Earnest Pugh

Chart-topping gospel psalmist, vocalist, songwriter, philanthropist, and EPM Label Group founder Earnest Pugh commands a five-octave vocal range marked by crystalline tone and jazz-inflected phrasing. His 2009 release Rain on Us logged 76 weeks on the charts, climbed as high as number two, and yielded three number one singles, establishing him among the genre’s elite performers and recording artists. Earnestly Yours reached the summit in 2011 and held that position for ten weeks, buoyed by a cover of the James Fortune staple “I Need Your Glory.” Across his career, no fewer than four of his albums have entered the Top 200. Survive, issued in 2017, pivoted stylistically toward sleek R&B-infused contemporary gospel, highlighted by the singles “I Need You to Breathe” and the electro-worship track “More of You” featuring Kierra Sheard and Sarge. One year later Unsung Hits, Vol. 1 appeared, gathering live crowd favorites that had never received radio airplay and entering the upper half of the Gospel Top Ten upon release.

A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Pugh displayed prodigious vocal ability from childhood. During his teenage years he served as a backing vocalist with O’Landa Draper until enlisting in the military. After his discharge he resumed his musical path, briefly exploring acting through several stage plays, and soon began guest spots on gospel television programs broadcast on BET and other networks. His discography began with the 2006 album Earnest Pugh Live: A Worshipper’s Perspective, followed by Seasons Change in 2007. Live: Rain on Us surfaced in 2009, Earnestly Yours arrived in 2011, and the holiday set Christmas with Earnest Pugh appeared in 2012—the same year he moved to Houston, Texas and secured an EPM distribution agreement with eOne Entertainment. The W.I.N. (Worship in Nassau) Experience was captured live in the Bahamas during Radio One’s Love Cruise in 2013. Both the EP Just Worship (2014) and the compilation Hidden Treasures & Collaborations (2015) became his fifth and sixth projects to reach the Top Ten on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart. In September 2017 the title-track single “Survive” preceded the full album’s October arrival; “I Need You to Breathe” peaked at number two on the praise & worship charts and gained radio traction, while “More of You” (featuring Kierra Sheard and Sarge) fused contemporary gospel with dance-club production. Unsung Hits, Vol. 1 followed in 2018, a ten-song collection of more energetic renditions of material that had either never received airplay or never been issued as singles, debuting at number five on the gospel charts. The next year Pugh revisited Nassau, re-recording The W.I.N. (Worship In Nassau) Experience track by track before a sold-out audience; the set entered the chart at number five. In 2020 he issued the live recording The Outpour Experience, which included guest soloists Amber Bullock on “The Sound” and Betty Keller on “The Glory of God.”