Melvin Crispell, III

Melvin Crispell III first drew widespread attention with his luminous gospel vocals upon claiming victory in the 2019 edition of BET’s Sunday Best contest. His debut full-length, I’ve Got a Testimony, arrived the following year.

Born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, Crispell came from a deeply musical household as the son of acclaimed gospel organist Melvin Crispell and esteemed gospel vocalist Tunesha Crispell. Immersed in church life from infancy, he started singing at age two and had already developed into a polished performer by his teenage years. While still in high school, however, he endured the successive losses of both parents—his father in an unexpected passing in 2014 and his mother following a cancer diagnosis in 2016. Undeterred, Crispell pressed ahead with his passion for performance and, in 2019, captured the ninth-season crown on BET’s Sunday Best. He subsequently joined the RCA roster and issued the single “Wonderful Is Your Name,” which ascended to the top of the Billboard Gospel Digital Song Sales chart. Written originally by his father, the track served as the lead release from his 2020 debut album, I’ve Got a Testimony.