Saints Unified Voices (SUV) is 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 pr ...

-winning American gospel music

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

based in the

Las Vegas Valley The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the second largest in the Southwestern United States. The state's largest urban agglomeration, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Statistical Area i ...

Southern Nevada Southern Nevada (SNV) is a region and the southern portion of the U.S. state of Nevada which includes the Las Vegas Valley. It also includes the areas in and around Pahrump and Pioche. Tonopah and Hawthorne are sometimes also referred to as part ...

. The Saints Unified Voices Foundation, the governing organization of the choir, is directed by a board of directors, which includes

Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer, actress and businesswoman. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys K ...

. The choir is affiliated with the

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

Early years

In the Spring of 2001, Gladys Knight put together a small singing group to perform with her at Women's Conference at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

in Provo,

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

. Later, Sullivan Richardson asked her to form a choir to perform at a special fireside event back home in

Henderson Henderson may refer to: People *Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina *Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada * H ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

. Vocalists came from as far away as

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

to audition for the choir and members of the choir even travel from Utah for practices. In 2003, the choir was invited to perform at

Salt Lake Tabernacle The Salt Lake Tabernacle, also known as the Mormon Tabernacle, is located on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, in the U.S. state of Utah. The Tabernacle was built from 1863 to 1875 to house meetings for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sa ...

Temple Square Temple Square is a complex, owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), in the center of Salt Lake City, Utah. The usage of the name has gradually changed to include several other church facilities that are immediately ...

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

, Utah as part of the anniversary celebration of the priesthood being available to all worthy men.

Recordings

One Voice

The choir released a CD, ''One Voice'', on January 4, 2005. In the first week, the album soared to ''Billboard'''s #1 on the Hot Shot Debut, while it simultaneously shot to the #1 Gospel Album and #2 Inspirational Album on ''iTunes''. It remained in the top 40 on ''Billboard''′s Gospel charts for 48 weeks. Track Listings #One Voice (Interlude) -

, written by Matthew Pittman #Over My Head - Gladys Knight #

Come, Come, Ye Saints "Come, Come, Ye Saints" (originally "All is Well") is one of the best-known Latter-day Saint hymns. The lyrics were written in 1846 by Mormon poet William Clayton. The hymn has been called the anthem of the nineteenth-century Mormon pioneers. ...

- Gladys Knight, written by William Clayton #Love One Another - Gladys Knight, written by Luacine Clark Fox # Pass Me Not - Gladys Knight #Right Here Waiting - (Damon Andelin and J. Johnigan) written by BeBe Winans #Prayer - Gladys Knight, written by Mauli B #Did You Know - Gladys Knight and John Fluker, written by BeBe Winans #

I Am a Child of God "I Am a Child of God" is a hymn of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for all the members, but more often sung by children. The lyrics were written in 1957 by Naomi W. Randall and set to music by Mildred Tanner Pettit. Th ...

- Gladys Knight, lyrics written by Naomi W. Randall #Jesu Me Kanaka Waiwai - (Joe Apo soloist) #

Blessed Assurance "Blessed Assurance" is a well-known Christian hymn. The lyrics were written in 1873 by blind hymn writer Fanny Crosby to the music written in 1873 by Phoebe Knapp. History Crosby was visiting her friend Phoebe Knapp as the Knapp home was having a ...

- Gladys Knight #He Shines on Me - (Kelly Eisenhour soloist), written by John Fluker and Kelly Eisenhour #Uphold Me - (Whitney Te'o soloist) written by Fred Manns #He's Worthy - (John Fluker soloist) #He Lives - Gladys Knight

A Christmas Celebration

The 100-voice choir released its second album ''A Christmas Celebration'' in October 2006.
Track Listings #Introduction/Opening -

# Breath of Heaven - (Kenya Jackson soloist), written by Chris Eaton #

Silent Night "Silent Night" (german: "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht", links=no, italic=no) is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an ...

O Holy Night "O Holy Night" (original title: ) is a well-known sacred song for Christmas performance. Originally based on a French-language poem by poet Placide Cappeau, written in 1843, with the first line (Midnight, Christian, is the solemn hour) that co ...

- Gladys Knight, written by Joseph Mohr # I Wonder as I Wander - (Heather Goedel soloist), written by

John Jacob Niles John Jacob Niles (April 28, 1892 – March 1, 1980) was an American composer, singer and collector of traditional ballads. Called the "Dean of American Balladeers," Niles was an important influence on the American folk music revival of the 195 ...

We Three Kings "We Three Kings", original title "Three Kings of Orient", also known as "We Three Kings of Orient Are" or "The Quest of the Magi", is a Christmas carol that was written by John Henry Hopkins Jr. in 1857. At the time of composing the carol, Hopki ...

- (Jay Young soloist), written by John H. Hopkins Jr. #

Little Drummer Boy "The Little Drummer Boy" (originally known as "Carol of the Drum") is a popular Christmas song written by American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941. First recorded in 1951 by the Trapp Family, the song was further popularized by a 195 ...

- Gladys Knight, written by Katherine Davis # Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful - (Rashida Jordan soloist), written by

John Francis Wade John Francis Wade (1 January 1711 – 16 August 1786) was an English hymnist who is sometimes credited with writing and composing the hymn " Adeste Fideles" (which was translated to "O Come All Ye Faithful" in 1841 by Frederick Oakeley), even tho ...

#Jesus, Oh, What a Wonderful Child-(Quartet) Gladys Knight, Damon Andelin, Whitney Te'o, Rashida Jordan, & the incomparable SUV BASE section #

The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) "The Christmas Song" (commonly subtitled "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" or, as it was originally subtitled, "Merry Christmas to You") is a classic Christmas song written in 1945 by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé. The Nat King Cole Trio fir ...

- (Whitney Te'o soloist), written by

Mel Torme Mel, Mels or MEL may refer to: Biology * Mouse erythroleukemia cell line (MEL) * National Herbarium of Victoria, a herbarium with the Index Herbariorum code MEL People * Mel (given name), the abbreviated version of several given names (including ...

# White Christmas - Gladys Knight, written by

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russ ...

Winter Wonderland "Winter Wonderland" is a song written in 1934 by Felix Bernard and lyricist Richard Bernhard Smith. Due to its seasonal theme, it is often regarded as a Christmas song in the Northern Hemisphere. Since its original recording by Richard Himbe ...

Jingle Bells "Jingle Bells" is one of the best-known and most commonly sung American songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont (1822–1893) and published under the title "The One Horse Open Sleigh" in September 1857. It has been claimed t ...

- Gladys Knight, written by Richard B. Smith #The Lord's Prayer - (Damon Andelin soloist)

Live performances

The choir presents its program "One Voice: An Evening of Music & Testimony" at stake centers and other buildings owned by

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

across the US, and has traveled as far as

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

to share the gospel through music and song.

Awards and certifications

Shortly after learning that her choir had been nominated for a Grammy Award, Gladys Knight said: "A Grammy nomination is always an honor, but this means even more to me because I share it with my choir. We worked hard making this album for the Lord. It's wonderful that it also pleases the music industry." On February 8, 2006, it was announced that the album ''One Voice'' won the 2005 Grammy Award for ''Best Gospel Choir Or Chorus Album'' as part of the

48th Annual Grammy Awards The 48th Annual Grammy Awards took place on February 8, 2006, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning from October 1, 2004 through September 30, 2005. Irish rock band U2 we ...

References

External links

* * (video by Newfly Films) {{Authority control American gospel musical groups Latter Day Saint musical groups Musical groups established in 2002 2002 establishments in Nevada