Troy Sneed

Troy Sneed established himself as a Grammy-nominated American gospel singer, songwriter, and producer whose long career centered on faith-based music. He first appeared in 1999 and reached wider audiences in 2005 when his third album, A State of Worship, entered the gospel charts; the same success followed with In His Presence (2006), My Heart Says Yes (2011), and Taking It Back (2017). Beyond his own recordings, he composed material and produced projects for many other artists while operating his Emtro label alongside his wife Emily, remaining an influential presence in contemporary Black gospel until his death in 2020.

Sneed entered the world in Perry, Florida, on December 14, 1967. Although he played football during high school and continued at Florida A&M, an injury ended that path and led him to focus on gospel music. At college he performed in a choir, later directing FAMU's Gospel Choir, and worked as an elementary school teacher following graduation. His route into professional music began when Savoy Records' Milton Bingham brought him on as assistant music minister for Atlanta's Georgia Mass Choir.

He made his recording debut on Malaco with 1999's Call Jesus before switching to Savoy for 2001's Bless That Wonderful Name! In 2005 he launched his own Emtro Gospel imprint with A State of Worship, the first of his many entries on the Billboard Gospel Albums chart. From 2006 to 2017 he released six additional studio albums—In His Presence (2006), In Due Season (2009), My Heart Says Yes (2011), All Is Well (2012), Awesome God (2015), and Taking It Back (2017)—several of which produced singles that reached the top of various Billboard Gospel charts. In 2019 he issued the compilation All My Best, gathering twelve major tracks such as "Hallelujah," "Work It Out," and "My Heart Says Yes." Troy Sneed died in 2020 after complications from Covid-19.