Thomas A. Whitfield

Thomas A. Whitfield (b 30 April 1954, Detroit, MI | d 20 June 1992, Southfield, MI) was among a young generation of gospel choir directors and accompanists who helped commercialize the contemporary gospel sound while remaining true to the traditional style. As a teenager, Whitfield accompanied Detroit’s Beverly Glenn Chorale on three of its earliest albums. Other career highlights include producing the debut solo albums of Vanessa Bell Armstrong and Yolanda Adams, and working with other leading lights, such as the Voices of Tabernacle, Edwin Hawkins, Shirley Caesar, and James Cleveland. His songs were popularized by The Thomas Whitfield Company, a choir he founded in 1977. He was accompanist and arranger for Aretha Franklin’s gospel album One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism (1987). Revolutionary in their day, Whitfield’s complex jazz- and classical-infused melodies and harmonies are now foundational in gospel.

—Robert Marovich, Hymns & Devotions for Daily Worship: African American Edition, ed. Chris Fenner (2025)