Derricks was ed­u­cat­ed at the Ca­dek Con­serv­a­to­ry of Mu­sic, Knox­ville, Ten­nes­see; Tennessee A&I State Un­i­ver­si­ty; and Amer­i­can Bap­tist The­o­lo­gi­cal Sem­in­a­ry, Nash­ville, Tennessee. At age 21, he di­rect­ed a Gos­pel choir of over 100 voic­es at the Ver­mont Av­e­nue Bap­tist Church, Wash­ing­ton, DC. He pas­tored church­es in Day­ton, Knox­ville and Jack­son, Tennessee; Beloit, Wis­con­sin; and Wash­ing­ton, DC. He wrote over 300 songs and sev­er­al song books, and was in­duct­ed in­to the Gos­pel Mu­sic Hall of Fame in 2001. He is some­times con­fused with his ac­tor son, who is also named Cleavant Derricks.

Lyrics

1. Just a Little Talk with Jesus (© 1937)
2. We’ll Soon Be Done with Troubles and Trials
3. When God Dipped His Love in My Heart
4. When He Blessed My Soul