Melvin Crispell III

With his bright gospel vocals, singer Melvin Crispell III entered the national spotlight after winning BET's Sunday Best competition in 2019. Following his win, he released his debut album, 2020's I've Got a Testimony. A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Crispell grew up in a musical family the son of renowned gospel organist Melvin Crispell and celebrated gospel singer Tunesha Crispell. Raised in the church, he began singing at age two and by his teens was already a gifted performer. However, it was also while in high school that he lost both his parents, with his father passing unexpectedly in 2014 and his mother dying after a battle with cancer in 2016. Following their deaths, Crispell forged onward, continuing to pursue his love of performing. In 2019, he competed on and won the ninth season of BET's gospel singing competition show Sunday Best. After winning, he signed with RCA and released the song "Wonderful Is Your Name," which peaked at number one on the Billboard Gospel Digital Song Sales chart. Originally composed by Crispell's father, the song worked as the first single off his full-length debut album, 2020's I've Got a Testimony. ~ Matt Collar