Gospel Artist
Smokie Norful
Smokie Norful is a gospel recording artist and senior pastor of Victory Cathedral Worship Center in Bolingbrook, Illinois. He was born Willie Ray Norful Jr...
- Songs
- 68
- Albums
- 30
About Smokie Norful
Smokie Norful is a gospel recording artist and senior pastor of Victory Cathedral Worship Center in Bolingbrook, Illinois. He was born Willie Ray Norful Jr. on October 31, 1975, in Little Rock, Arkansas. The son of a minister, he grew up in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church. After earning a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, he worked as a history teacher in Arkansas and Illinois before focusing on his music and ministry career. He was ordained as a minister in 1997 and holds a Master of Divinity degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.
Norful launched his professional recording career in 2002 as a pianist and gospel singer. His albums include I Need You Now (2002), Nothing Without You (2004), Smokie Norful Live (2005), How I Got Over...Songs That Carried Us (2011), Once in a Lifetime (2012), Forever Yours (2014), and I Still Have You (2024). He won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album for Nothing Without You in 2004 and a Grammy for Best Gospel Performance/Song for "No Greater Love" in 2014. Billboard Magazine named him Gospel Artist of the Year in 2003 and 2004, and he is an RIAA certified gold-selling artist.
In 2005, Norful founded the Victory Cathedral Worship Center in Bolingbrook, Illinois, where he continues to serve as senior pastor. He has been inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.
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