Earnest Pugh Scores Fifth No. 1
Earnest Pugh, the award-winning five-octave range Gospel Balladeer, is back on top! Pugh’s latest single, “Don’t Give Up,” currently sits at the top of the Billboard Airplay and Media Base Gospel charts this week. According to Pugh, “The single challenge listeners to hold on to every promise God made to them.” Pugh came into prominence in 2008 with his breakout hit, “Rain On Us,” and has since released 17 radio singles.
His fifth No. 1 hit comes on the heels of an epic viral moment, where Pugh’s music was exposed to millions of American Idol fans as contestant Canaan James Hill masterfully sang Pugh’s rendition of “I Need Your Glory” (written by James Fortune) for the judges and Idol’s massive national viewership. The ripple effect of that moment resulted in several of Pugh’s prior CDs and singles returning to the top of iTunes/Billboard charts. “I Need Your Glory” soared to No. 1 within hours of the show’s airing.
Pugh penned “Don’t Give Up” in support of a role he played in the upcoming film, “Love Mountain,” where he portrays the character Elliot, a father of four children who are all navigating life’s ups and downs.
As the committed father, voice of reason, and counsel, Elliot made sure that the kitchen table conversations centered around the premise that “giving up is never an option!” When industry executive and CEO of Blacksmoke Films, Kerry Douglas, saw the intensity and passion of Pugh’s role in the film, he encouraged him to write a song to coincide with it. The song ended up being the lead-out single on the motion picture’s soundtrack.
2025 is shaping up to be an amazing year for the Blacksmoke artist. Plans are to release an EP titled We Wanna See You Vol. 1 (Release Date 5/30). The lead-out single, “Your Glory – 2 C U” is now available on all digital platforms. The six-song EP is one of two sessions from the Live Recording he did in San Antonio last summer, which was produced by E. Devon Goodwin and Keith Williams.
Stay tuned for two other projects featuring Pugh this year: “Right There” (LaSha’ Knox) and “Expectancy” (The Family). He is also putting the final touches on his documentary titled “A Song in the Night.” Pugh is Executive Producer of the Docuseries and RickyB is Producer.
