One of the most influential and controversial of all Christian music luminaries, ANDRAE CROUCH visits these shores in October. Tony Cummings fills in the history.

Now, after 10 years, Quincy Jones has signed Andrae to a seven year, seven album deal, which guarantees Crouch fans new music through the end of the millennium. Crouch is also hastily putting together a Christmas album/video to be released in the autumn. It's a testament to Crouch's busyness and perfectionism that 'Mercy' was in the planning for about eight years. Over those years, he had written some 500 songs for it. "I just didn't know what songs to put on this record, that's one reason it took so long to put it out. I like them all and then I started working on them and God would give me other ideas... But I'm glad I have that problem," he laughs. "It's a blessing to have too much food."

In evaluating the album's message, Crouch insists that, "it's not an album that points its finger and beats you with it. It's a cry for us to return to the real reason for what we do. It's a cry for us to get in line for what he wants us to be so he can do something with us." Crouch is happy that he is picking up younger listeners with the album. "I want to focus on giving kids a touch. You can see that. I'm saying, 'Hey, man, come over here. Get away from the hoopla hoopla and the yo-yo Jesus, because God really has a touch on you.'

"The reason the album is called 'Mercy' is that he took so much patience with me and said, 'Andrae, I'll give you music, you just go forth. Don't worry about how brilliant somebody's skill is or how much better you think they can sing than you. Don't worry about that because it's the anointing I place on you.'"

The young lady who typed in the lyrics for the 'Mercy' CD booklet was equally moved by Crouch's words, and she'd never even heard of him before. "She told me, 'I do this for all the groups at Qwest and I started crying on some of these songs when I was typing and I didn't even know why... It just touched my heart, it was so refreshing.'" With testimonials like that about the new album and his involvement with his parent's church, Crouch beams, "I just feel like my ministry is more defined now."