Remember that song Mercy Say No? We are about to put the spotlight on the singer.

CeCe Winans, whose full name is Priscilla Marie Winans Love, was born on October 8, 1964, in Detroit, Michigan. She’s often called the Queen of Gospel Music and is known as the most awarded and best-selling female gospel artist of all time.

From Family Choir to International Spotlight

CeCe grew up in a musical family as one of ten kids in the famous Winans clan. Her dad, “Pop” Winans, made sure they only listened to gospel music at home, but growing up in Detroit, she couldn’t help but pick up on the Motown and R&B sounds around her—something she later mixed beautifully into her gospel music.

She first gained prominence as part of a gospel duo (BeBe & CeCe Winans) and in the ’80s, they went double platinum, which helped pave the way for her solo career later on.

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Record-Breaking Excellence

CeCe Winans stands as a towering figure in gospel music, boasting an impressive array of accolades that showcase her extraordinary talent and impact. She has a total number of 17 Grammy Awards which is the highest for any female gospel artist. In addition to her Grammy success, CeCe has earned 33 Dove Awards, 24 Stellar Awards, 7 NAACP Image Awards, and 3 Billboard Music Awards.

Her record sales are equally astounding, with 19 million RIAA-certified records sold in the United States alone, and a staggering 27 million sold worldwide. CeCe’s contributions to music have not gone unnoticed, as she was honored with induction into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame and received stars on both the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Nashville’s Music City Walk of Fame.

Musical Milestones & Live Triumphs

CeCe’s solo career has seen her release fantastic albums. Some of them include:

• Believe for It (2021): This was her first live solo album, and it kicked off strong by debuting at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart. It picked up a Grammy for Best Gospel Album and won several Dove Awards as well.
• More Than This (2024): This also topped the Gospel and Christian charts, earning her another Grammy for Best Gospel Worship Album and a Billboard Music Award for the hit single “That’s My King.”
• Signature songs like “Never Lost,” released in 2020 from Believe for It, captured hearts and accolades—winning a Grammy and enjoying long-standing chart success .

Winans lives in Brentwood, Tennessee, which is a nice suburb of Nashville, with her husband Alvin Love II and they are blessed with children.

She was really close friends with Whitney Houston and is actually the godmother to Whitney’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown. On February 18, 2012, Winans sang “Don’t Cry for Me” and “Jesus Loves Me” at Whitney’s funeral, held at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey.

CeCe’s journey has been incredible, starting off as part of a duo and then breaking out as a global solo superstar. She’s racked up loads of awards, including BET, Soul Train, AMAs, and NAACP honors, along with multiple Spirit, Trumpet, and BMI awards. In 2022, she made history by becoming the first Black female solo artist to win the Artist of the Year award at the Dove Awards.