CeCe Winans looks ahead to recording and youth work

Photo by Associated Press, Associated Press

Gospel singer CeCe Winans will be in Memphis this weekend, performing as part of the 12th annual Sisterhood Outreach Summit & Showcase.

Over the course of a three-decade career, CeCe Winans has managed to toe the line between gospel and secular music, winning both Grammy and Dove awards, and working with a long list of Christian music greats as well as a plethora of pop stars from Lauryn Hill to Whitney Houston.

Photo by Associated Press

Gospel singer CeCe Winans will be in Memphis this weekend, performing as part of the 12th annual Sisterhood Outreach Summit & Showcase.

For Winans, the ability to transcend genres and formats is down to one thing.

"With almost any person, with any artist, no matter what genre it is, they have one thing in common: At one time or another, everybody's been to church, everybody's grandma prayed for them," says Winans. "So that's a common bond."

For the 44-year-old Winans, her faith has been the common thread in a long, varied and successful career. These days, the Detroit-born, Nashville-based multi-talent is particularly busy, with activities including tours of the U.S. and Europe, work on a new album and book, and a role as the catalyst behind the Always Sisters/Forever Brothers foundation. This weekend, Winans will be in Memphis performing as part of the 12th annual Sisterhood Outreach Summit & Showcase.

While she remains active on a number of fronts, the biggest news in Winans' world is that she's prepping a reunion record with her brother, BeBe, for release in the early fall. It will mark the first album collaboration for the singing siblings since 1994's Relationships.

The pair -- who first came to prominence on the PTL television program in the early 1980s, then scored a string of gospel and R&B hits before pursuing successful solo careers -- are once again working with producer Keith Thomas, who helmed several of their earlier efforts. Winans says the 15-year gap between BeBe and CeCe projects was not intentional.

"We didn't mean to go so long without recording. We decided to do solo projects and the time went much longer than we had planned," she says. "We actually have been trying to do a CD for the last few years but our schedules were really crazy. It's almost weird to be back working with BeBe; you have to pinch yourself to realize how much time has gone by."

Winans has worked and sang with a long list of talented performers, but there remains something special about her collaborations with her big brother.

"That's my favorite place to sing: with BeBe, with my family. It's definitely something that's just ... it can't be compared to anything else. It's somebody that you know, you know each other's voices, you know where the other person's gonna go. It's a tighter harmony than with anybody else and I think people feel that and hear that. That's the kind of thing that makes it extra special."

Winans says she and her brother have already done several sessions, but will complete the balance of work on the disc over the summer.

"BeBe's written a lot, we're listening to a lot of outside music and I'm trying to sit down and start doing a little writing too," she says.

"We have about half of the CD's songs already picked out. Even until we record the last songs we'll continue to listen to new material, because you always want to get the best stuff. That's the kind of way we work; up until the last moment."

When she's not recording or performing, Winans is devoting much of her energy to youth causes. She has written a successful series of inspirational books and is the founder of the Always Sisters/Forever Brother's foundation (online at alwayssisters.com).

This year, the organization will hold its fourth annual Youth Conference in Nashville in July, and the event will feature appearances from Super Bowl-winning coach Tony Dungy and pastor R.A Vernon of R.A. Vernon Ministries/The Word Church, among others.

"It's been a real passion for me," says Winans. "I think with my writing as with (Always Sisters/Forever Brothers) the focus is really going to be on the youth, because they are our future."

Despite her many successes, shaping the future remains a creative and spiritual challenge for Winans.

"There are a lot of things I haven't done. Mainly it's about continuing on the right path. I'm kind of sitting back trying to see what I do with the time I have. Whether it's singing or writing or speaking, or whatever God will have us do, I'll always do it, but the approach may change," she says.

"I'm at the place in my in my life where I want to redefine what I do. You always want to be relevant, stay current, but remain who you are at the same time. That's a job in itself."

-- Bob Mehr: 529-2517

The 12th annual Sisterhood Outreach Summit & Showcase

Events are Saturday and Sunday, beginning at 10 a.m., at Memphis Cook Convention Center, 255 N. Main. Activities include a vendor expo, empowerment workshops, meet-and-greets with national personalities, cooking demonstrations and fashion shows. Tickets cost $10 per person in advance and $15 the day of the show. Children 6 and younger are free. For more information or to buy tickets, go to sisterhoodshowcase.com or call 579-9333.

Here are highlights from the event schedule:

Saturday

10 a.m. Grand opening

11 a.m. Trio Plus

Noon CeCe Winans

1 p.m. Macy's Fashion Show Featuring

2 p.m. Ginuwine

3 p.m. "Living a Life of Quality Not Quantity" women's forum

4:30 p.m. Healthy Church Challenge Winners with Dr. Ian Smith of "The 50 Million Pound Challenge"

5 p.m. Men Who Define Fine Fashions

6 p.m. J Blackfoot

6:30 p.m. Bill Bellamy

7 p.m. Avant

Sunday

10 a.m. Worship service hosted by Golden Gate Cathedral Bishop Edward Stephens, Senior Pastor

Noon Macy's Fashion Show featuring Ms. Face of Grace

1 p.m. Step Show

4 p.m. Jonathan Nelson

5 p.m. Dorinda Clark-Cole

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