Milton R. Brunson (June 28, 1929 – April 1, 1997) was an American

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

musician and former pastor and music director of Christ Tabernacle Baptist Church in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Brunson released his first musical project in 1988, ''Available to You''. The title track has become a gospel

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object th ...

. He won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for Best Gospel Choir or Chorus Album at the

37th Annual Grammy Awards The 37th Annual Grammy Awards were presented on March 1, 1995, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Bruce Springsteen was the night's biggest winner with 4 awards, including Song ...

, while he was nominated two other times. He had ten albums that have charted on the ''Billboard'' Gospel Albums chart over the course of his career and some even after his death. He received a nomination for the Best Gospel Album, Group or Choir at the

1988 Soul Train Music Awards The 1988 Soul Train Music Awards were held on March 30, 1988, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. The show was broadcast live in select cities and aired later in other areas. Dionne Warwick hosted. Special Award Herit ...

and for Best Gospel Album at the

1993 Soul Train Music Awards The 1993 Soul Train Music Awards was held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on March 9, 1993. The show was hosted by Natalie Cole, Patti LaBelle and Luther Vandross. Special awards Heritage Award * Eddie Murphy Humanitarian Awa ...

Biography

Early life

Brunson was born on June 28, 1929, in Chicago, Illinois. His father was a stockyard worker, while his mother was a music and religion teacher. After he graduated from McKinley High School, he pursued a career in music by getting trained by

Thomas A. Dorsey Thomas Andrew Dorsey (July 1, 1899 – January 23, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and Evangelism, Christian evangelist influential in the development of early blues and 20th-century gospel music. He penned 3,000 songs, a third of them ...

Mahalia Jackson Mahalia Jackson ( ; born Mahala Jackson; October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel singer, widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. With a career spanning 40 years, Jackson was integral to t ...

, and Robert Johnson, to hone his craft in the arts. He eventually became an ordained minister in 1964, and founded, pastored, and was the music director at Christ Tabernacle Baptist Church in Chicago, Illinois.

Career

His music career started in 1947, at the age of 18 by learning his craft from

, and Robert Johnson. After this mentoring process, he started the Thompson Community Singers (nicknamed, "The Tommies"), that appeared on many episodes of the ''Jubilee Showcase''. They even played Grant Park during the Chicago Gospel Music Festival and at the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater is a music hall at 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue) in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is a not ...

and at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

in New York City. This got them enough recognition to play in England, Italy, and many other countries around the globe. Brunson and the Thompson Community Singers released twenty-two musical projects, and a few of those were released posthumously. Ten albums got charted on the ''Billboard'' Gospel Albums chart, with five of them achieving the top spot on the chart. They received numerous accolades ranging from a nomination for the Best Gospel Album, Group or Choir at the

and for Best Gospel Album at the

. In addition, they won a

for Best Gospel Choir or Chorus Album at the

, while they were nominated two other times. The Thompson Community Singers boasts some notable alumni particularly, Darius Brooks,

Ricky Dillard Ricky Rydell Dillard (born February 25, 1965) is an American gospel musician. He started his music career, in 1987, as a Chicago house musician. His first Christian music album was ''Promise'', by Muscle Shoals Records. His next album, ''A Holy ...

, and

Jessy Dixon Jessy Dixon (March 12, 1938 – September 26, 2011) was an American gospel music singer, songwriter, and pianist, with success among audiences across racial lines. He garnered seven Grammy award nominations during his career. Musicians with wh ...

Death

Brunson died at his residence in Chicago, Illinois on April 1, 1997. He is interred at Oakridge Cemetery in

Hillside, Illinois Hillside is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 8,320. Geography Hillside is located at (41.874797, −87.900372). According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Hillside has a total ar ...

Personal life

Brunson was married to Joann Brunson. They had three children together, two daughters, Donna Louise and Lavitia, and a son, Kevin.

Legacy

His last album, ''When You Get High on Jesus, Oh My God'', released in 1997 by Hob Records, was a posthumous release. He has a post office branch and school named after him in Austin, Illinois, a neighborhood on Chicago's

West Side West Side or Westside may refer to: Places Canada * West Side, a neighbourhood of Windsor, Ontario * West Side, a neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia United Kingdom * West Side, Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Westside, Birmingham E ...

Discography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brunson, Milton 1929 births 1997 deaths African-American songwriters African-American Christians Musicians from Chicago Songwriters from Illinois 20th-century African-American people