Background
Sapp was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and began singing in church at age four.
Sapp was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and began singing in church at age four.
He spent his teenage years singing with a number of Gospel groups and ensembles. He was a student at the unaccredited Aenon Bible College in Indianapolis, Indiana. He dropped out of Aenon after being invited by Gospel singer Fred Hammond to sing with Commissioned in 1991 after Keith Staten left.
Sapp appears on the group"s albums Number 7, Matters of the Heart, and Irreplaceable Love.
Sapp left in 1996 and was replaced by Marcus R. Cole. In 1996, Sapp decided to establish himself as a contemporary gospel solo artist and has recorded seven albums.
lieutenant peaked at Number. 14 on the United States. Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues/Hip-Hop Songs, Number.
82 on the United States. Billboard Hot 100, and also at Number. 1 on the Billboard Hot Gospel Songs chart.
Thirsty debuted at Number. 28 on the United States. Billboard 200, Number.
4 on the United States. Billboard Top Rhythm & Blues/Hip-Hop Albums, and also Number.
1 on the United States. Billboard Top Gospel Albums. lieutenant has been certified gold by the RIAA due to the album selling over 500,000 copies, making it Sapp"s best selling album of his solo career, and has so far sold over 712,000 copies. Sapp recorded Thirsty "s follow-up album, Here I Am, on October 16, 2009 at Resurrection Life Church in Wyoming, Michigan and released it on March 16, 2010.
With its release, Sapp became the all-time highest charting gospel artist in Billboard"s 54-year history of tracking album sales.
By selling approximately 76,000 copies of Here I Am its first week out, the album debuted at Number. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart, making Here I Am the highest charting album ever by a gospel artist.
Here I Am"s lead single, "The Best in Maine," which was co-written by the album"s producer, Aaron Lindsey (Israel Houghton), peaked at Number. 14 on the Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues/Hip-Hop Songs chart, Number.
1 on Billboard"s Gospel Songs chart and reached Number.
20 (with a bullet) on Billboard"s Urban Air Corps chart. On January 15, 2011, Marvin Sapp topped the list of winners during the 26th Annual Stellar Gospel Music
Black Entertainment Television Global Media Arts Dove Awards.