BEBE & CECE WINANS
Amidst many years of anticipation, BeBe & CeCe Winans have heard the cries from their fans to return...together. After 15 years, the wait is over. October will be ushered in with a new BeBe & CeCe project - Still, featuring the chart-topping single, "Close to you."
This brother-sister duo carries a great lineage as members of the Gospel dynasty, The Winans. Although they have had individual success, nothing compares to the magic that is sparked by their musical union. Since their last collaborative project, Relationships (1994), the multiple Grammy, Dove and Stellar-award winners continued to climb the charts individually.
After producing six studio-recorded projects, their accomplishments listed more than five million records worldwide, five Grammy Awards, eight Dove Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, A Soul Train Music Award and more than 12 Stellar Awards. Later, BeBe & CeCe ventured out on their own, earning more awards and making additional marks.
CeCe earned several Grammys, released eight CDs and became the first African-American woman to receive a Dove Award for best female vocalist. BeBe earned numerous awards, penned hits for other artists and released six solo projects. He also honed his acting skills, co-starring in productions such as the Broadway play, The Color Purple, in which he played Harpo and served as one of the judges of BET's Sunday Best for the 2009 season. But nothing compares to the BeBe & CeCe franchise. Their joint releases moved them to the top of the charts with a Grammy in 1987 for the self-titled project.
The 1991 release of Different Lifestyles earned them #1 status at the top of the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop chart, making them only the second Gospel act to claim this position (the first was Aretha Franklin's Amazing Grace in 1972).
Still returns with BeBe & CeCe at their best, immersed in their magical harmonies. Their songs offer a double entendre, making their music palatable to both Gospel and R&B radio formats. In addition, it offers a familiar, yet timeless formula which will undoubtedly earn them the same rave reviews fans are sharing after hearing "Close to you" on the radio and via various social websites.
BeBe describes the new project as a continuation of their evolving life and all of its accompanying elements. "Still BeBe & CeCe, still what we believe, still about God's love, still about the music and not the madness," he said. "It really says it all in that one word – still."
In the midst of this evolution, the brother-sister team suffered two tremendous losses – brother, Ronald in 2005 and their patriarch, David "Pop" in 2009. These trials are some of the contributing factors to the strengthening of their faith and testimonials through self-expression that have inspired some of BeBe's songwriting. "Life is altered when you lose someone you love," he said. "And even in that (loss), you can still (see the blessings of) a full life.
CeCe recalls, gleefully, the reaction from Pop after learning of the reunion. "He heard a song BeBe wrote called "We Need One Another Right Now," she said. "And as a father, it was his greatest prayer for our family, to always be there for each other." Both BeBe & CeCe agree, "our father was our greatest fan and he's looking down on us from heaven rejoicing."
