A Memphis, Tennessee native, Pugh showed tremendous singing talent even as a child, and by his teens he was singing with O'Landa Draper as a backing vocalist, a tenure that ended when Pugh entered the military service. Following his discharge, he continued to pursue his musical goals, and even dabbled in acting, appearing in several stage plays. Eventually he began appearing on various gospel-oriented television shows on the BET network and elsewhere. His first album, Earnest Pugh Live: A Worshipper's Perspective, appeared in 2006, followed by Seasons Change a year later in 2007. Live: Rain on Us arrived in 2009, with a fourth album, Earnestly Yours, hitting in 2001. A holiday album, Christmas with Earnest Pugh, arrived in 2012 -- the year he relocated to Houston, Texas -- followed by The W.I.N. (Worship in Nassau) Experience, which was recorded in the Bahamas during Radio One's Love Cruise, in 2013. The EP Just Worship (2014) and the compilation Hidden Treasures & Collaborations (2015) became Pugh's fifth and sixth releases to reach the Top Ten of Billboard's Top Gospel Albums chart. ~ Steve Leggett