Commissioned: An Overview

The group that we know as Commissioned began with six original members: Michael Brooks (keyboards), Fred Hammond (bass guitar, lead and background vocals) Mitchell Jones (lead and background vocals), Karl Reid (lead and background vocals), Keith Staten, and Michael Williams (drums). Together, this "Original" Commissioned recorded six albums in total. They are:

Some of Commissioned's hits songs that were recorded during this period are: "Ordinary Just Won't Do", "So Good To Know (The Savior)", "Running Back To You", "I Am Here", "Everlasting Love", "Victory", "I'm Going On", "Giving My Problems To You", "He Set Me Free", and "Love Isn't Love".

Parkes Stewart started to become formed a song-writing duo with Mitchell Jones and contributed as a background vocalist.

Michael Brooks established the group "Witness".

There will hopefully be more award information listed soon.

After the departures of Keith Staten and later Michael Brooks from Commissioned in late 1990 - early 1991 to follow solo careers, Commissioned gained three new members as of their seventh album, Number 7 in 1991 (Fred Hammond also released his first solo album, I Am Persuaded, in 1990). The three new members were Eddie Howard, Jr. (a keyboardist who had a background with the Clark Sisters and the Church of God in Christ and now has a solo album), Maxx Frank (a keyboardist/organist who worked on Keith Staten's solo album and later wrote one of 98 Degrees' songs), and Marvin Sapp (lead and background vocalist; he is now a popular solo artist on Verity Records). Commissioned also gained help from Anson and Eric Dawkins (now known as Dawkins and Dawkins). Parkes Stewart continued his songwriting relationship with Mitchell Jones with the smooth track "Hold Me". It also featured Transformation Crusade on the song "King of Glory".

By the time that Matters of the Heart had been released, Eddie Howard, Jr. had left the group, but still retained the help of Anson and Eric Dawkins, Parkes Stewart, Mark Luckey, and others.

Fred Hammond and Michael Williams (who was a drummer on Fred Hammond & Radical For Christ's 1995 album The Inner Court) left the group after this album was released. Commissioned continued on, and Montrel Darrett joined the group as a lead vocalist and background vocal. Marvin Sapp released his first solo album in 1995. Commissioned released Irreplaceable Love in 1996. On this album included the likes of Boyz II Men's Shawn Stockman and Wanya Morris. This was one album in which Parkes Stewart was not featured (in 1996 Parkes released an album called Another Chapter which featured Mitchell Jones, Michael Williams, Charles "Ollie" Harris, and other Commissioned-related people)

Marvin Sapp left Commissioned after the album Irreplaceable Love. Marcus Cole later joined with time enough to appear with Commissioned on Montrell Darrett's project J2K: Jesus 2000. Montrell Darrett later left Commissioned for solo work, and Chris Poole joined. This Commissioned lineup produced the album Time & Seasons.

This page is Still Under Construction....

Did you know that Commissioned appeared on Hezekiah Walker's album Live at Moorehouse College (released around 1994), singing "I Will Go In Jesus Name (Reprise)" (Fred Hammond, and Marvin Sapp are heard), and also with Carman, on the album "Shakin' The House" (released around 1990) in which Commissioned (Mitchell Jones, Karl Reid, Michael Williams, Marvin Sapp, Maxx Frank, and Fred Hammond) sing some of their original hits and some new tracks as well.