CeCe Winans

CeCe Winans

Priscilla Marie Love, professionally known as CeCe Winans, was born on October 8, 1964, in Detroit to Delores and David Winans, members of the renowned Winans Family gospel group. One of ten children raised in the Church of God in Christ, Winans sang her first solo at age eight and was immersed in gospel music from childhood. She first gained prominence in 1981 when she joined the Christian telecast The PTL Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she and her older brother BeBe formed a duo after receiving positive reactions to their rendition of "Up Where We Belong."

As BeBe & CeCe Winans, the siblings achieved significant crossover success throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, releasing nine Gold and Platinum recordings and becoming the first gospel artists to sell over one million copies of an album with "Different Lifestyles." After leaving PTL in 1984, CeCe launched her solo career in 1995 with "Alone in His Presence," which earned her a Grammy Award and established her as a powerhouse in gospel music. She founded her own label, PureSprings Gospel, in 1999, and released subsequent albums including "Everlasting Love" (1998), "Alabaster Box" (1999), "Throne Room" (2003), and "Purified" (2005).

Winans has become the best-selling and most awarded female gospel singer of all time, with 17 Grammy Awards—the most for any female gospel singer—along with 36 GMA Dove Awards, 28 Stellar Awards, and numerous other accolades. Notable collaborations include a duet with Whitney Houston on "Count On Me" from the "Waiting to Exhale" soundtrack, which reached number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. Her recent releases, including "Let Them Fall in Love" (2017), "Believe for It" (2021), and "More Than This" (2024), continue to chart at the top of Gospel and Christian music categories.

Beyond music, Winans has authored four books exploring faith and personal development. She has been honored with stars on both the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Nashville's Music City Walk of Fame, and was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame. Winans resides in Brentwood, Tennessee, with her husband Alvin Love II and their two children, maintaining an active presence in contemporary gospel music and popular culture.