By that time, Sapp had signed a solo contract too, and March 1996 saw the release of his self-titled debut on Word Records. He recorded the Commissioned albums Number 7 and Matters of the Heart with members Fred Hammond, Mitchell Jones, Mike Williams, and Karl Reid after Hammond and Williams left as well, Sapp recorded the group’s final album, 1996’s Irreplaceable Love. Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan (where he has based his JOY Ministries outreach), Sapp debuted with Commissioned in the early ’90s after Keith Staten left for solo work.
Number 7Recruited for the legendary gospel group Commissioned while still a relative unknown, Marvin Sapp recorded with the group until its dissolution in 1995, and then began his own solo career with a self-titled album the following year.
