Vanessa Bell Armstrong

Vanessa Bell Armstrong is a revered gospel and R&B singer from Detroit with a powerful vocal style reminiscent of Aretha Franklin. After debuting with 1983's Peace Be Still, she topped the gospel charts with her second album, Chosen, and went on to earn four Grammy nominations in the '80s alone. Recording for labels like Muscle Shoals, Jive, and Verity, Armstrong's music has successfully straddled the line between secular mainstream R&B and contemporary gospel, often on the same record. After surviving a stroke in the early 2000s, she released two more albums at the end of the decade, then began a long hiatus from recording. In 2024, Armstrong signed with Shanachie Entertainment and released Today, her first album in 15 years.