Men of Standard is 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 a ...

group.

Musical career

The group spent the bulk of their tenure as signees to the

Malaco Records Malaco Records is an American independent record label based in Jackson, Mississippi, United States, that has been the home of various major blues and gospel acts, such as Johnnie Taylor, Bobby Bland, Mel Waiters, Z. Z. Hill, Denise LaSalle, ...

subsidiary

Muscle Shoals Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located along the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 census, the population of Muscle Shoals was 13,146. The estimated popu ...

. Their album released on Columbia Records/Sony Gospel features production from

Warryn Campbell Warryn Stafford Campbell, Jr. (born August 21, 1975) is an American record producer. He has worked with a number of gospel, hip hop and R&B artists. Campbell originally got his start as a session musician and producer under the tutelage of DJ ...

as well as a guest appearance from rapper

Heavy D Dwight Arrington MyersCuda, Heidi Sigmund Keeping it reel. '' Vibe'' ("born Dwight Arrington Myers")Samuels, Anita M. (January 12' 1996)Heavy D, the C.E.O. ''New York Times'' (May 24, 1967 – November 8, 2011), known professionally as Hea ...

and

Kirk Franklin Kirk Dewayne Franklin (born January 26, 1970) is an American songwriter, choir director, gospel singer, and rapper. He is best known for leading urban contemporary gospel ensembles such as The Family, God's Property, and One Nation Crew (1NC) ...

. They were also a featured act on the second leg on Kirk Franklin’s Hero tour.

Group members

The current group is Bryan Pierce, Isaac Carree and Lowell Pye.

Lowell Pye

Lowell Curtis Pye, Sr. (born March 28, 1970

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

)
/ref> sang as a tenor in

John P. Kee John P. Kee (born John Prince Kee on June 4, 1962) is an American gospel singer and pastor. Kee has been active for more than 20 years in the music field. He is primarily known for mixing traditional gospel with modern contemporary gospel, an ...

’s V.I.P choir. In 1991, Pye was featured as the lead in Kee’s "Jesus Is Real." Pye, who grew up in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

sang in an adult gospel men’s quartet at the age of four. He is now a Praise & Worship leader at his church.

Bryan Pierce

Bryan Joseph Pierce was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on . He began preaching at the age of six. He was later licensed at the age of nine and ordained at the age of 19. Pierce is the former Youth Pastor at Greater St. Stephens in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

. In 1996, Pierce relocated to Greensboro, NC where he served in full-time ministry as Evangelism Pastor at the Mount Zion Baptist Church. In April 1999, Pierce accepted the call to Pastorship at Bethel Baptist Church in

Kannapolis, North Carolina Kannapolis () is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties, in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte and is a suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The city of Kannapolis was incorporated in 1984. Th ...

. He was installed in June 1999. Pierce is married to Minister Debra A. Pierce. They are the parents of three sons and one daughter, Bryan Jr., Brandon Joshua, Devin Ahmad and Bryana Janae. In December 2012, Pierce accepted senior pastor position of the Mount Zion Baptist Church in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Isaac Carree

Isaac Carree (born April 28, 1973), grew up in North Carolina where his mother is Pastor Nancy Wilson of New Beginnings Community Outreach Church in

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...

. Carree began singing solos by the age of 5. He later sang as a tenor in

’s V.I.P choir. Upon leaving Kee’s choir, he kept a "day job" and later did road/touring stage plays where he met Pierce. He currently lives in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

and is now a Praise & Worship leader at his church. He has contributed his vocals to singer Michelle Williams’ solo debut album, ''Heart To Yours''. Carree has sung on Kirk Franklin's albums and in his performances. He released his solo album, ''Uncommon Me'' in August 2011. He lives with his wife Dietra, son Isaac IV, and daughter Alaina. He also sang background for

Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American singer and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 for a career in the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al ...

on the Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour.

Former member

Michael Bacon

Former Men of Standard member Michael Bacon is from Dallas, Texas. He left the group amicably in 2005.

Discography

Group albums

* ''Men of Standard'' (Muscle Shoals, 1996) * ''Feels Like Rain'' (Muscle Shoals, 1999) * ''Vol. III'' (Muscle Shoals, 2002) * ''It's A New Day'' (Muscle Shoals, 2004) * ''Surrounded'' (Columbia, 2006) * ''Greatest Hits'' (Muscle Shoals, 2009)

Solo albums

Isaac Carree

* ''Uncommon Me'' (Sovereign Agency, 2011) *''Reset'' (Door 6 Ent., 2013)

Notable singles

* "Clean This House" (USA, 2013) * "Winter" (Malaco, 1996) * "In Your Will" (Malaco, 1999) * "Count It All Joy" (Malaco, 2002) * "Gotta Grip" (Malaco, 2002) * "I Made It" (Malaco, 2004) * "I Will" (Columbia, 2006) * "Surrounded" (Columbia, 2006)

Awards

References

External links

*
Pastor Pierce’s church websiteIsaac Carree's Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Standard, Men Of American gospel singers Urban contemporary gospel musicians