CeCe Winans facts for kids
Quick facts for kids CeCe Winans |
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Winans in concert at Lagos, Nigeria, December 2009
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Priscilla Marie Winans |
| Born | October 8, 1964 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres |
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| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Labels |
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| Associated acts | BeBe & CeCe Winans, Kirk Franklin, The Winans, Whitney Houston, Mary Mary, Tasha Cobbs Leonard |
Priscilla Marie Love, known as CeCe Winans, is a famous American gospel singer. She was born on October 8, 1964. CeCe Winans has won many awards for her music. She has 17 Grammy Awards, which is more than any other female gospel singer. She also has 33 GMA Dove Awards and 19 Stellar Awards.
CeCe Winans is the best-selling and most awarded female gospel singer ever. She has a special star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She also has a star on the Music City Walk of Fame in Nashville. She has sold over 19 million records. This makes her one of the top-selling gospel music artists.
CeCe first became well-known in the 1980s. She sang with her brother, BeBe Winans, in a group called BeBe & CeCe Winans. They sold millions of albums together. Later, she started her own successful solo career. Her solo albums have been top sellers in Gospel, Christian, and R&B music.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Priscilla Marie Winans was born in Detroit, Michigan. Her parents were Delores and David Winans. They were part of the famous Winans Family gospel group. CeCe was born on October 8, 1964. She is one of ten children in her family.
Her parents were very religious. They only listened to gospel music at home. CeCe sang her first solo song when she was only eight years old.
Singing with BeBe Winans
In 1981, CeCe Winans moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. She became a singer on a Christian TV show called The PTL Club. At first, she sang with her whole family. But soon, CeCe and her older brother BeBe started singing as a duo. People loved their duet version of "Up Where We Belong". They changed the lyrics to be about Christian faith.
In 1984, CeCe and BeBe released their first album, Lord Lift Us Up. They became very popular. They released nine Gold and Platinum albums together as BeBe & CeCe Winans. A Gold album means it sold 500,000 copies. A Platinum album means it sold over 1 million copies.
CeCe left the TV show in 1984 when she got married. Her brother BeBe left in 1985. Their second album, BeBe & CeCe Winans, came out in 1987. Their album Different Lifestyles was the first gospel album by artists to sell over a million copies.
CeCe's Solo Career
CeCe Winans started her solo career in 1995. Her first solo album was Alone in His Presence. This album was a huge success. It was only the third album by a gospel artist to sell over a million copies. This album won her a Grammy Award and two Dove Awards. She was also named Female Vocalist of the Year.
In 1998, she released Everlasting Love. This album sold over 500,000 copies. It included her most popular solo songs, "Well Alright" and "Slippin'". Later in 1998, she released a Christmas album called His Gift.
Starting Her Own Company
In 1999, CeCe Winans started her own music company. It was called PureSprings Gospel. Her first album on this label was Alabaster Box. This album featured other gospel artists. In 2000, she released a concert video called Live at the Lambs Theater in New York.
Her next album, CeCe Winans, came out in 2001. One song, "Anybody Wanna Pray," featured the group GRITS. Another song, "Say A Prayer," became popular in the Contemporary Christian music world.
Later Albums and Tours
CeCe took a break from releasing music for two years. She returned in 2003 with her album Throne Room. The first copies of this album came with a bonus CD. It had interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. In 2004, she went on a 25-city tour called Throne Room. The concerts were free to attend. A DVD of the concert was also released.
In 2005, CeCe released her seventh album, Purified. Her nephew, Mario Winans, helped produce some songs. Her son, Alvin III, also helped write songs. CeCe also had a hit song called "Count On Me". This was a duet with her close friend, Whitney Houston. It was from the movie soundtrack Waiting to Exhale. This song sold over 500,000 copies. It reached high spots on the music charts.
Her eighth album, Thy Kingdom Come, came out in 2008. In 2009, BeBe and CeCe reunited for an album called Still. They sang with other artists like Mary Mary. In 2010, CeCe, BeBe, and Mary Mary performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. From 2012 to 2014, CeCe was a judge on the TV show Sunday Best. This was a gospel singing competition.
In 2017, CeCe released Let Them Fall in Love. This album won her two more Grammy Awards. In 2021, she released her first live worship album, Believe for It. This album won her three more Grammy Awards in 2022. Her song "Goodness of God" came out in September 2022.
On April 26, 2024, CeCe Winans released her second live album, More Than This. This album quickly became number one on the Billboard Top Gospel Album Charts. The song "That's My King" also reached number one on the Hot Gospel charts. To promote her album, she appeared on TV shows like The Kelly Clarkson Show and The Jennifer Hudson Show. She also sang on the season finale of American Idol with contestant Roman Collins.
Her 2024 album "More Than This" won Best Gospel Album at the 67th Grammy Awards in 2025. She also won for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for "That's My King."
Books by CeCe Winans
CeCe Winans has written four books:
- On A Positive Note (2000): This is her memoir, telling her life story.
- Throne Room: Ushered Into the Presence of God (2004): A devotional book.
- Always Sisters: Becoming the Princess You Were Created to Be (2007): Co-written with Claudia Mair Burney.
- Believe For It: Passing on Faith to the Next Generation (2024): Her most recent book.
Personal Life
CeCe Winans lives in Brentwood, Tennessee. This is a town near Nashville. She lives there with her husband, Alvin Love II. They have two children, a son and a daughter.
CeCe Winans was a very close friend of singer Whitney Houston. She was also the godmother to Whitney Houston's daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown. CeCe sang at Whitney Houston's funeral in 2012. She performed the songs "Don't Cry for Me" and "Jesus Loves Me".
Discography
- Alone in His Presence (1995)
- Everlasting Love (1998)
- His Gift (1998)
- Alabaster Box (1999)
- CeCe Winans (2001)
- Throne Room (2003)
- Purified (2005)
- Thy Kingdom Come (2008)
- Songs of Emotional Healing (2010)
- Let Them Fall in Love (2017)
- Something's Happening (2018)
- Believe for It (2021)
- More than This (2024)
- Joyful Joyful (2024)
Videography
Concert Videos
- Live at the Lambs Theater in New York (2000): A concert recorded in New York City.
- Live in the Throne Room (2004): A concert recorded in Brentwood, TN.
Music Videos
- 1996: "Count On Me" (with Whitney Houston)
- 1998: "Well Alright"
- 1998: "The River"
- 2001: "More Than What I Wanted"
- 2017: "Dancing in the Spirit"
- 2018: "It's Christmas"
- 2020: "Never Lost"
- 2022: “Goodness of God”
- 2023: “Holy Forever”
- 2024: “Come Jesus Come”
Television Appearances
- 1994: Martin (episode: "Go Tell It on the Martin")
- 1997: Living Single (episode: "Oh, Solo Mio")
- 17–99: CeCe's Place (on the Odyssey Channel)
- 2002: 7th Heaven (episode: "The Known Soldier")
- 2002: Doc (episode: "The Price of a Miracle")
- 2003–: Praise the Lord (sometimes as a guest host)
Awards and Honors
CeCe Winans has received many awards for her music. As a solo artist and with BeBe Winans, she has won:
- 17 Grammy Awards
- 33 Dove Awards
- 19 Stellar Awards
She has also been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She has a star on the Nashville Music City Walk of Fame. She was one of the first people to be honored in the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame. CeCe Winans is also in the GMA Dove Gospel Music Hall of Fame. She received the Aretha Franklin Icon Award at the Stellar Awards.
See also
In Spanish: CeCe Winans para niños
- The Winans Family
- List of best-selling gospel music artists
