Reverend Donald Raymond Vails, Jr., was an American gospel musician and pianist. He started his recorded music career in 1977, with the release, Donald Vails Choraleers on Savoy Records. Vails released sixteen albums with two labels, Savoy Records and Sound of Gospel. He released five albums that charted on the Billboard magazine Gospel Albums chart: He Promised a New Life in 1984 with Savoy Records, 1986's Yesterday, Today and Forever with Sounds of Gospel, 1987's Until the Rapture again with Sounds of Gospel, In Jesus Christ I Have Everything I Need in 1990 also with Sounds of Gospel, and 1994's A Sunday Morning Songbook with Savoy Records. The album, He Decided to Die, was a Grammy Award-nominated release, and it was certified as a gold album by the RIAA.