At 7:30 p.m., Friday, October 12, there’s gonna be some church going on in the Carson Center when the gorgeous, dynamic, gorgeous, faithful, gorgeous, inspirational gospel great Vickie Winans takes to the stage. As soon as she sings, and even beforehand, the concert hall will fill with some significant spirit – the kind those touched by a higher power share so seamlessly.
Thanks to her friendship with Earlie and Danny Fugate, the multi-Grammy-nominated Winans eagerly agreed to include Paducah in her “A Special Evening with Vickie Winans” tour. She’s hitting 20 cities this month, alone.
Her Friday performance will benefit the work of the McCracken County Community Career Endowment (MCCCE) and Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church. The Fugates are members of Mt. Moriah and serve on the MCCCE board.
Actually, it’s the Fugates’ son, Kendall Isaiah Washington, who captured Winans’ heart. Back in 2004, Winans invited the then 7-year-old, whom she’d heard was a huge fan, to join her on stage in Chicago. The duo belted out her famous Shake Yourself Loose, one of Kendall’s favorites, and about brought the house down.
Kendall knows all of Winans’ songs by heart and performs them often at various gatherings – including a performance earlier this year at the Apollo Theater in New York! Word is that Kendall will join Winans on stage Friday for a repeat performance of Shake Yourself Loose.
It’s kids like Kendall who keep her inspired, Winans told Earlie Fugate and Rev. Bernice Belt, who spreads the good word at Washington Street Missionary Baptist Church and through her famous emails to a long list of friends. Rev. Belt – whose own gorgeous voice is touched by that same higher power – will emcee Friday’s performance. The ArtsReach youth chorus will open for Winans.
Fugate and Rev. Belt conducted a live and lively interview with Winans on the October 5 First Friday program on WDXR-1450, hosted by JW Cleary and Patrick White. They even coaxed her to sing a few lines from The Rainbow, one of her most inspiring songs.
Making of a Gospel MegaStar
Viviane Bowman was the seventh of 12 children born to a hardworking but poor Detroit family. She started singing church solos at the age of 8. As a young adult, she joined BeBe and CeCe Winans as their back-up singer. She became a Winans, herself, when she married their brother, Marvin.
The two raised two more Winans prodigies – hit producers and singers Marvin Jr. (right) and Mario, both of whom often collaborate with their mom. (Winans is now married to executive Joe McLemore.)
Winans’ first solo album, the Grammy-nominated Be Encouraged, came along in 1985 and featured her well-known song, We Shall Behold Him. Her 1997 Grammy-nominated album, Live In Detroit, catapulted Winans into superstardom, thanks to the mega-hit Long As I Got King Jesus, a cover of a James Cleveland classic.
In 2003, Winans released Bringing It All, which debuted at No. 1 on the gospel charts. Three years later, she offered the double-disc, 33-song Woman to Woman: Songs of Life.
Living the Messages She Sings
Dubbed the hardest-working woman in gospel, Winans has certainly been through some hard times.
“I’ve been through almost everything that a woman can possibly go through,” she notes on her Web site. “I’ve been through divorce, sickness, poverty, losing a child, a near death experience, weight loss and gain. I tell people that I’ve been evicted, convicted, possessed, repossessed, the whole nine yards! But literally, I have been through it all.”Today, all is looking hot! Winans’ big news is that she’s now recording under her own independent venture, Destiny Joy Records. Her new Happy Holidays from Vickie Winans album was just released and adds much-needed spark to those old holiday standards. The CD will be on sale at Friday’s concert.
Tickets on Sale Now Tickets for “A Special Evening with Vickie Winans” are available online or at the Carson Center box office. The prices range from $20-$60. We hope to see you on this Special Day!
