BeBe Winans | |
|---|---|
 Winans at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Benjamin Glenn |
| Born | (1962-09-17)September 17, 1962 (age 62) Detroit,Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, producer |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Labels |
|
| Website | www |
Benjamin "BeBe"Winans (born September 17, 1962)[1] is an Americangospel andR&B singer fromDetroit,Michigan. He is a member of the notedWinans family, most members of which are also gospel artists. Winans has released nine solo albums, seven with his sisterCeCe asBeBe & CeCe Winans, and one with three Winans brothers.
Winans released severalalbums, first with his sisterCeCe, and later as asoloartist. Jim Bakker's television showThe PTL Club took interest in BeBe and his sister CeCe as background vocalists for the show. After going toNorth Carolina to audition they were accepted. The siblings moved to the PTL campus in North Carolina, and were on the show for about five years.
During their time on PTL,BeBe and CeCe recordedLord Lift Us Up on PTL's label after popular demand on the show. Eventually the success warranted another effort: a full-length album. The album did well on the charts. BeBe and CeCe left PTL to pursue their singing career and recorded five albums together including self-titledBeBe & CeCe Winans,Heaven,Different Lifestyles,First Christmas andRelationships. In 1995, BeBe and CeCe split up to pursue solo careers. But in 2009, they did the albumStill together. On it was the song "Close to You," which won aDove Award in 2010 in the category of Urban Recorded Song.
In 1989, BeBe won his first Grammy for Best Soul Gospel Performance, Male for his contribution to "Abundant Life", a track on his brother Ronald's Family & Friends Choir.
BeBe signed with Atlantic records in late 1996 and delivered a self-titled solo debut in 1997. The album featured the singles "In Harms' Way", "Thank You", and the international crossover hit "I Wanna Be the Only One" featuring British soul trioEternal. The song topped theUK Singles Chart in Eternal's native United Kingdom in May 1997.
The next album released was the fruit of a new deal with Motown Records.Love & Freedom was released in 2000 and featured production fromWarryn Campbell,Brian McKnight,Masters At Work and others. The lead single "Coming Back Home" was a slow swinging ballad featuring R&B luminaries McKnight andJoe. Another single was BeBe's remake of theStevie Wonder classic "Jesus Children of America" featuring his older brother Marvin (The Winans,Winans family) and Stevie Wonder himself.[2]
Two years later, a live albumLive & Up Close followed. The album was recorded live at BET studios and featured guests such as his sister Debra Winans-Lowe andStephanie Mills. The set was released on both CD & DVD. The CD included the studio version of "Do You Know Him?" which served as the album's first single.[3]
By 2003, BeBe had started his own record label, The Movement Group, and partnered with Still Waters, an inspirational and gospel imprint ofHidden Beach Recordings.[4] The first album under this deal was 2004's largely orchestral holiday album entitledMy Christmas Prayer which first appeared exclusively for sale at Starbucks coffee shops nationwide.[5] Between releases, BeBe made his film debut with a small role in the 2004 remake (featuringDenzel Washington) ofThe Manchurian Candidate.
Early the next year, BeBe released his third proper solo albumDream featuring the single "I Have A Dream".[6] The song featured samples of the historic speech by Martin Luther King, and was released to several radio stations to coincide with King's birthday celebrations.[7] The cover of the album features a hand painted portrait of BeBe standing in front of a Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. street sign. Also "Miracle Of Love," a duet with Angie Stone included on the album, also appeared on a soundtrack of songs inspired by the filmThe Passion Of The Christ.[8]
On September 30, 2003, at Hollywood's Kodak Theater, Bebe performed two songs withAnastacia; a duet for her song "Heavy on my Heart" and backup vocals for a cover version of the Aerosmith song "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing". The performance was for the fourth annual "Women Rock" benefit for breast cancer, which was broadcast on October 23, 2003, on the Lifetime cable channel.
Winans performed a duet withEden Espinosa on the 2008Alma Awards which was broadcast on ABC on September 12. 2008. Winans and Espinosa sang "I Don't Know Much" as a tribute to honoreeLinda Ronstadt. Bebe performed "Born for This" on the Obama/Biden Inauguration tribute Change is Now CD+DVD set. BeBe & CeCe Winans had confirmed a reunion album scheduled for early 2009.
Winans hosts his own nationallysyndicatedradio program,The BeBe Winans Radio Show. BeBe Winans has starred in Broadway'sThe Color Purple as Harpo as of January 9, 2008. He is starring alongsideChaka Khan who is playing his wife, Sofia.
Since 2010, Winans has been the host ofSunday morning radio showThe BeBe Experience forSiriusXM'sHeart & Soul airs every Sunday Morning
Winans was one of the judges for a gospel music competition show onBET calledSunday Best, along with gospel duoMary Mary. He was invited to participate in the remake of "We Are The World" to benefitHaiti after the2010 earthquake. Bebe together with Cece and Mary Mary featuring the West Angeles Choir performed onThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno.[9]
In 2012, Winans releasedThe Whitney I Knew, a memoir aboutWhitney Houston, who had died earlier that year. Winans was a close friend of the singer, and sang at her funeral.[10]
In March 2014, Winans joined British pop/R&B groupEternal at theHammersmith Apollo in London, to perform the number one hit "I Wanna Be the Only One", as part ofThe Big Reunion live shows.
In March 2025, Winans achieved his third number-one onBillboards's Gospel Airplay chart (fourth if includingCeCe) with "Father In Heaven (Right Now)" (featuringGerald Albright), following "In Jesus Name" in 2021 and "He Promised Me" in 2018.[11] BeBe, with CeCe, also had a number-one hit on the Gospel Airplay chart with "Close to You" in 2009.[12]
In November 2007, Winans filed suit inDavidson County, Tennessee against Eric Peterson, who had managed him between 2002 and 2007. Winans's claims included breach of a managerial contract and of fiduciary duties, as well as fraud. Winans asserted that Peterson stole from him and took advantage of his trust, stating that in February 2002, "Mr. Peterson induced Mr. Winans to execute a power of attorney, representing that it was required to permit Mr. Peterson to perform his services. In fact, on December 31, 2004, Mr. Peterson used the power of attorney to execute a promissory note purporting to obligate Mr. Winans to pay Mr. Peterson himself the sum of $150,000."[13]
Winans was arrested March 11, 2009, on charges of domestic assault for allegedly pushing his ex-wife to the ground in front of their children during an argument. According to a court filing, Winans and his former spouse got into a "verbal altercation" on February 13 about "custody issues dealing with their children."[14] On December 4, 2009, the domestic assault criminal charges against Winans were dismissed.[15][16] An AP news report indicates the court action resulted from a pre-trial diversion deal offered by the prosecution, calling for Winans to attend domestic violence counseling in exchange for dismissal of the charges.[17]
The Whitney I Knew,Worthy Publishing, July 2012ISBN 9781617950841
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