Inducted 2001

Born May 13, 1910 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Reverend Cleavant Derricks contributed both his example and a wealth of songs to Southern Gospel. 

A Diligent church worker who pioneered across Tennessee as well as in Wisconsin and Washington, D.C., he served as pastor and choir director at a number of Baptist churches and , in later years, also achieved note as a singer. 

It was as a songwriter that he made his most indelible contribution to the industry particularly through his early compositions written and published through the Stamps-Baxter Music Company. The author of more than 300 songs, Derricks works include the quartet standards "Just a Little Talk With Jesus", "When He Blessed My Soul", "We'll Soon Be Done With Troubles and Trials", and "When God Dipped His Love in My Heart".