During Black History Month, Fitz is saluting gospel royal families. This week he examines the legacy of the legendary Andraé Crouch and his twin sister Sandra.

The Winans | Andraé and Sandra Crouch

Andraé and Sandra Crouch As part of this series looking at gospel's royal families, the ultimate salute must go out to Andraé Crouch and his twin sister Sandra. Andraé Crouch can be considered as the man who advanced the contemporary gospel movement. We can look at today's pioneers like Fred Hammond, Kirk Franklin and the Winans family (who I looked at last week) as important figures in gospel history, but it was Andraé Crouch who pioneered the modern vibe in the gospel world. Born in California, singer, songwriter and producer Andraé wrote his first song at the age of 9. Some of his songs are still sung in churches today and I can definitely testify to that! He formed a group called the The Disciples in the late 1960's which included contributions from his twin sister Sandra who is a drummer and percussionist. The group also featured a vocalist who is the aunt of Donnie McClurkin. Over Andraés' career he has accomplished the following: 14 albums released (plus a new album called "Mighty Wind" out next month), 9 Grammys and is only the third gospel artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Plus I forgot to mention that he was responsible for launching the careers of Tramaine Hawkins and the Winans family. So would there be a Mario Winans without the legend Andraé Crouch? Possibly not!

Back to top

The Winans | Andraé and Sandra Crouch

Listen to Vibrations with Fitz