Priscilla Marie Winans Love (born October 8, 1964 in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., and is known professionally as CeCe Winans), is an American Gospel singer and winner of numerous Grammy Awards and Stellar Awards.
CeCe Winans was born in Detroit, Michigan, to David and Delores ("Mom" and "Pop") Winans, on October 8, 1964. She's the eighth of ten children, and the oldest of three girls.
Solo career
CeCe began her solo career with the Platinum certified album Alone in His Presence. It was released in 1995 and earned her a Grammy Award and 2 Dove Awards including the Female Vocalist of the Year, an award she earned again in 1997. Winans' next release, the Gold certified Everlasting Love was released in 1998 and featured Winans biggest Billboard charting singles to date "Well Alright" & "Slippin". The song "On That Day" from the album was written and produced by R&B singer Lauryn Hill. Later that year, Winans released His Gift a holiday album.
In 1999, Winans started her own recording company, "PureSprings Gospel". Her first album on the label was Alabaster Box in 1999. Some production of the disc was done by Gospel singer and musician, Fred Hammond. It included a guest appearance by Take 6. In 2000 Cece 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, in 2001. The single "Anybody Wanna Pray" included a guest appearance by GRITS. The second single, "Say A Prayer" crossed over into the CCM market.
Winans took a two year break from releasing albums and returned in 2003 with 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 featured free admission and was followed with a DVD release of the concert recorded in Tennessee near CeCe's place of residence. Live In the Throne Room contained tracks from all of Winans' albums. Around September 2004, Winans experienced what she thought was a flu but turned out to be a serious stomach infection and was hospitalized immediately for surgery. Due to the extended recovery time, the second half of the Throne Room Tour was postponed to early 2005.
Winans' 7th album Purified was released in 2005. Producers on board for the project were longtime BeBe & CeCe collaborator Keith Thomas, and CeCe's nephew Mario Winans. Winans' son Alvin III also co-writes several songs on the album and younger sisters Angie and Debbie Winans make an appearance as well.
CeCe's collection of Top Ten R&B radio hits include "Count on Me", her duet with Whitney Houston, from the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack. The single was certified Gold in the U.S. and reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, #4 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #8 on the Billboard R&B Singles charts.She has also released her 8th Album Thy Kingdom Come on April 1, to feature the single "Waging War."[5][1] The first single released from the album "Thy Will Be Done," was released digitally on iTunes on April 1, 2008
Upcoming releases
It was confirmed on her website that a reunion album with BeBe was planned and scheduled for release in early 2009. The album was released with the name 'Still ' and is the 9th album released by the famous brother / sister duo; the album was released under Capitol Records and features collaborations with Marvin Winans and Gospel Contemporary sisters duo Mary Mary. In early 2006, Winans stated that she would follow Purified with a holiday album. However this later was changed when "Thy Kingdom Come" a gospel album became the successor in her discography.
Books
CeCe has authored three books: On A Positive Note, a collection of her memoirs released August 1, 2000; and 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 and co-written with Claudia Mair Burney.
In 2009, CeCe announced her support for a multicultural Christian education curriculum from Abingdon Press, entitled "On the Move: God's Grace from Place to Place."
CeCe now resides in Forest Hills, Tennessee (a suburb of Nashville) with her husband Alvin Love and two children, Ashley and Alvin III. CeCe's children were featured in the BeBe & CeCe Winans music video "If Anything Ever Happened to You". Alvin III also appeared in the music video for "Well, Alright." They attend Born Again Church in Nashville, where CeCe is on the worship team and her kids are involved in the drama ministry. CeCe is a good friend of Whitney Houston as well as godmother to her child, as well as best friends with Co-Pastor of New Light Christian Center (Houston, Austin, Beaumont, Texas) Dr. Bridget E. Hilliard.
