View source for CeCe Winans

{{Short description|American gospel singer (born 1964)}}
{{fan POV|date=June 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| image             = Cece Winans (cropped).jpg
| caption           = Winans in concert at [[Lagos, Nigeria]], December 2009
| birth_name        = Priscilla Marie Winans
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|1964|10|8}}
| birth_place       = [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]], U.S.
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Gospel music|Gospel]]|[[Contemporary Christian music|contemporary Christian]]|[[Contemporary R&B|R&B]]|[[Worship music|worship]]|[[Urban contemporary gospel|contemporary gospel]]}}
| occupation        = Singer
| years_active      = 1980–present
| label             = {{hlist|[[Sparrow Records]]|PMG/[[Atlantic Records]]|[[PureSprings Gospel]]}}
| associated_acts   = [[BeBe & CeCe Winans]], [[Kirk Franklin]], [[The Winans]], [[Whitney Houston]], [[Mary Mary]], [[Tasha Cobbs Leonard]]
| spouse            = Alvin Love II
| website           = {{URL|CeCeWinans.com}}
}}
'''Priscilla Marie Love''', (born October 8, 1964)<ref>{{Cite news |last=Myjoyline |date=20 Jul 2010 |title=Cece Winans prays for peace, God's will for Ghana as she readies for Adom Praiz |url=https://www.modernghana.com/entertainment/12616/cece-winans-prays-for-peace-gods-will-for-ghana-as-she-rea.html |work=Modern Ghana}}</ref> known professionally by her stage name as '''CeCe Winans''', ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|w|aɪ|n|æ|n|z|}})  is an American [[Gospel music|gospel]] singer who has received 17 [[Grammy Awards]], the most for any female gospel singer;<ref name="thatgrapejuice">{{Cite web |title=CeCe Winans Moves Up to 4th Place on List of GRAMMYs Most-Awarded Women Ever - That Grape Juice |url=https://thatgrapejuice.net/2022/04/cece-winans-extends-record-most-grammy-decorated-gospel-singer-history/?amp |access-date=April 4, 2022 |website=thatgrapejuice.net}}</ref> 36 [[GMA Dove Awards]], 28 [[Stellar Awards]], 7 [[NAACP Image Awards]], 4 [[Billboard Music Awards|''Billboard'' Music Awards]], and many [[List of awards received by CeCe Winans|other awards]] and honors including being one of the inaugural inductees into the [[Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame]] in [[Atlanta]]. She is the best-selling and most awarded female gospel singer of all time, and has a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] and on the [[Music City Walk of Fame]] in [[Nashville, Tennessee|downtown Nashville]].

Winans has 19 million record sales certified by [[RIAA]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/|title=Gold & Platinum|website=RIAA|access-date=April 4, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ovationag.com/news/2019/11/21/cece-winans-nominated-2020-grammy-best-gospel-album|title=CeCe Winans Nominated for 2020 Grammy Best Gospel Album &#124; Ovation Artist Group|website=www.ovationag.com|access-date=April 4, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2017/01/21/cece-winans-has-found-true-happiness-pastor/93994576/|title=CeCe Winans has found 'true happiness' as a pastor|first=Dave|last=Paulson|website=The Tennessean|access-date=April 4, 2022}}</ref> making her one of the best-selling [[List of best-selling gospel music artists|gospel music artists]]. She first rose to prominence during the 1980s as a member of the [[double platinum]] selling gospel duo [[BeBe & CeCe Winans]] with her brother, [[BeBe Winans|Bebe Winans]], before launching her own solo career. ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine lists all of her solo albums as top Gospel, Christian, and R&B music sellers, and six albums as a duo with her older brother Bebe.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/cece-winans/chart-history/ill/|title = CeCe Winans| magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] }}</ref>

==Early life==
Priscilla Marie Winans was born in [[Detroit]] to Delores and [[Pop Winans|David Winans]] of the famed [[Winans family|Winans Family]] gospel group, on October 8, 1964.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cece-winans-mn0000987922|title = CeCe Winans &#124; Biography, Albums, Streaming Links| website=[[AllMusic]] }}</ref> She is one of 10 children. Her parents were in the [[Church of God in Christ]] and only listened to gospel music. She sang her first solo at the age of eight.<ref name = "NPR">{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2017/02/02/512850020/at-this-age-this-is-who-i-am-the-gospel-according-to-cece-winans|title='At This Age, This Is Who I Am': The Gospel According To CeCe Winans |last=Hight |first=Jewly |date=February 2, 2017 |website=[[NPR]] |access-date=October 29, 2020 }}</ref>

==Duo with BeBe Winans==
Winans first went to [[Charlotte, North Carolina]] in 1981 as a singer on the Christian telecast ''[[The PTL Club]]'', hosted by [[Jim Bakker|Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker]]. While originally part of the larger Winans family singing group, CeCe and her older brother BeBe became a duo during their time at PTL, in response to positive reactions to their version of the song "[[Up Where We Belong]]" sung as a duet, with lyrics changed for Christian audiences. In 1984, CeCe and Bebe released their first album, ''[[Lord Lift Us Up]]'', for PTL Records. They achieved crossover success, eventually releasing nine Gold and Platinum recordings, billed as [[BeBe & CeCe Winans]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nmaam.org/2018/07/31/profile-bebe-cece-winans/ |title=Profile: BeBe & CeCe Winans |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=July 31, 2018 |website=[[National Museum of African American Music]] |access-date=October 29, 2020 |archive-date=January 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127023339/https://nmaam.org/2018/07/31/profile-bebe-cece-winans/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> CeCe left PTL in 1984 just before getting married. Her brother left in 1985. They released their second album in 1987: [[BeBe & CeCe Winans (album)|''BeBe & CeCe Winans'']]. BeBe & CeCe Winans are the first gospel artists to have their album ''[[Different Lifestyles]]'' sell more than a million units, only the second gospel album to do that after [[Amazing Grace]] by [[Aretha Franklin]].

==Solo career==
CeCe Winans began her solo career with the album ''Alone in His Presence'', released in 1995.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wagner |first=Naomi |date=2023-04-27 |title=CeCe Winans |url=https://blackmusicscholar.com/cece-winans-2/ |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=Black Music Scholar |language=en-US}}</ref> It was only the third album by a gospel artist to sell more than a million units. CeCe, along with her brother BeBe, also hold the honor of having the first gospel album to reach platinum by a gospel artist. "Alone In His Presence" earned her a [[Grammy Award]] and two [[Dove Awards]], including the Female Vocalist of the Year. Winans's next release, the [[Music recording sales certification|Gold-certified]] ''Everlasting Love'', was released in 1998 and featured Winans' highest-charting solo singles: "Well Alright" and "Slippin". The song "On That Day" from the album was written and produced by [[R&B]] singer [[Lauryn Hill]]. Later in 1998, Winans released ''[[His Gift]]''; a [[Christmas music|Christmas]] album.

In 1999, Winans started her own recording company, [[PureSprings Gospel]]. Her first album on the label was ''[[Alabaster Box (album)|Alabaster Box]]'' in 1999. Some production was done by gospel singer and musician [[Fred Hammond]]. It included a guest appearance by [[Take 6]]. In 2000 she released a concert VHS titled ''Live at the Lambs Theater in New York''. The concert contained songs from her previous albums. Winans released her next album, the self-titled [[CeCe Winans (album)|''CeCe Winans'']], in 2001. The single "Anybody Wanna Pray" included a guest appearance by [[GRITS]]. The second single, "Say A Prayer" crossed over into the [[Contemporary Christian music]] market.

Winans took a two-year break from releasing music and returned in 2003 with ''[[Throne Room (album)|Throne Room]]''. The first 1,000 copies were issued with a bonus CD that contained exclusive interviews with the artist, the making of the CD, some touring footage, and the music video "More Than What I Wanted" (which came from the 2001 release). In 2004, the 25-city tour ''Throne Room'' with the group [[Anointed (band)|Anointed]] featured free admission and was followed with a DVD release of the concert recorded in Tennessee. ''Live in the Throne Room'' contained tracks from all of Winans's albums. Around September 2004, she had what she thought was flu but turned out to be a serious stomach infection and was hospitalized immediately for surgery. Due to an extended recovery time, the second half of the ''Throne Room Tour'' was postponed to early 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/interviews/2005/cecewinans-1005.html |title= Purified by Fire|date= October 2005|author= LaTonya Taylor|access-date=August 25, 2007 |work= Christianity Today }}</ref>

Winans' seventh album ''[[Purified (album)|Purified]]'' was released in 2005. Her nephew [[Mario Winans]] was one of four producers. Her son Alvin III co-wrote several songs on the album, and her younger sisters Angie and Debbie performed. CeCe Winans' collection of Top Ten R&B radio hits includes "[[Count On Me (Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans song)|Count On Me]]", her duet with [[Whitney Houston]], from the ''[[Waiting to Exhale]]'' soundtrack. The single was certified [[Music recording sales certification|Gold]] in the US and reached No. 8 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], No. 4 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and No. 8 on the [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard R&B Singles]] chart.

Winans released her eighth album, ''[[Thy Kingdom Come (CeCe Winans album)|Thy Kingdom Come]]'' on April 1, 2008, featuring the single "Waging War". On October 6, 2009, a BeBe & CeCe reunion album named [[Still (BeBe & CeCe Winans album)|''Still'']] was released by [[Malaco Records]], and features collaborations with Marvin Winans and contemporary gospel sister duo [[Mary Mary]]. On December 23, 2010, Winans, along with Bebe and Mary Mary, featuring the [[West Angeles Church of God in Christ|West Angeles Choir]], performed on ''[[The Tonight Show with Jay Leno]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fusemix.com/en/the-leak/1729-cece-winans-and-bebe-winans-on-the-tonight-show-with-jay-leno|title=Cece Winans and Bebe Winans on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno 12/23/10|last=Fusemix}}</ref> From 2012 to 2014, Winans was a judge on [[BET]]'s gospel singing competition ''[[Sunday Best (American TV series)|Sunday Best]]'', along with her brother BeBe.<ref>{{cite web|title=CeCe Winans|url=https://www.bet.com/tag/3t7qs1/cece-winans|publisher=BET|access-date=April 9, 2014}}</ref>

In 2017, Winans released a tenth album, ''[[Let Them Fall in Love]]'', for which she won two Grammy Awards for Best Gospel Performance/Song and Best Gospel Album. In 2021 she released her first live worship album, ''Believe for It'', which won her three additional Grammy Awards (including Best Gospel Album) in April 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/news/2022-grammys-complete-winners-nominees-nominations-list|title=2022 GRAMMYs Awards Show: Complete Winners & Nominations List|website=www.grammy.com|access-date=April 29, 2022}}</ref> Her latest single called "Goodness of God" debuted on September 14, 2022.<ref>{{Citation |title=CeCe Winans - Goodness of God (Official Video) | date=September 14, 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sE5kEnitqE |language=en |access-date=2023-01-18}}</ref> On April 26, 2024, CeCe Winans released her most anticipated second live album 'More Than This' which went to number one on Billboard Top Gospel Album Charts, Top Christian Album charts, while the single 'That's My King' shot to number one on the Hot Gospel charts and the 1 Gospel Streaming Song. To promote her album, she appeared and sang on ''[[The Kelly Clarkson Show]]'', ''[[The Jennifer Hudson Show]]'', and on the season finale of ''[[American Idol]]'' singing 'Goodness of God' with contestant [[American Idol season 22|Roman Collins]]

Her 2024 Album "[[More Than This (CeCe Winans album)|More Than This]]" won Best Gospel Album at the [[67th Annual Grammy Awards|67th Grammy Award 2025]]. She also won for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance / Song at the [[67th Annual Grammy Awards|67th Grammy Award 2025]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=67th Annual GRAMMY Awards {{!}} GRAMMY.com |url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/67th-annual-grammy-awards-2024 |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=grammy.com}}</ref> with a song titled "That's my King."

==Books==
Winans has written four books: "''On A Positive Note"'', a memoir released August 1, 2000; "''Throne Room: Ushered Into the Presence of God"'', a devotional released January 1, 2004, and co-authored with Claire Cloninger;  "''Always Sisters: Becoming the Princess You Were Created to Be"'', released on July 17, 2007, co-written with Claudia Mair Burney; and most recently, "''Believe For It: Passing on Faith to the Next Generation''", released and published in 2024.

==Personal life==
Winans lives in [[Brentwood, Tennessee]],<ref name="ceceebony">{{cite news |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_n1_v54/ai_21270365 |title= At Home with CeCe Winans|access-date=August 25, 2007 |work= Ebony Magazine | first=Lynn | last=Norment | year=1998}}</ref> a suburb of [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]], with her husband Alvin Love II. They have two children, a son and a daughter.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Winans was a close friend of [[Whitney Houston]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iG6WqYZzLdQC&pg=PA88|title=Ebony|date=June 1996|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company}}</ref> and godmother to her daughter, [[Bobbi Kristina Brown]]. On February 18, 2012, Winans performed the songs "Don't Cry for Me" and "[[Jesus Loves Me]]" at Houston's funeral, at New Hope Baptist Church in [[Newark, New Jersey]].{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

==Discography==
:''See also [[BeBe & CeCe Winans#Discography|BeBe & CeCe Winans discography]]''
{{Main|CeCe Winans discography}}

* ''Alone in His Presence'' (1995)
* ''Everlasting Love'' (1998)
* ''[[His Gift]]'' (1998)
* ''[[Alabaster Box (album)|Alabaster Box]]'' (1999)
* ''[[CeCe Winans (album)|CeCe Winans]]'' (2001)
* ''[[Throne Room (album)|Throne Room]]'' (2003)
* ''[[Purified (album)|Purified]]'' (2005)
* ''[[Thy Kingdom Come (CeCe Winans album)|Thy Kingdom Come]]'' (2008)
* ''Songs of Emotional Healing'' (2010)
* ''[[Let Them Fall in Love]]'' (2017)
* ''Something's Happening'' (2018)
* ''[[Believe for It (album)|Believe for It]]'' (2021)
* ''[[More Than This (CeCe Winans album)|More Than This]]'' (2024)
* ''Joyful Joyful'' (2024)

==Videography==

===Concert===
{{Discography list
 | Type          =   video<!-- "Studio/EP/Live/Compilation/...", see codes below -->
 | Name          =   Live at the Lambs Theater in New York <!-- "Name" or "Name" (album or EP/single) -->
 | Other info    =   Recorded at the Lambs Theater in New York City<!-- added between parentheses after Name (album or EP) -->
 | from Album    =   <!-- ONLY FOR EP/SINGLE: added after Name -->
 | Released      =   2000<!-- "1992" or "February 11, 1992 -->
 | Format        =   VHS <!-- "LP/CD/..." -->
 | Label         =   <!-- "Name" or "[[Name Records|Name]]", comma if many -->
 | Writer        =   <!-- "Songwriter name" or "[[Songwriter name]]" -->
 | Producer      =   <!-- "Producer name" or "[[Producer name]]", comma if many -->
 | Director      =   <!-- "Director name" or "[[Director name]]" for music videos -->
 | Chart position=   <!-- "#1 U.S." or "#12 UK" or such -->
 | Sales         =   <!-- "3&nbsp;million sold as of 2005" or such -->
 | Certification =   <!-- "Gold" or such -->
 | Tracks        =   <!-- " "One", "Two", "Three" ", etc. -->
 | Bonus tracks  =   <!-- "Four" (Japan edition) -->
 | Singles       =   <!-- " "Single", "Other Single" ", etc. -->
}}
{{Discography list
 | Type          =   video<!-- "Studio/EP/Live/Compilation/...", see codes below -->
 | Name          =   Live in the Throne Room <!-- "Name" or "Name" (album or EP/single) -->
 | Other info    =   Recorded at the Cornerstone Church in [[Brentwood, TN]] <!-- added between parentheses after Name (album or EP) -->
 | from Album    =   <!-- ONLY FOR EP/SINGLE: added after Name -->
 | Released      =   2004<!-- "1992" or "February 11, 1992 -->
 | Format        =   DVD <!-- "LP/CD/..." -->
 | Label         =   <!-- "Name" or "[[Name Records|Name]]", comma if many -->
 | Writer        =   <!-- "Songwriter name" or "[[Songwriter name]]" -->
 | Producer      =   <!-- "Producer name" or "[[Producer name]]", comma if many -->
 | Director      =   <!-- "Director name" or "[[Director name]]" for music videos -->
 | Chart position=   <!-- "#1 U.S." or "#12 UK" or such -->
 | Sales         =   <!-- "3&nbsp;million sold as of 2005" or such -->
 | Certification =   <!-- "Gold" or such -->
 | Tracks        =   <!-- " "One", "Two", "Three" ", etc. -->
 | Bonus tracks  =   <!-- "Four" (Japan edition) -->
 | Singles       =   "Close to you" – Bebe Winans <!-- " "Single", "Other Single" ", etc. -->
}}

===Music videos===
*1996: "[[Count On Me (Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans song)|Count On Me]]" ([[Whitney Houston]] & Winans) 
*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===
:''This list does not include interviews or musical performances.''
*1994: ''[[Martin (TV series)|Martin]]'' (episode: "Go Tell It on the Martin")
*1997: ''[[Living Single]]'' (episode: "Oh, Solo Mio")
*1997–99: ''CeCe's Place'' (on the [[Odyssey Channel]])
*2002: ''[[7th Heaven (TV series)|7th Heaven]]'' (episode: "The Known Soldier")<ref name="cecebiopage">{{cite web |url=http://www.cecewinans.com/index.php?content=about |title=CeCe Winans Official Biography |access-date=August 3, 2007 |work=PureSprings Gospel |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070825094158/http://www.cecewinans.com/index.php?content=about |archive-date=August 25, 2007 }}</ref>
*2002: ''[[Doc (2001 TV series)|Doc]]'' (episode: "The Price of a Miracle")<ref name="cecebiopage"/>
*2003–: ''[[Praise the Lord (TV program)|Praise the Lord]]'' (occasional guest host)

;Other
{{Discography list
 | Type          =   video<!-- "Studio/EP/Live/Compilation/...", see codes below -->
 | Name          =   Journeys in Black: CeCe Winans<!-- "Name" or "Name" (album or EP/single) -->
 | Other info    =   BET documentary of Cece Winans's life<!-- added between parentheses after Name (album or EP) -->
 | from Album    =   <!-- ONLY FOR EP/SINGLE: added after Name -->
 | Released      =   2002<!-- "1992" or "February 11, 1992 -->
 | Format        =   DVD <!-- "LP/CD/..." -->
 | Label         =   <!-- "Name" or "[[Name Records|Name]]", comma if many -->
 | Writer        =   <!-- "Songwriter name" or "[[Songwriter name]]" -->
 | Producer      =   <!-- "Producer name" or "[[Producer name]]", comma if many -->
 | Director      =   <!-- "Director name" or "[[Director name]]" for music videos -->
 | Chart position=   <!-- "#1 U.S." or "#12 UK" or such -->
 | Sales         =   <!-- "3&nbsp;million sold as of 2005" or such -->
 | Certification =   <!-- "Gold" or such -->
 | Tracks        =   <!-- " "One", "Two", "Three" ", etc. -->
 | Bonus tracks  =   <!-- "Four" (Japan edition) -->
 | Singles       =   <!-- " "Single", "Other Single" ", etc. -->
}}

==Awards and nominations==
{{main|List of awards received by CeCe Winans}}
As a solo artist and alongside BeBe Winans, CeCe Winans has received 17 [[Grammy Award]]s,<ref>National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, [https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/cece-winans/7369 CeCe Winans], grammy.com, USA, retrieved May 8, 2021</ref> 33 [[Dove Awards]], and 23 [[Stellar Awards]].<ref>Gospel Music Association, [https://doveawards.com/awards/past-winners/ Past winners : CeCe Winans], doveawards.com, USA, retrieved May 6, 2021</ref> Winans has also been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Nashville Music City Walk of Fame, and was one of the inaugural inductees into the [[Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame]]. She has been inducted into the GMA Dove Gospel Music Hall of Fame and has been honored with the Aretha Franklin Icon Award at the Stellar Awards.

==See also==
*[[Winans family|The Winans Family]]
*[[List of best-selling gospel music artists]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
* Winans, CeCe: ''On a Positive Note'' (August 1, 2000)

==External links==
*{{Official website|http://www.cecewinans.com/}}
*{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p168317}}

{{CeCe Winans}}
{{BeBe & CeCe Winans}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Winans, Cece}}
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American women singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women singers]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American women singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American women singers]]
[[Category:American gospel singers]]
[[Category:American performers of Christian music]]
[[Category:Atlantic Records artists]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Pentecostals from Michigan]]
[[Category:Performers of Christian contemporary R&B music]]
[[Category:Singers from Detroit]]
[[Category:Urban contemporary gospel musicians]]
[[Category:Winans family|Cece]]