armstrong performed on the 1st Annual Soul Train Awards ceremony. Her 1986 album Following Jesus won a Soul Train Music Award for Best Gospel Album - Solo in 1988. She is also a seven time Grammy Award-nominee.
Armstrong enjoyed a slice of mainstream success in the late 1980s. Her self-titled 1987 Jive Records debut yielded the Billboard-charting hit "You Bring Out The Best In Me," as well as the club favorite "Pressing On." The next year's follow-up album Wonderful One featured a cover of the Labi Siffre anti-Apartheid anthem "Something Inside So Strong." The song was later remade in 1995 by Armstrong along with Shirley Caesar, Fred Hammond, Tramaine Hawkins, Yolanda Adams, and a host of other gospel artists as a tribute to Rosa Parks. The song was serviced to radio stations to play on the 40th anniversary of the civil rights icon's arrest.
Armstrong appeared on Broadway in 1991 in a production of Don't Get God Started. "Always," a Marvin Winans composition that anchors the play, also appears on Armstrong's 1987 self-titled album. Her Broadway role lead to a cameo appearance in the Oprah Winfrey TV special The Women of Brewster Place. Armstrong was also chosen to record the theme to the popular 1980s NBC sitcom Amen.
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