Grammy-award winning musician Robert Glasper said it best about Daryl Coley, the late minister and gospel singer who passed on this week at 60:
R.I.P. Daryl Coley…You changed Gospel music forever…we will miss you…
— Robert Glasper (@robertglasper) March 16, 2016
And Kurt Carr said it most simply: “we’ve lost one of the greatest men to ever sing.” Carr’s comment really hits the right note, since it puts the adjective “greatest” before the “man” — and doesn’t just emphasize the singing, which of course warranted the accolade also. But it was Coley’s powerful spirit that informed his singing, so Carr phrases it perfectly.
Coley founded the Love Fellowship Tabernacle in Los Angeles and recorded at least 19 albums. Coley’s popular renditions included “It Shall Be Done”, “When Sunday Comes”, “Jesus Saves”, and “He’s Preparing Me.” Coley suffered from diabetes for over a decade, which at one point partially blinded him. Below Coley, singing with Patti LaBelle, pays tribute to Michael Jackson. And then below that is another great performance and tribute to Coley himself.
