Joseph Wadell Pace II (born October 20, 1965, in Homestead, Florida) is an American gospel singer, songwriter, record producer, ordained minister, and founder of the Colorado Mass Choir — one of the most celebrated gospel choirs of the 1990s and 2000s.
Known professionally as Dr. Joe Pace, he has accumulated over 500,000 career album sales across 20 full-length projects, earned Grammy nominations, and placed 11 of 14 albums on the Billboard Gospel Albums chart.
His best-known songs include “We Worship You,” “Holy Are You Lord,” “Shake the Foundation,” and “Glad About It.”
| Joe Pace — At a Glance | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Joseph Wadell Pace II |
| Born | October 20, 1965, Homestead, Florida, USA |
| Age | 60 (as of 2026) |
| Nationality | American |
| Genres | Gospel, Traditional Black Gospel, Urban Contemporary Gospel |
| Instruments | Vocals, Piano |
| Occupation | Singer, Songwriter, Producer, Ordained Minister, Author |
| Years Active | 1996–present |
| Denomination | Baptist / Church of God in Christ |
| Ministry Org | The PACE Group, Inc. |
| Choir | Colorado Mass Choir (Founder/Director) |
| Labels | Verity, Zomba, Word, Epic, Integrity, Columbia, NuSpring, Sony, Tyscot, Alliant |
| Career Album Sales | 500,000+ |
| Awards | Stellar Award — New Artist of the Year (1997); Grammy nominated |
| Honorary Doctorate | Inman Bible College |
| Website | joepace.com |
Early Life: Growing Up a Pastor’s Kid
Joe Pace grew up as a “PK” — a pastor’s kid — which means church wasn’t something he was introduced to. It was the air he breathed from birth.
His father was a pastor, and from his earliest years, Joe was embedded in the rhythms of ministry, music, and the black church tradition.
He was born in Homestead, Florida, on October 20, 1965. He played in his school’s band as a child, but it was a moment at church that set his musical course.
Around age 12 or 13, one of the mothers of the church made a decision for him: she put him on the piano and told him to play.
Her logic was unassailable. If he could play in the school band, he could make music for the Lord.
“You don’t ever tell the mother of a church ‘no,'” Pace later recalled with a laugh. “So I jumped on the piano, and it’s been a love ever since.”
He never dreamed at that point that he’d be doing music full time. But those seeds were planted in a Florida church with a determined mother who wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Career: How a Gospel Choir Was Born in Colorado
The Colorado Mass Choir (1995)
The story of how Joe Pace ended up leading a mass choir in Colorado — not exactly a hotbed of black gospel music — is one of those only-God moments.
The Colorado Mass Choir was formed in 1995 out of a community-wide choral workshop held in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The workshop brought together singers from churches across the state, and what started as a one-time event became a permanent institution.
The choir launched with more than 60 members drawn from 35 different churches.
From the beginning, it was ecumenical in spirit — not one denomination’s choir, but a cross-section of Colorado’s black Christian community united around the gospel.
Pace stepped in as Director and CEO of the Colorado Mass Choir, and from that platform he built one of the most consistent recording and touring acts in gospel music history.
Breakthrough: Watch God Move (1996)
The choir’s debut album, Watch God Move, was released in 1996 on Verity Records. It entered the Billboard Gospel Albums chart and announced to the gospel world that something real was happening in Colorado.
Pace was not just another choir director. He was a songwriter and producer who understood how to craft music that felt both deeply churchy and radio-ready.
In 1997, the Colorado Mass Choir won the Stellar Award for New Artist of the Year — a remarkable achievement for a choir from outside the traditional gospel hubs of Atlanta, Detroit, or Chicago.
Rise to National Prominence (1998–2004)
The albums kept coming, and they kept charting. So Good! (1998) and God’s Got It (1999) both landed on Billboard’s gospel chart.
God’s Got It featured a guest vocal appearance by Fred Hammond, a connection that reflected how quickly Pace had built relationships with the genre’s elite.
The choir signed with Integrity Music in 2001 and released Glad About It! — which received strong radio airplay and became one of their signature projects.
Subsequent albums including In the Spirit (2002), Speak Life (2003), and Sunday Morning Service (2004) continued his Billboard chart presence year after year.
Pace also authored his first book during this period: From Performance to Praise: Moving Music Ministry to the Next Level, which established him as a sought-after teacher and clinician in addition to a recording artist.
He wrote columns for publications including Gospel Today and Worship Leader magazines and was featured as an instructor in Integrity Music’s “Seminars4Worship” national conference series.
Columbia Records and Later Projects (2006–2022)
In 2006, Pace moved to Columbia Records and released the ambitious two-disc project Mighty Long Way — a collection of new arrangements of some of his most celebrated early material.
He followed that with Worship for the Kingdom (2007), recorded live at the Renaissance Church of God in Christ in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Worship for the Kids (2007) through Sony Music, expanding his reach to younger audiences.
Praise for the Sanctuary arrived in 2010 on Tyscot Records as an ambitious audio-visual project.
In November 2022, he released the single “All Things Are Working,” continuing his three-decade commitment to gospel music ministry.
Joe Pace’s Most Popular Songs
We Worship You
One of Pace’s most enduring worship anthems, “We Worship You” has become a staple in churches across the country.
It captures his gift for writing songs that feel like genuine congregational worship rather than performance pieces.
Holy Are You Lord
“Holy Are You Lord” reflects Pace’s theological conviction that worship must center on the holiness and majesty of God.
It is among his most replayed tracks on streaming platforms and continues to be used in church services.
Shake the Foundation
“Shake the Foundation” is a high-energy praise anthem that showcases the Colorado Mass Choir at its most powerful — a full choir driving a declaration of God’s power to shift every circumstance.
Glad About It
The title track from the 2001 Integrity Music album, “Glad About It” received notable radio airplay and introduced many gospel fans to the Colorado Mass Choir for the first time.
Ministry: Pastor Joe Pace
Joe Pace is an ordained minister — licensed in both Baptist and Church of God in Christ traditions.
Ministry at the local church level has always been his first priority, even as his recording career grew nationally.
He has served as Minister of Music and Music Pastor for both small and large congregations across the country.
He is the CEO and President of The PACE Group, Inc., a multi-faceted ministry corporation that includes a record label, production company, publishing division, conference and workshop division, and a non-profit foundation.
The Pace Group reflects his vision of music ministry as a full ecosystem — not just recording and performing, but training, publishing, and equipping the next generation of worship leaders.
He holds an Honorary Doctorate from Inman Bible College, recognizing his decades of exceptional work in gospel music ministry.
Joe Pace’s Wife and Family
Joe Pace has kept his personal life largely private. Information about his wife and children is not widely published, consistent with his focus on keeping his family shielded from public scrutiny.
What is clear from interviews and his ministry profile is that family and local church ministry have remained his anchors throughout a long career in a demanding industry.
Awards and Recognition
- Stellar Award — New Artist of the Year (1997, with Colorado Mass Choir)
- Grammy Nomination — Best Gospel Choir or Chorus Album
- 8-time GMA Dove Award nominee
- 7-time Stellar Award nominee
- Honorary Doctorate — Inman Bible College
Influence and Legacy
Joe Pace’s legacy sits at the crossroads of choir tradition and contemporary gospel production.
He built the Colorado Mass Choir in a state with no gospel music industry infrastructure and made it nationally competitive. That alone is a remarkable achievement.
His influence extends beyond his own recordings. As a clinician and workshop leader, he has shaped how worship leaders and choir directors across the country think about music ministry.
His emphasis on excellence in the local church context — not just the recording studio — has made him a trusted voice among ministers of music for 30 years.
Pace’s career runs parallel to other major gospel choir builders of his era, including Hezekiah Walker, whose Love Fellowship Choir similarly combined community choir building with national chart success.
Interesting Facts
- He is a pastor’s kid who was pushed onto a piano by a church mother at age 12 — and never looked back.
- The Colorado Mass Choir draws members from 35 different churches across one state.
- Eleven of his 14 albums charted on the Billboard Gospel Albums chart.
- He has 500,000+ career album sales across 20 projects.
- Fred Hammond appeared as a guest on one of his albums, marking a connection between two of gospel’s top 1990s producers.
- He wrote for both Gospel Today and Worship Leader magazines — a rare crossover between traditional gospel and contemporary worship publishing.
Discography (Selected)
| Year | Album | Label | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Watch God Move (Colorado Mass Choir) | Verity | Billboard Gospel Albums |
| 1998 | So Good! | Verity | Billboard Gospel Albums |
| 1999 | God’s Got It (feat. Fred Hammond) | Verity | Billboard Gospel Albums |
| 2001 | Glad About It! | Integrity Music | Billboard Gospel Albums |
| 2002 | In the Spirit | Integrity Music | Billboard Gospel Albums |
| 2003 | Speak Life | Integrity Music | Billboard Gospel Albums |
| 2004 | Sunday Morning Service | Integrity Music | Billboard Gospel Albums |
| 2006 | Mighty Long Way | Columbia | Billboard Gospel Albums |
| 2007 | Worship for the Kingdom | NuSpring Music | Billboard Gospel Albums |
| 2007 | Worship for the Kids | Sony Music | |
| 2010 | Praise for the Sanctuary | Tyscot Records | Billboard Gospel Albums |
| 2022 | “All Things Are Working” (single) | 2ProclaimIt Records |
Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1965 | Born October 20 in Homestead, Florida |
| 1977–78 | Pushed onto the piano by a church mother; begins playing music |
| 1995 | Colorado Mass Choir formed from Colorado Springs choir workshop |
| 1996 | Debut album Watch God Move released on Verity Records |
| 1997 | Wins Stellar Award for New Artist of the Year; Grammy nominated |
| 1999 | God’s Got It released featuring Fred Hammond |
| 2001 | Signs with Integrity Music; releases Glad About It! |
| 2006 | Moves to Columbia Records; releases Mighty Long Way |
| 2010 | Praise for the Sanctuary released on Tyscot Records |
| 2022 | Releases single “All Things Are Working” |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Joe Pace the gospel singer?
Joe Pace (Joseph Wadell Pace II) is an American gospel singer, songwriter, producer, and ordained minister born in Homestead, Florida in 1965. He is best known as the founder and director of the Colorado Mass Choir, and for gospel songs including “We Worship You,” “Holy Are You Lord,” and “Glad About It.”
What is Joe Pace’s most popular song?
Among his most-streamed and widely sung songs are “We Worship You,” “Holy Are You Lord,” and “Shake the Foundation.” “Glad About It” received the most radio airplay of his solo work.
Is Joe Pace a pastor?
Yes. Joe Pace is an ordained minister, licensed in both Baptist and Church of God in Christ traditions. He has served as Minister of Music and Music Pastor at churches across the country and describes local church ministry as his first priority.
Is Joe Pace related to the basketball or hockey player named Joe Pace?
No. The gospel singer Joseph Wadell Pace II has no documented connection to any professional athlete with the same name. They are entirely different people.
Is Joe Pace related to Lashun Pace or Latrice Pace?
No. Lashun Pace and Latrice Pace are members of the Atlanta-based Pace Sisters gospel group, a separate family with no documented connection to Joe Pace of the Colorado Mass Choir.
What label is Joe Pace signed to?
Joe Pace has recorded for many labels including Verity, Integrity, Word, Epic, Columbia, Sony, Tyscot, and Alliant. He also founded his own label, 2ProclaimIt Records.
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