Inducted 2004

"Derrell Stewart has no equal," states Roger Bennett. 

Born October 6, 1934, in Brunswick, Georgia, Derrell was an only child. His father was a concert promoter; therefore, Derrell was exposed to Southern Gospel Music at a very young age. His parents insisted he study piano, and lessons began at age five. 

Derrell joined his first full time quartet, The Dixie Rythm Quartet, in 1953. It was during this time he began wearing his famous red socks. He joined the Florida Boys Quartet in 1956 and has been there for forty-eight years. 

He gained national fame with his numerous appearances on "The Gospel Singing Jubilee," America's largest national Southern Gospel Music television program. He won the first Singing News Magazine Fan Award as Favorite Pianist of the year in 1970, and has been named pianist of the year several times. 

Derrell is loved for his superb humor and his very own classic piano style. Often proclaimed as a Southern Gospel Music Treasure, Derrell Strewart maintained a servant's heart and spent his life serving God and Southern Gospel Music.