Thoughtmatters · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wrote and recorded "Walking in Memphis," the top-40 hit and Grammy-nominated single that became his signature song, off his self-titled 1991 debut album. That same year he won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, and later charting singles like "True Companion" and "Silver Thunderbird" extended a career built on rhythm-and-blues- and gospel-rooted songwriting.