Daryl Coley is an American Christian singer. Coley has been a staple in the music industry, especially amongst the gospel genre as many have been influenced by his music. His genre of choice originates from his upbringing in a Christian-based household. He has been behind various artists including Tremaine Hawkins, James Cleveland, and Pete Escovedo.
Although Coley is best known for his Gospel music, he began dabbling in secular music by the middle of the 1980s. Jazz began grasping Coley’s attention where he collaborated with artists such as Nancy Wilson and Randy Franklin throughout the decade.
Coley’s Gospel roots returned to him when he released his debut album, Just Daryl in 1986. The album won a Grammy and had a beam of success centered around it causing a re-release in 2006. Coley charted in 14 entries on the Top Gospel Albums chart, including six top 10s and the No. 1 When the Music Stops (in 1992) as well as in 2006 with Praise & Worship.
His career was celebrated in January 2014 by BMI as part of their 15th annual Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards in Nashville. In 2016, Coley passed away at 60-years-old after a long battle with diabetes.
Due to the amazing legacy that Coley left, Singersroom decided to start a social media challenge. Followers of the brand indulged in the challenge by singing their favorite Coley tunes. There was one particular singer that stood out, Jeronelle (@IAmJeronelle). The Clark Atlanta University alum is an avid singer. While matriculating he was very active in the prestigious vocal program at the university. He took to social media singing a faved Coley tune captioning his post with “I will always be a student of the late, great Daryl Coley. ” The range and runs JeRonelle exhibited were impeccable, surely Coley would agree.
Thank you to all the social media participants and a special salute to Coley as he would have celebrated his 62 birthday on March 15.
