BeBe & CeCe Winans
Encyclopedia
BeBe & CeCe Winans are an American
Gospel music
brother and sister duo. BeBe
(Benjamin) and CeCe
(Priscilla) Winans
are the seventh and eighth of "Mom" and "Pop" Winans
' ten children, most of whom have had successful Gospel music careers.
While BeBe and CeCe were in high school, four of their elder brothers formed the successful Gospel music
group The Winans
. Initially known as The Winans Part II, BeBe and CeCe first appeared in the public eye when they debuted in 1982 as part of the singing group The PTL Singers on the Christian television show The PTL Club
. They were introduced by Jim Bakker
, and recorded their first album Lord Lift Us Up as a duo for PTL Records.
offered the two siblings a Gospel recording contract. Their mainstream debut release was the self-titled album BeBe & CeCe Winans. It was produced by Keith Thomas
, who had at that time also produced Amy Grant
and Vanessa L. Williams
. The debut record gave them their first R&B hit, "I.O.U. Me," which topped R&B and inspirational charts and generated Grammy nominations, and Dove and Stellar Awards. CeCe also earned a Grammy for "Best Soul Gospel Performance, Female" for the song "For Always."
They were one of the first African American artists to receive significant airplay on contemporary Christian music
radio stations and the second African American artists to receive the Dove Award in the Group of the Year category.
, they remained steadily popular with R&B audiences, spawning 12 R&B hit singles including two No. 1 singles. The pair became the first Gospel artists to see their album reach No. 1 on the Billboard sales charts in 1988. The title track also reached No. 12 on the Billboard R&B singles chart.
Other hits from the album included "Lost Without You" and "Celebrate New Life."
The album reached the R&B Top Ten, went to No. 95 on the Pop Charts and was certified Gold
.
" and a cover of The Staple Singers
' "I'll Take You There
" featuring Mavis Staples
. Both singles topped the R&B chart. Rapper MC Hammer
also made an appearance on the single "The Blood" at the height of his career.
on the soundtrack for the movie The Bodyguard as well as production and writing music for artists such as Gladys Knight
, Bobby Brown
, The Clark Sisters
and his younger sisters Angie and Debbie Winans.
s, nine Dove Awards, two NAACP Image awards, two Soul Train Music Awards
, numerous Stellar Awards
, three Gold
albums, and one Platinum
album.
The Walk of Fame Committee of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has announced that BeBe & CeCe Winans names will be added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame
in 2011.
BeBe and CeCe Winans recorded twice during their hiatus as duo—before the recording of the 2009 album "Still"—including: "What A Child", a duet on CeCe's Christmas album His Gift, and on "Tonight Tonight", a duet on BeBe's 2000 album Love & Freedom.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
brother and sister duo. BeBe
BeBe Winans
Benjamin "BeBe" Winans is a gospel and R&B singer. He is a member of the noted Winans family, most members of which are also gospel artists.-The PTL Club:...
(Benjamin) and CeCe
CeCe Winans
Priscilla "CeCe" Marie Winans Love is an American Gospel singer, who has won numerous Grammy and Stellar Awards.-Early life:CeCe Winans was born in Detroit, Michigan, to David and Delores Winans, on October 8, 1964...
(Priscilla) Winans
Winans family
The Winans family is an African-American family of Gospel music artists from Detroit, Michigan.-Family members:* David "Pop" Winans, Sr. * Delores "Mom" Winans * David Winans Jr....
are the seventh and eighth of "Mom" and "Pop" Winans
Winans family
The Winans family is an African-American family of Gospel music artists from Detroit, Michigan.-Family members:* David "Pop" Winans, Sr. * Delores "Mom" Winans * David Winans Jr....
' ten children, most of whom have had successful Gospel music careers.
Musical career
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
group The Winans
The Winans
The Winans are an American Gospel music quartet from Detroit, Michigan consisting of brothers Marvin, Carvin, Michael and Ronald Winans.-Members:Please refer to the Winans family page for more detail on the individual members.-Origins:...
. Initially known as The Winans Part II, BeBe and CeCe first appeared in the public eye when they debuted in 1982 as part of the singing group The PTL Singers on the Christian television show The PTL Club
The PTL Club
The PTL Club , later called The Jim and Tammy Show, and in its last days PTL Today and Heritage Today, was a Christian television program first hosted by evangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, which ran from 1974 to 1989...
. They were introduced by Jim Bakker
Jim Bakker
James Orsen "Jim" Bakker is an American televangelist, a former Assemblies of God minister, and a former host of The PTL Club, a popular evangelical Christian television program.A sex scandal led to his resignation from the ministry...
, and recorded their first album Lord Lift Us Up as a duo for PTL Records.
Self-titled debut
BeBe and CeCe left the PTL Singers in 1987 to pursue a musical career and that same year, Sparrow RecordsSparrow Records
-Background:Sparrow Records was founded in 1976 by Billy Ray Hearn, then A&R director at Myrrh Records. Purchased by EMI in 1992, it is now part of the EMI Christian Music Group, and has been named by Billboard Magazine as "America's Best Christian Music Record Label"...
offered the two siblings a Gospel recording contract. Their mainstream debut release was the self-titled album BeBe & CeCe Winans. It was produced by Keith Thomas
Keith Thomas (producer)
Keith Thomas, born and raised in the Atlanta suburb of Conyers, Georgia, is a Grammy Award-winning producer and songwriter with 40 #1 Billboard hits...
, who had at that time also produced Amy Grant
Amy Grant
Amy Lee Grant is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, media personality and actress, best known for her Christian music. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop"...
and Vanessa L. Williams
Vanessa L. Williams
Vanessa Lynn Williams is an American pop-R&B recording artist, producer, dancer, model, actress and showgirl. In 1983, she became the first woman of African-American descent to be crowned Miss America, but a scandal generated by her having posed for nude photographs published in Penthouse magazine...
. The debut record gave them their first R&B hit, "I.O.U. Me," which topped R&B and inspirational charts and generated Grammy nominations, and Dove and Stellar Awards. CeCe also earned a Grammy for "Best Soul Gospel Performance, Female" for the song "For Always."
They were one of the first African American artists to receive significant airplay on contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
radio stations and the second African American artists to receive the Dove Award in the Group of the Year category.
Heaven
With the release of their second LP HeavenHeaven (BeBe & CeCe Winans album)
Heaven is the third album released by brother and sister duo BeBe & CeCe Winans and their second released on Capitol Records. It was number one on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart....
, they remained steadily popular with R&B audiences, spawning 12 R&B hit singles including two No. 1 singles. The pair became the first Gospel artists to see their album reach No. 1 on the Billboard sales charts in 1988. The title track also reached No. 12 on the Billboard R&B singles chart.
Other hits from the album included "Lost Without You" and "Celebrate New Life."
The album reached the R&B Top Ten, went to No. 95 on the Pop Charts and was certified Gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
.
Different Lifestyles
The release of their 1991 album Different Lifestyles brought their biggest success to date. It featured the singles "Addictive LoveAddictive Love
Addictive Love is the title of a number-one R&B single by the gospel duo BeBe & CeCe Winans. The hit song spent two weeks at number-one on the US R&B chart . It ranked #364 on Songs of the Century....
" and a cover of The Staple Singers
The Staple Singers
The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples , the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha , Pervis , Yvonne , and Mavis...
' "I'll Take You There
I'll Take You There
"I'll Take You There" is a number-one single written and produced by Al Bell and performed by soul/gospel family band The Staple Singers, released on Stax Records in February 1972...
" featuring Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist who recorded with The Staple Singers, her family's band.-Biography:...
. Both singles topped the R&B chart. Rapper MC Hammer
MC Hammer
Stanley Kirk Burrell , better known by his stage name MC Hammer , is an American rapper, entertainer, business entrepreneur, dancer and actor. He had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s...
also made an appearance on the single "The Blood" at the height of his career.
First Christmas
A holiday release titled First Christmas followed in 1993. This album showcased BeBe's production skills and led to him doing production work with Whitney HoustonWhitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
on the soundtrack for the movie The Bodyguard as well as production and writing music for artists such as Gladys Knight
Gladys Knight
Gladys Maria Knight , known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author...
, Bobby Brown
Bobby Brown
Robert Barisford "Bobby" Brown is an American R&B singer-songwriter, occasional rapper, and dancer. After success in pop group New Edition, Brown began his solo career in 1987 and had a string of Top 10 Billboard hits, culminating in a Grammy Award. He was a pioneer of New Jack Swing music, a...
, The Clark Sisters
The Clark Sisters
The Clark Sisters are an American gospel vocal group consisting of four sisters:Jacky Clark Chisholm, Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark, Dorinda Clark-Cole, and Karen Clark Sheard. A fifth sister, Denise Clark Bradford, no longer performs with the group. The Clark Sisters are the daughters of legendary...
and his younger sisters Angie and Debbie Winans.
Relationships
1994 saw the release of their studio album Relationships, featuring the notable singles "If Anything Ever Happened To You," "Love Of My Life," and "Stay With Me." This album conveyed a more personal approach, in CeCe's words: "A lot of people think we're supposed to be perfect, but we're people too, we go through hurt [and] pain. We get songs through experiences and as we reveal these things, people are touched."Still
In 2009, Still was BeBe & CeCe's first album in more than 15 years and brought the reunion that has been on the lips of fans around the world since it was announced. Premiering 12 new songs, the album's lead single is "Close to You". The album won two Grammy Awards: Best Gospel Performance (the song "Grace") and Best Gospel R&B Album.Awards and honors
As a duo, BeBe and CeCe Winans' accolades include three Grammy AwardGrammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s, nine Dove Awards, two NAACP Image awards, two Soul Train Music Awards
Soul Train Music Awards
The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual award show which previously aired in national television syndication, and honors the best in Black music and entertainment...
, numerous Stellar Awards
Stellar Awards
The Stellar Awards is the first Gospel Music Awards show in the country, honoring Gospel Music Artists, writers, and industry professionals for their contributions to the Gospel Music Industry. The Stellar Awards ranks high in status as the only Gospel Music television awards program syndicated in...
, three Gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
albums, and one Platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
album.
Grammy Awards
- 1991: Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album – Different Lifestyles
- 2010: Best Gospel Performance – “Grace”
- 2010: Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album – StillStill (BeBe & CeCe Winans album)Still is the ninth album released by brother and sister duo BeBe & CeCe Winans. It was released on the Malaco Records label in 2009. The album won two Grammy Awards in 2011 for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album and Best Gospel Performance for the song "Grace".-Track listing:# Still 4:02 [written...
GMA Dove Awards
- 1988: New Artist of the Year
- 1990: Group of the Year
- 1990: Pop/Contemporary Album – HeavenHeaven (BeBe & CeCe Winans album)Heaven is the third album released by brother and sister duo BeBe & CeCe Winans and their second released on Capitol Records. It was number one on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart....
- 1990: Pop/Contemporary Song – “Heaven”
- 1990: Contemporary Gospel Song – “With My Whole Heart”
- 1992: Group of the Year
- 1992: Contemporary Gospel Song – “Addictive LoveAddictive LoveAddictive Love is the title of a number-one R&B single by the gospel duo BeBe & CeCe Winans. The hit song spent two weeks at number-one on the US R&B chart . It ranked #364 on Songs of the Century....
” - 1998: Contemporary Gospel Song – “Up Where We Belong”
- 2010: Urban Recorded Song – “Close To You”
Soul Train Music Awards
- 1990: Best Gospel Album – Heaven
- 1992: Best Gospel Album – Different Lifestyles
The Walk of Fame Committee of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has announced that BeBe & CeCe Winans names will be added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
in 2011.
Discography
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Gospel | Top R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
Top Pop | |||
| 1984 | Lord Lift Us Up Lord Lift Us Up Lord Lift Us Up is the debut album released by brother and sister duo BeBe & CeCe Winans, released in 1984.-Track listing:# Worth the While# Nevertheless # Turn # The Right Choice # I'm Gonna Miss You # I Really Love You... |
20 | — | — | PTL Records |
| 1987 | BeBe & CeCe Winans | 12 | 49 | — | Sparrow/Capitol |
| 1988 | Heaven Heaven (BeBe & CeCe Winans album) Heaven is the third album released by brother and sister duo BeBe & CeCe Winans and their second released on Capitol Records. It was number one on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart.... |
1 | 10 | 95 | |
| 1991 | Different Lifestyles | 1 | 1 | 74 | |
| 1993 | First Christmas | 23 | 17 | 163 | |
| 1994 | Relationships | 4 | 19 | 111 | |
| 1996 | Greatest Hits | 3 | 93 | — | Sparrow |
| 2006 | The Best Of BeBe & CeCe Winans | — | — | — | |
| 2009 | Still Still (BeBe & CeCe Winans album) Still is the ninth album released by brother and sister duo BeBe & CeCe Winans. It was released on the Malaco Records label in 2009. The album won two Grammy Awards in 2011 for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album and Best Gospel Performance for the song "Grace".-Track listing:# Still 4:02 [written... |
1 | 2 | 12 | B&C/Malaco |
Singles
| Year | Song | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian | US Gospel | R&B | |||
| 1984 | Up Where We Belong | 27 | — | — | Lord Lift Us Up Lord Lift Us Up Lord Lift Us Up is the debut album released by brother and sister duo BeBe & CeCe Winans, released in 1984.-Track listing:# Worth the While# Nevertheless # Turn # The Right Choice # I'm Gonna Miss You # I Really Love You... |
| 1987 | I.O.U. Me | 2 | — | — | BeBe & CeCe Winans |
| Love Said Not So | 11 | — | — | ||
| 1988 | Change Your Nature | 8 | — | — | |
| 1989 | Heaven | 3 | — | 12 | Heaven Heaven (BeBe & CeCe Winans album) Heaven is the third album released by brother and sister duo BeBe & CeCe Winans and their second released on Capitol Records. It was number one on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart.... |
| Celebrate New Life | 4 | — | — | ||
| Lost Without You | 1 | — | 8 | ||
| 1990 | Meantime | 15 | — | — | |
| You | 24 | — | — | ||
| 1991 | Addictive Love Addictive Love Addictive Love is the title of a number-one R&B single by the gospel duo BeBe & CeCe Winans. The hit song spent two weeks at number-one on the US R&B chart . It ranked #364 on Songs of the Century.... |
1 | — | 1 | Different Lifestyles |
| I'll Take You There I'll Take You There "I'll Take You There" is a number-one single written and produced by Al Bell and performed by soul/gospel family band The Staple Singers, released on Stax Records in February 1972... (feat. Mavis Staples Mavis Staples Mavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist who recorded with The Staple Singers, her family's band.-Biography:... ) |
1 | — | 1 | ||
| It's O.K. | 7 | — | 6 | ||
| 1992 | The Blood (with MC Hammer MC Hammer Stanley Kirk Burrell , better known by his stage name MC Hammer , is an American rapper, entertainer, business entrepreneur, dancer and actor. He had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s... ) |
8 | — | — | |
| Depend On You | 2 | — | — | ||
| 1993 | Can’t Take This Away | 13 | — | — | |
| Jingle Bells | — | — | — | First Christmas | |
| 1994 | If Anything Ever Happened To You | 16 | — | — | Relationships |
| Love Of My Life | — | — | 35 | ||
| 1995 | Count It All Joy | 7 | — | — | |
| Stay With Me | — | — | 62 | ||
| 2009 | Close To You | — | 1 | 21 | Still Still (BeBe & CeCe Winans album) Still is the ninth album released by brother and sister duo BeBe & CeCe Winans. It was released on the Malaco Records label in 2009. The album won two Grammy Awards in 2011 for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album and Best Gospel Performance for the song "Grace".-Track listing:# Still 4:02 [written... |
| Grace | — | 6 | — | ||
| 2010 | Found Love (Cindy's Song) | — | 11 | — | |
Music Videos
- "Heaven"
- "Celebrate New Life"
- "Addictive Love"
- "I'll Take You There"
- "It's O.K."
- "Jingle Bells"
- "If Anything Ever Happened To You"
- "Love Of My Life"
- "Feels Like Heaven (With You)"
- "Close To You" (Gospel #1, #38 R&B)
Popular culture influence
- One of the duo's signature songs, Heaven, was remade by Destiny's ChildDestiny's ChildDestiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
member Michelle WilliamsMichelle Williams (singer)Tenitra Michelle Williams , commonly known as Michelle Williams, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and actress...
featuring Carl Thomas on her 2002 Gospel album Heart to YoursHeart to YoursHeart to Yours is the first solo album by American singer Michelle Williams. Released on April 16, 2002, by Sanctuary and Columbia Records it became the first solo release of any Destiny's Child member... - On the Disney Channel's animated television show The Proud FamilyThe Proud FamilyThe Proud Family is an American animated television series that premiered on Disney Channel from September 15, 2001 to August 19, 2005.-Production:...
, the youngest children in the family are twin toddlers named BeBe and CeCe - Both appear on the television series "Martin" on the episode titled "Go Tell It on the Martin" (1994)
Solo careers
In 1995, they officially parted ways to work on their solo careers and other areas of interest. Both artists have gone on to have successful solo careers, receiving numerous awards and accolades. To date, BeBe has released six solo albums, while CeCe has released eight.BeBe and CeCe Winans recorded twice during their hiatus as duo—before the recording of the 2009 album "Still"—including: "What A Child", a duet on CeCe's Christmas album His Gift, and on "Tonight Tonight", a duet on BeBe's 2000 album Love & Freedom.