Ricky Dillard
Ricky Rydell Dillard | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 25, 1965 Chicago Heights, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Gospel composer, vocalist, choir conductor |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Known for | Gospel music, choir directing |
Ricky Rydell Dillard (born February 25, 1965) is a prominent American gospel composer, vocalist, and choir conductor. His professional journey began in 1987 within the Chicago house music scene. Dillard's debut Christian project, Promise, was issued by Muscle Shoals Records. He followed this with A Holy Ghost Take-Over (1993) and Hallelujah (1995) under Malaco Records, then released Work It Out (1996), No Limit (2000), and Unplugged (2004) through Crystal Spring Records. Later works include 7th Episode (2007) with EMI Gospel, Keep Living (2011) via Light Records, and AMAZING (2014) through Entertainment One Music.
Every Christian album he has released has appeared on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart. The album No Limit also charted on the Christian Albums list, while Unplugged, Keep Living, and AMAZING were featured on the Independent Albums chart; notably, the latter two also made it onto the Billboard 200. Dillard has received two Grammy Award nominations: one for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album with Promise at the 34th Annual Grammy Awards, and another for Best Gospel Album with Amazing at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.
Early life
Hailing from Chicago Heights, Illinois, Dillard’s early exposure to gospel music came from his mother and grandmother. He began singing in church choirs at age five and eventually assumed leadership of the youth choir at St. Bethel Baptist Church. In 1981, he established the inaugural gospel choir at Bloom High School. While employed as a front desk clerk and file handler, he performed on weekends with the backup group Love, Salvation & Devotion (LSD). In 1984, he became a member of Milton Brunson's Thompson Community Singers and completed his education at Bloom Township High School.
Music career
Dillard’s recording career commenced in 1987 within the Chicago house genre, introduced by DJ Frankie Knuckles. He worked alongside producers such as Farley "Jackmaster" Funk on tracks like It's You (1987) and As Always (1988), and collaborated with deep house innovator Larry Heard, who produced Dillard’s debut album, Let The Music Use You (1989).
In 1988, he launched his gospel ensemble, Ricky Dillard's New Generation Chorale. His initial gospel release, Promise (1990, Muscle Shoals Records), attained No. 15 on the Billboard Gospel Albums chart and earned a Grammy nod for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album. Follow-up albums include A Holy Ghost Take-Over (Malaco Records, 1993), which peaked at No. 3; Hallelujah (1995), reaching No. 10; and Worked It Out (Crystal Springs Records, 1996), which climbed to No. 8 on the Gospel Albums chart.
Subsequent releases maintained strong chart performances: No Limit (2000) hit No. 10 on Gospel Albums and No. 32 on Christian Albums; Unplugged (2004) reached No. 9 on Gospel Albums and No. 49 on Independent Albums; 7th Episode (EMI Gospel, 2007) peaked at No. 7; and Keep Living (Light Records, 2011) secured No. 3 on Gospel Albums, No. 9 on Independent Albums, and No. 58 on the Billboard 200.
Collaborating with Entertainment One Music, Dillard issued Amazing in 2014, which topped the Gospel Albums chart, reached No. 28 on the Billboard 200, and placed No. 5 on Independent Albums. In August 2019, he signed with Motown Gospel and recorded his eleventh album, Choirmaster, released in May 2020; this project received two Grammy nominations and won Traditional Choir of The Year at the Stellar Awards.
On July 9, 2021, Dillard recorded his second Motown Gospel album—his thirteenth overall—accompanied by singles such as "All of My Help" and "Behold Christ the Lord." The album titled Breakthrough: The Exodus was launched on January 21, 2022; he appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show and earned Dove Awards for Traditional Gospel Album of the Year.
On September 9, 2023, Dillard alongside New G recorded their thirteenth album in Liberty Township, Ohio. He was honored with Congressional Recognition for thirty-five years of excellence in gospel music by The Honorable Sheila Jackson-Lee. Preceding the full release of Choirmaster II, scheduled for January 26, 2024, singles "Hold On" and "When I Think" were made available to audiences.
Discography
| Album Title | Album Information | Highest Chart Positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Gospel |
US Independent |
US Christian | ||
| Let The Music Use You |
|
– | – | – | – |
| The Promise |
|
– | 15 | – | – |
| A Holy Ghost Take-Over |
|
– | 3 | – | – |
| Hallelujah! |
|
– | 10 | – | – |
| Worked It Out |
|
– | 8 | – | – |
| No Limit |
|
– | 10 | – | 32 |
| Unplugged: The Way Church Used to Be |
|
– | 9 | 49 | – |
| 7th Episode: Live in Toronto |
|
– | 7 | – | – |
| Keep Living |
|
58 | 3 | 9 | – |
| Amazing |
|
28 | 1 | 5 | – |
| 10 |
|
143 | 1 | – | – |
| Choirmaster |
|
48 | 2 | _ | _ |
| Breakthrough:The Exodus |
|
3 | 2 | _ | _ |
| Choirmaster II: Live in Liberty Township, Ohio |
|
1 | 1 | _ | _ |
GMA Dove Awards
The Dove Awards, held annually by the Gospel Music Association, have honored Dillard with two victories out of thirteen nominations. In addition, he was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in the year 2025.
rowspan=2 |2018 || Traditional Gospel Album of the Year || 10 (featuring New G) || Nominated rowspan=2 |2021 || Traditional Gospel Album of the Year || Choirmaster (featuring New G) || Nominated rowspan=3 |2022 || Traditional Gospel Album of the Year || Breakthrough: The Exodus (Live) (featuring New G) || Won rowspan=2 |2024 || Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year || "When I Think (Live)" (featuring New G) || Nominated rowspan=3 |2025 || Gospel Music Hall of Fame || Himself || Inducted| Year | Category | Work | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year | "The Light" (featuring New G) | Nominated |
| 2012 | Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year | "God Is Great" (featuring New G) | Nominated |
| 2014 | Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year | "Amazing" (featuring New G) | Nominated |
| 2015 | Traditional Gospel Album of the Year | Amazing (featuring New G) | Nominated |
| Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year | "I Survived It" (featuring New G) | Nominated | |
| Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year | "All Of My Help (Live)" (featuring New G) | Nominated | |
| Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year | "It Is Well" (as songwriter) | Won | |
| Traditional Gospel Album of the Year | Choirmaster II: Live in Liberty Township, Ohio (featuring New G) | Nominated | |
| Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year | "When I Think (Radio Edit / Live)" | Pending |
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards are bestowed each year by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Dillard has received a total of 8 nominations throughout his career.
| Year | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album | The Promise | Template:Nom |
| 2005 | Best Gospel Choir Or Chorus Album | Unplugged... The Way Church Used To Be (with New G) | Template:Nom |
| 2015 | Best Gospel Album | Amazing (Live) (with New G) | Template:Nom |
| 2021 | Choirmaster | Template:Nom | |
| Best Gospel Performance/Song | "Release (Live)" | Template:Nom | |
| 2023 | Best Gospel Album | Breakthrough: The Exodus (Live) | Template:Nom |
| 2025 | Choirmaster II (Live) | Template:Nom | |
| Best Gospel Performance/Song | "Hold On (Live)" | Template:Nom |
Stellar Awards
Presented annually by SAGMA, the Stellar Awards have honored Dillard with one honorary accolade alongside 14 competitive wins from a total of 38 nominations.
2024 2025| Year | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Choir of the Year | No Limit (with New G) | Template:Nom |
| Contemporary Choir of the Year | Template:Nom | ||
| 2005 | Unplugged: the Way Church Used To Be (with New G) | Template:Nom | |
| Male Vocalist of the Year | Template:Nom | ||
| 2009 | Choir of the Year | The 7th Episode: Live in Toronto (with New G) | Template:Won |
| Contemporary Choir of the Year | Template:Won | ||
| Artist of the Year | Template:Nom | ||
| CD of the Year | Template:Nom | ||
| 2012 | Choir of the Year | Keep Living (with New G) | Template:Won |
| Traditional CD of the Year | Template:Nom | ||
| Traditional Choir of the Year | Template:Nom | ||
| Music Video of the Year - Long Form | "Keep Living" (with New G) | Template:Nom | |
| 2015 | Choir of the Year | Amazing (with New G) | Template:Won |
| Traditional CD of the Year | Template:Won | ||
| Traditional Choir of the Year | Template:Won | ||
| Artist of the Year | Template:Nom | ||
| CD of the Year | Template:Nom | ||
| Male Vocalist of the Year | Template:Nom | ||
| Producer of the Year | Template:Nom | ||
| Traditional Male Vocalist of the Year | Template:Nom | ||
| 2018 | Choir of the Year | 10 (with New G) | Template:Nom |
| Traditional CD of the Year | Template:Nom | ||
| Traditional Choir of the Year | Template:Nom | ||
| Traditional Male Vocalist of the Year | Template:Nom | ||
| 2021 | Traditional Choir of the Year | Choirmaster | Template:Won |
| Choir of the Year | Template:Nom | ||
| 2022 | James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award | Himself | Template:Won |
| Choir of the Year | Breakthrough: The Exodus | Template:Won | |
| Traditional Choir of the Year | Template:Won | ||
| Traditional Male Artist of the Year | Template:Won | ||
| Song of the Year | "All My Help" | Template:Nom | |
Choir of the Year |
rowspan= "6" | Choirmaster II |
||
Traditional Choir of the Year |
|||
Album of the Year |
|||
Traditional Album of the Year |
|||
Traditional Artist of the Year |
|||
Traditional Male Artist of the Year |
|||
Choir of the Year |
rowspan= "2" | When I Think |
||
Traditional Choir of the Year |
External links
- Comprehensive Ricky Dillard Discography on Discogs
- Detailed Artist Profile on New Release Today
- Feature on Ricky Dillard & New G Cross (2007) by Tony Cummings published in Cross Rhythms