Montrel Darrett (born as Charles Joseph Montrel Darrett on November 4, 1969 in Evansville, IN) is an American singer. He is the founder and CEO of Urban Icon Entertainment VII. Darrett served 8 years in the U.S. Navy and is a

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

War veteran. He is a former member of the award-winning gospel performing group Commissioned. As a member of Commissioned, Darrett was a four-time Stellar Award nominee. He wrote and produced the #1 selling Commissioned song to date ''Until My Change Comes.'' Darrett also sang with gospel artist, John. P. Kee, where he led the single ''Be Encouraged'' on the ''Show Up'' project, which became Pastor Kee's first gold selling record. Darrett is the fourth of six children, all of whom sang. They grew up in

Nashville, TN Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

and performed as The Gospel True Notes. Darrett was known for his rendition of ''Walk Around Heaven'' from their self-titled debut record with Chanita Records. As a teenager, Darrett recorded several singles. Darrett comes from a lineage of legendary entertainers including Moses

Gunn Gunn may refer to: Places * Gunn City, Missouri, a village * Gunn, Northern Territory, outer suburb of Darwin * Gunn, Alberta, Canada, a hamlet * Gunn Valley, a mountain valley in British Columbia, Canada * Gun Lake (British Columbia), a Cana ...

The Fairfield Four The Fairfield Four is an American gospel group that has existed for over 100 years, starting as a trio in the Fairfield Baptist Church, Nashville, Tennessee, in 1921. They were designated as National Heritage Fellows in 1989 by the National End ...

, and singer

Deniece Williams June Deniece Williams (née Chandler; born June 3, 1950) is an American singer. She has been described as "one of the great Soul music, soul voices" by the BBC. She is best known for the songs "Free (Deniece Williams song), Free", "Silly (song ...

. In 1999, Darrett released a solo album, ''Chronicles of the Soul''. The album hit No. 23 on the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Top Gospel Albums chart.

AllMusic In 2000, Darrett received a Canadian Grammy for writing Canadian gospel artist Sharon Riley’s hit single ''Life Is''. Darrett's achievements include an ASCAP Writers Award, presented by

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/ pop songwriting and record production team. Their productions have received commercial success since the 1980s with var ...

, a gold and platinum recipient for Chronicles of the Soul, and a BMI Honorary Award for his work with Commissioned. In 1999, Darrett received a Soul Train Award nomination for New Male Gospel Artist of the Year and also a GMA Dove Award nomination for Male Vocalist of the Year. Darrett has performed and recorded with greats such as

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men ( ) is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. Formed in 1985, they have been a trio composed of baritone Nathan Morris, tenor Wanya Morris, Wanyá Mo ...

Dave Hollister David Le Chaine Hollister (born August 17, 1968) is an American singer from Chicago, Illinois who found fame during the 1990s as one quarter of the R&B group Blackstreet, before going on to have a solo career. Hollister is best known for his ...

Jodeci Jodeci ( ) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Dalvin DeGrate, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci, and K-Ci & JoJo, JoJo. Formed in 1988 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci began as a duo of DeVanté Swing and JoJo ...

Brandy Norwood Brandy Rayana Norwood (born February 11, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, model and actress. Born into a musical family in McComb, Mississippi, Norwood was raised in Carson, California, beginning her career as a backing vocalist ...

Kirk Franklin Kirk Dewayne Franklin (born January 26, 1970) is an American Gospel music, gospel musician. One of the List of best-selling gospel music artists, best-selling gospel music artists, his accolades include 20 Grammy Awards. ''Variety (magazine), Var ...

Guy Guy or GUY may refer to: Personal names * Guy (given name) * Guy (surname) * That Guy (...), the New Zealand street performer Leigh Hart Places * Guy, Alberta, a Canadian hamlet * Guy, Arkansas, US, a city * Guy, Indiana, US, an uninc ...

, and

Kim Burrell Kimberly Jean Burrell (born August 26, 1972) is an American gospel singer, songwriter, and pastor from Houston, Texas. Early life Born Kimberly Jean Burrell on August 26, 1972, in Houston, Texas, Burrell was one of four children born to Juli ...

, to name a few. After time away from the music industry, Darrett returned with his first Urban Soul and R&B project, ''A SOUL CONVERSATION,'' from his label Urban Icon Entertainment VII. It will be released Fall 2022. Darrett is also preparing to release his first national independent feature film, ''Project Black/Colors of Soul'', which will star Darrett and

Footnotes

American gospel singers Urban contemporary gospel musicians American Christian religious leaders Living people 1969 births {{Gospel-music-stub