Angie and Debbie Winans: The latest in the amazing Winans family tree pitching for record success

Wednesday 1st December 1993

ANGIE AND DEBBIE WINANS are the latest in a famed gospel dynasty. Tony Cummings reports.

Angie And Debbie
Angie And Debbie

Angie And Debbie are the latest in the astonishingly long line of Winans to get an album into the market place. But far from being a hastily signed act recorded purely on the strength of their surname, Angela and Deborah Winans have had to wait a goodly while before the mainstream showbiz spotlight has finally fallen on them. Even their billing was subject to change. First known as the Winans Sisters, then, after beginning to record their album for brother BeBe Winans' Benjamin label - which is pacted to Capitol Stateside, EMI here - referred to in interviews as The Sisters, it was finally under the name Angie And Debbie that the long awaited debut album was released.

'Angie And Debbie' is a storming set well worth the wait. Featuring an exciting blend of R&B, hip hop and pop rhythms and with lyrics that are hearteningly more Gospel-explicit than same crossover albums, the record is now creating a lot of mainstream pop and R&B interest. The promotion of the album and the single "Light Of Love" pulled from it is helped considerably by the fact that megastar Whitney Houston is guesting on "Light Of Love" and Angie And Debbie have been appearing as the opening act on Whitney's recent US shows.

Debbie told American journalist Tim A Smith, "First we give God all the honour. We thank God for Whitney considering us. Yes, we're family; we consider each other as 'real sisters', but she still could have chosen absolutely anybody. I mean, the album hadn't hit yet, the single hadn't hit, there's no video being played. Actually, we could be two people plum off the street as far as the audience is concerned. The difference is she believes in what we're talking about. We thank God for that."

Debbie has previously had links with Whitney Houston. She recorded a duet "He's A Friend" with Whitney's husband Bobby Brown. As long time backing vocalists for BeBe And CeCe it was a natural progression that BeBe should produce 'Angie And Debbie'. "It was a bunch of fun working with BeBe," enthuses Debbie.

The 'baby sisters' of the Winans clan are only too aware of the part their siblings have played in making opportunities for gospel. Says Angie, "The Winans family helped to pave the way for black contemporary (gospel) music. BeBe and CeCe widened the path, Angie and Debbie are kind of running down the pathway." Yet the group are not obsessed with pop chart gazing. "Our motive is to see souls touched and delivered," says Debbie. "We want to make sure we're in a place where God can move. The only thing that we watch is our lives. We want to make sure we're living according to the Word of God." Angie adds, "Hopefully, this is just the beginning. I hope that we have a big future, not for self indulgence, but that the Word can be spread." CR

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.
About Tony Cummings
Tony CummingsTony Cummings is the music editor for Cross Rhythms website and attends Grace Church in Stoke-on-Trent.


 

Be the first to comment on this article

We welcome your opinions but libellous and abusive comments are not allowed.












We are committed to protecting your privacy. By clicking 'Send comment' you consent to Cross Rhythms storing and processing your personal data. For more information about how we care for your data please see our privacy policy.