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Vickie Winans

 
Black Biography: Vickie Winans
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gospel singer

Personal Information

Born Vivian Bowman c. 1953; raised in Ecorse, Michigan, near Detroit; mother a gospel singer; one of 12 children; daughter of Mattie Bowman. Married Rev. Marvin Winans, a gospel singer and pastor; later divorced; two children. Religion: Pentecostal.
Religion: Pentecostal.

Career

Gospel vocalist. Discovered by Rev. Marvin Winans; released debut album, Be Encouraged, 1985; released Total Victory, 1989; released The Lady, 1991; 1992 song "I'm Hooked" incorporated rap elements; released Vickie Winans, 1995; released Live in Detroit, 1997; released Live in Detroit, Vol. 2, 1999; released Share the Laughter gospel comedy disc, 1999; album Woman to Woman slated for release, 2000.

Life's Work

Although she rose to fame partly as a member by marriage of gospel music's most famous family, Vickie Winans has carved out an independent identity, musically and personally. Dubbed "the hardest working woman in gospel music," according to the Detroit News, Winans was a fixture of the gospel concert scene at the end of the 1990s, making more than 200 appearances a year. Her sense of humor and gutsy, down-to-earth stage persona, effectively displayed on a pair of top-selling live albums, were continuing to attract new fans to her recorded offerings and above all to her religious message. "My main, number one goal in life is that everybody be reached with the message of Jesus Christ," she told the Detroit Free Press.

A native of Ecorse, Michigan, just south of the gospel-drenched city of Detroit, Winans was born around 1953 (interviews from early 1999 in the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press each list her age as forty-five). Her full maiden name was Vivian Bowman, and her mother, Mattie Bowman, was a singer well known in local gospel circles. All twelve Bowman children (eight girls and four boys) were exposed to gospel music at the Pentecostal church the family attended, the International Gospel Center in Ecorse, and others besides Vickie became involved in music; her brother Tim Bowman is a noted gospel guitarist with a jazz-flavored style, and two of her sisters followed in their mother's footsteps as church musicians.

Sang in Bathtub

Despite all the emphasis on church music, it was in quite a different place that her vocal ability really got noticed. In a Detroit Free Press interview, Winans recalled a bathtub singing contest with her sisters that ended when one sister ran to tell their mother that "Vickie can sing for real, for real." She sang solos at church, accompanied by her brother on the guitar. One day, her singing attracted the attention of someone who was able to appreciate the depth of her abilities, and was in a position to do something about it.

The Rev. Marvin Winans, pastor of Detroit's Perfecting Church, was a member of the Grammy-winning group of gospel-singing brothers, The Winans. Several generations of Winans family members had become successful gospel performers, and the family had risen to the top levels of the gospel scene in a city with a great deal of strong competition. The Winans style was spiritual, emotional, rooted in traditional styles but also open to popular influences. And when Marvin Winans heard Vickie Bowman sing, she noted an immediate reaction: "When I saw him, I knew that I had him," she told the Free Press.

That turned out to be true in more ways than one: Vickie Bowman, in addition to becoming Marvin Winans's musical protegee, also became his wife. Her recording career, launched in 1985 with the album Be Encouraged on the Light label, by her own admission took off as a result of the influence of the Winans family, but she stood out as a performer from the start. After several releases in the late 1980s, which did well enough to merit an At Her Best collection, Winans struck off in several new directions. Her 1992 song "I'm Hooked" was an early example of the incorporation of rap into gospel music, and she appeared in several stage musicals; one of them, called The First Lady, told the story of a minister's wife who is faced with the challenge of taking over her church congregation after her husband's death.

Divorced from Marvin Winans

In a way, the musical's plot was a harbinger of the challenges Winans herself would face in the next stage of her career, for as a result of her divorce in the mid-1990s from Marvin Winans, she was forced to take charge of her own career and define herself apart from the Winans musical style and promotional empire. "It was a very hurting experience," she told the Free Press. "Both of us took it for granted that everything was OK. But, you know, after a while, it don't even matter whose fault it was." On top of the emotional stress, she suffered health problems: diabetes, and ulcerated vocal cords that required surgery.

She found solace by turning to her own creativity. "It was a difficult time for me, and so I sang songs that would bring me through the trying times," Winans told the Detroit News. Winans took control of her own business affairs (she handles her bookings and PR through her own firm, Viviane, Inc.), and came through her time of trials as a stronger performer than she had been as part of the Winans family circle. Channeling the emotions engendered by her divorce into such songs as "Long as I Got King Jesus," Winans began to make waves with her live appearances, and capitalized on them with the release of her 1997 album Live in Detroit, recorded at the city's Straight Gate Church.

Live Album Enjoyed Strong Sales

That album sold over 200,000 copies, a strong success by gospel standards; it remained on Billboard magazine's Top 40 Gospel Albums chart as of the summer of 1999. It spawned a follow-up, Live in Detroit II, which had a more upbeat mood than its predecessor. I'm healed and I'm celebrating," Winans told the Detroit Free Press. "I'm in my groove now. The Lord has defined me and showed me what I'm here to do." The album was accompanied by a concert video featuring Winans's mother, and individual videos of songs from the album gained considerable airtime on cable-television gospel programs.

The large crowds that greeted Winans at promotional events for Live in Detroit II made an auspicious beginning for an ambitious jump in the intensity of her career. Two more Winans albums followed in quick succession, each displaying a different side of her personality and exposing listeners to her considerable versatility. The most unusual project was Share the Laughter, one of the few comedy recordings in the history of black gospel; the album included such Winans stage routines as "Y'All Raggedy Too?" and "Daddy Can't Sing." "People Think I'm funny, but I'm not just being funny," Winans explained to the Free Press. Laughter is universal and laughter is good medicine. The Bible says, 'A merry heart does good like medicine'" (Proverbs 17:22). Slated for release as of early 2000 was the third leg of the Winans trilogy, Woman to Woman, a set of gospel and inspirational songs aimed at women who were trying to survive periods of adversity in their lives. Winans had done just that, and emerged as a gospel star.

Awards

Nominated for five Grammy awards.

Works

Selected discography

  • Be Encouraged, Light, 1985.
  • Total Victory, Light, 1989.
  • The Lady, MCA, 1991.
  • The Best of All, CGI/Light, 1991.
  • Vickie Winans, CGI, 1995.
  • Live in Detroit, CGI, 1997.
  • Live in Detroit, Vol. 2, CGI, 1999.
  • Share the Laughter, CGI, 1999.
  • Woman to Woman, CGI, 2000.

Further Reading

Books

  • Graff, Gary, Josh Freedom du Lac, and Jim McFarlin, MusicHound R&B, Visible Ink, 1998.
Periodicals
  • Billboard, November 20, 1999, p. 41.
  • Detroit Free Press, April 12, 1990, p. C1; May 6, 1991, p. E2; June 11, 1999, p. C1.
  • Detroit News, June 23, 1999.
Online
  • http://www.allmusic.com.
  • http://www.capitalentertainment.com.
  • http://www.timbowman.com/bio.html.
  • http://www.vickiewinans.com.

— James M. Manheim

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Artist: Vickie Winans
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Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Pop Artists

Similar Artists:

BeBe Winans, CeCe Winans

Followers:

Kimberley Locke

Performed Songs By:

Marvin Winans, Dottie Rambo, Rev. James Cleveland

Worked With:

Iona Locke, Tim Bowman, Mario Winans

Relationship With:

Mario Winans, The Winans
See Vickie Winans Lyrics
  • Active: '80s, '90s, 2000s
  • Genres: Gospel
  • Instrument: Vocals
  • Representative Albums: "The Best of All," "Vicki Winans," "Share the Laughter"
  • Representative Songs: "We Shall Behold Him," "Work It Out," "No Cross, No Crown"

Biography

Award-winning singer Vickie Winans comes from a large family of impressive gospel singers. She began her career when she was a small child, performing with family. All grown up, she completed her debut solo album, Be Encouraged, in 1985. It was the first of a long line of recordings that would bring her a number of hits and music awards. Born the seventh child of a still-growing family, Winans was raised in Detroit, MI. Her entire family was a musical one, and deeply religious as well. She was only about eight years old when she began singing at the family church, astounding the audience with her vocal ability. Her love for the Gospel and music was the perfect combination. She's shared success with the famous Winans family, for she married Marvin Winans and eventually joined forces with the gospel group. Vickie's first solo album carries a track that became her signature song, "We Shall Behold Him." The debut full-length offering also earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Contemporary Soul Gospel Album, a Stellar Award for Album of the Year, and an Excellence Award for Best Female Contemporary Artist. It was a foretelling of what was to come. Through the latter half of the '80s into the next decade, Winans recorded several award-winning albums. When not in the recording studio, she spent much of her time performing more than 200 nights most years. She has also made numerous television appearances on shows like Oprah, the Grammy Awards, Arsenio Hall, Queen Latifah, and The Pat Sajak Show and starred in Broadway musicals like Don't Get God Started. Winans' music can be deeply gospel, contemporary Christian, or any mixture in between. Her most famous songs include "We Shall Behold Him," "Daddy Can't Sing," "First Trumpet Sound," "The Diet Medley," "Boyfriends," "Its Yo Thang," "Give It One More Try," "Sweeter Than the Honeycomb," and "Little Timmy." In 2002 she released Woman's Journey, followed the next year by Bringing It All Together and, in 2006, Woman to Woman: Songs of Life, a 33-track live and studio album that was ten years in the making. ~ Charlotte Dillon, All Music Guide
Wikipedia: Vickie Winans
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
 This article is written like an advertisement. Please help rewrite this article from a neutral point of view. For blatant advertising that would require a fundamental rewrite to become encyclopedic, use {{db-spam}} to mark for speedy deletion. (July 2008)
Vickie Winans
Birth name Viviane Bowman
Born October 18, 1953 (1953-10-18) (age 56)
Genres Gospel
Occupations CEO, Singer-songwriter, music producer
Instruments Mezzo-Soprano
Years active 1985–present
Labels Light, MCA, CGI/Intersound, Tommy Boy Gospel, Verity, Destiny Joy
Associated acts Marvin Winans, Sr.
Mario Winans
Winans family
Website www.VickieWinans.com

Vickie Winans (born Viviane Bowman on October 18, 1953) is a American Gospel recording artist.

Contents

Biography

The seventh of twelve children, Vickie was born in Detroit, Michigan to Mattie A. Bowman, a housewife mother and Aaron Bowman, a father who worked at various times as a laborer, contractor, carpenter and mason. She began singing in church – the International Gospel Center –, at the age Hehe__The_Complete_History_Of_A_Gospel_Music_Institution/25462/p1/|title=Vickie Winans: The Complete History Of A Gospel Music Institution|publisher=www.crossrhythms.co.uk|accessdate=2008-05-14}}</ref>.

After high school, she married Bishop Ronald Brown of Faith Tabernacle Deliverance Temple in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Together they had a son Mario Bowman, now known as Mario Winans [1]. In June 1978, she married Marvin Winans of popular gospel group, The Winans and her son Mario took on the Winans family name. With Marvin she has son Marvin Jr (Coconut).Vickie is a loving mother to her sons and a loving godmother to her goddaughter La'Niece Bridgeforth and a loving grandmother to her darling grandchildren At the end of 2003, Vickie married businessman Joe McLemore [1].

Vickie lost her mother Evangelist Mattie Bowman on December 12, 2006[2].

Divorce

1995 saw the breakup of her marriage with Pastor Marvin Winans, Sr. after 16 years of marriage. The stress of the divorce caused her to develop ulcers on her esophagus and diabetes and began to eat excessively putting on a lot of weight. "I gained the bulk of the weight right after I divorced Marvin" she said. "I really went through a lot. I got ulcers and I was on medication. I was sick from the stress of the divorce" [3].

Career

It was her marriage to Marvin that led Vickie to consider a career in music. She was asked to, and joined, Winans Part II, a group that included then in-laws BeBe and CeCe Winans and later brother Daniel Winans. However, the group never took off as BeBe and CeCe left to join the PTL Singers of long-running Christian television show, The PTL Club.

Light Records: 1985–1990

The Winans became the best selling act on their record label, Light Records, and this enabled husband Marvin to secure her a recording contract [1]. Her solo album Be Encouraged was released in 1987 and became a major gospel hit. The LP included a cover of Dottie Rambo's "We Shall Behold Him", as well as "First Trumpet Sound", a gospelized remake of Gladys Knight & The Pips' "Midnight Train To Georgia". Be Encouraged netted a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album, a Stellar Award for Album of the Year, and an Excellence Award for Best Female Contemporary Artist.

Her followup album, Total Victory was markedly less successful, due in part to the financial floundering of Light Records after flagship group The Winans left to join Quincy Jones' Qwest Records.

MCA Records: 1990–1991

In 1990, Vickie signed, not to a gospel recording company but to Geffen Records. Unfortunately, Geffen was bought by Universal Records and Vickie's contract was shifted to sister label MCA Records. Dealing with a company that hadn't signed her, she found herself being subtly pushed to tone down the Christian message in her music. "They don't tell you, but you get the vibe," she said in 1999. "I don't ever, ever, ever want to be in that predicament again. It's one thing when you just sing a song where you don't use the actual name of Jesus, but it's a whole 'nother thing when you TRY not to use the name. For me, the name of Jesus will never be distasteful in my mouth. He's always the answer" [4].

Her 1991 MCA release was The Lady which included production by R. Kelly, husband Marvin Winans, and her son Mario. The nine-song album was missing the name Jesus and controversially contained a rendition of West Side Story's "Somewhere". MCA then sent Vickie to that year's Stellar Awards television broadcast with dancers – a move that shocked the conservative Christian community, leading to the Winans having to issue a public apology[1].

This controversy led to the Gospel community not backing the album, and after also failing to break through on contemporary R&B radio, MCA eventually dropped Winans from their roster.

Intersound/CGI: 1994–2002

After 3 year without a recording contract, former Word Records executive James Bullard signed Vickie to Intersound Records, an Atlanta-based classical recording label, for which he was forming a gospel music division. Her label debut Vickie Winans rose to #10 on the gospel charts, spawning the hits Work It Out and We Shall Behold Him. However, she developed nodes on her vocal cords, causing her to fail to hit all the right notes in her re-recording of We Shall Behold Him[1].

Live in Detroit

She ran across a James Cleveland classic tune from the 1960s called As Long As I Got King of Jesus and used it as the lead single and megahit for a traditionally-styled album in 1997 titled Live In Detroit. Recorded live at Bishop Andrew Merrit's Straight Gate Church, Winans recorded simple arrangements of "Great Is Thy Faithfulness", Bill Gaither's "Because He Lives" and Candi Staton's "The Blood Rushes". Another James Cleveland classic, "No Cross, No Crown", was also a hit from the album.

Intersound/CGI financed a video for "Long As I Got King Jesus", that boosted the sales of the album. It eventually sold 200,000 units[1]. The album earned Winans a Grammy nomination for Best Soul Gospel Album and two Stellar Award nominations for Best Female Vocalist and Best Video ("Long As I Got King Jesus").

Live in Detroit II and Share the Laughter

Intersound/CGI realised capitalised on Winans' star quality by planning to release three Vickie Winans albums in 1999 – a May release of Live In Detroit II, followed by the Share The Laughter comedy album in July and capping the year with an October release called Woman To Woman: Songs Of Survival. They launched their most expensive marketing campaign ever to promote the project[citation needed].They bought full page color ads in magazines, shot a concept video for the song "Already Been To The Water" and hired Capital Entertainment (which handled CeCe Winans and Bishop T. D. Jakes at the time) to handle Winans' press coverage. They were able to book Vickie on Queen Latifah, various BET shows and Jenny Jones, among other high profile television programs and got her the most press coverage she'd had since she toured with the Winans Family Tour in 1992 [1].

Live in Detroit II was a major success, reaching #3 on the gospel charts, only failing to top the charts because of Kirk Franklin's success with The Nu Nation Project in the same year.

Share the Laughter did not do as well, but for a standup comedy album, its sales were far from disappointing considering Intersound/CGI was on its last legs and soon closed [5].

Hiatus: 2000–2002

Vickie Winans troubles with recording companies continued after Intersound/CGI closed and released her from her contract. In early 2000, she signed with Tommy Boy Gospel. Woman To Woman was scheduled as the third album in the trilogy, but the label folded before the album could be released.

In 2002, she signed with Verity Records at the invitation of her longtime friend Max Siegel who had assumed leadership of the label[5].

Verity Records: 2003–2006

After a four-year hiatus, in 2003, Winans released Bringing It All Together which featured "Shake Yourself Loose", written and produced by her son, Mario. Leaving nothing to chance, she dipped deep into her own pockets to create a marketing strategy that most gospel labels would never spend on a project. She spent well over $200,000 creating five music videos, hiring independent radio teams, promotional marketing teams and creating a 50 city-promotional concert tour to launch the CD[5].

The strategy paid off as the album debuted at #1 on the Billboard gospel music charts. It spent nine weeks at #1 and a full year in the Top 10[6]. The album also garnered 8 Stellar Awards nominations, winning 5 and a Grammy nomination.

Woman to Woman: Songs of Life, was released on August 8, 2006 [7].

Current activities

Most recently, Winans requested and was granted a release from her recording contract with Verity Records in order to pursue her independent venture, Destiny Joy Records. The new label's name is very personal to Vickie Winans:

"Right after I had my son, Coconut (Marvin Winans Jr.), I got pregnant with a little girl. We were planning to name her Destiny Joy Winans. Unfortunately, However, I miscarried during my fifth month and lost my baby who only weighed one pound. I named that baby Marvlyn Loreal Winans after her father Marvin Lawrence Winans Sr and kept the name Destiny Joy alive - not knowing one day that I would start this label and name it after her"[8].

Through Destiny Joy, she intends to release a fitness DVD titled Laugh While You Lose, a comedy DVD, and a Christmas album, in addition to releases from signees Denise Tichenor and Datisha Pickett[citation needed].

Her profile on BET's Sunday morning TV series "Lift Every Voice" remains the most watched episode in that program's history with over 800,000 viewers[6].

Recently, Black Entertainment Television (BET) signed Winans to host a new comedy TV series, “A Time to Laugh.” Winans has already begun taping is signed on to tape 30 episodes that feature her hilarious talent plus other G-rated comedians and inspirational music. The show focuses on good clean family comedy! The series will debut on BET in January 2010.

How I Got Over

How I Got Over (Destiny Joy Records) is the name of Winans' self-produced CD that hits stores on August 25, 2009. The eleven-song project is a well blended collage of traditional and urban contemporary songs. Her first radio single, “How I Got Over” is Winans’ personal testimony. Taking a line from an old hymn classic favorite, Winans creates a brand new song that celebrates her victories, faith and trust in God. It opens with an upbeat, but old school church flavor and breaks down into a contemporary vamp before she slams a closing with her nephew, Tim Bowman Jr. who lays down some jazzy scats. The song's music video was shot in the basement of Winans' home. [9] The project is rounded out with another brilliant dance song “Heyyy” (featuring Tye Tribbett and her goddauhter La'Niece Bridgeforth), “Release It” (a tear jerking ballad), “Swoop” and others. On April 15, 2011, Vickie Winans will be moving to The Bronx with Karen Clark-Sheard, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Yolanda Adams, Whitney Houston, Kim Burrell, Fantasia, and others.

Discography

Albums

  • Be Encouraged (Light, 1985)
  • Total Victory (Light, 1989)
  • Best of All (Light, 1991)
  • The Lady (Selah/MCA, 1991)
  • Vickie Winans (Intersound, 1995)
  • Live In Detroit (Intersound, 1997)
  • Live In Detroit II (Intersound, 1999)
  • Share the Laughter (CGI/Platinum, 1999)
  • Best of Vickie Winans (CGI/Platinum, 2002)
  • Bringing It All Together (Verity, 2003)
  • Greatest Hits (Light/Artemis, 2005)
  • Woman to Woman: Songs of Life (Verity, 2006)
  • Happy Holidays from Vickie Winans (Destiny Joy, 2007)
  • Praise & Worship (Verity, 2008)
  • How I Got Over (Destiny Joy, 2009)

Notable singles

  • "Don't Throw Your Life Away"
  • "Just When (featuring Marvin Winans)"
  • "Work It Out"
  • "Shake Yourself Loose"
  • "It's Alright"
  • "Special Day"
  • "The Rainbow"
  • "Kids Love Jesus Too"

External links

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Vickie Winans: The Complete History Of A Gospel Music Institution". www.crossrhythms.co.uk. http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/Vickie_Winans__The_Complete_History_Of_A_Gospel_Music_Institution/25462/p1/. Retrieved 2008-05-14. 
  2. ^ "VICKIE WINANS MOURNS THE LOSS OF MOTHER, MATTIE BOWMAN: Bowman passes away Tuesday night". http://www.eurweb.com/story/eur30398.cfm. Retrieved 2008-05-14. 
  3. ^ "Vickie Winans: at home with the gospel star who lost 75 pounds and reenergized her career". http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_/ai_105853317. Retrieved 2008-05-14. 
  4. ^ Gospel Today Magazine
  5. ^ a b c : Spotlight Grooves :. Your Source for Soul | Artist Details
  6. ^ a b "Vickie Winans Launches Her Own Recording Label". http://www.detroitgospel.com/dgcontent/articles/17/1/Vickie-Winans-Launches-Her-Own-Recording-Label/Page1.html. 
  7. ^ "Vickie Winans". NuttinButGospel.com. http://www.nuthinbutgospel.com/spotlight_vickiewinans.htm. 
  8. ^ "VICKIE WINANS LAUNCHES RECORD LABEL: Vickie Winans departs from Verity Records". http://gospelmusicbites.com/2007/05/17/vickie-winans-launches-record-label-vickie-winans-departs-from-verity-records/. Retrieved 2008-05-14. 
  9. ^ How I Got Over Songfacts

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Black Biography. Contemporary Black Biography. Copyright © 2006 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
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