Gospel musician, lyricist, and composer Bishop Rance Lee Allen was born on November 20, 1948, in Monroe, Michigan, to Thomas Allen from Nash County, North Carolina, and Emma Pearl Allen McKinney Mendez from Wiggins, Mississippi. Rance had six sisters, Anita Marie Allen Rocker, Judy Rocker, … Read MoreRance Lee Allen (1948-2020)
Master guitarist, paralanguage hummer, and singer Joseph T. Spence was born on August 3, 1910, in Small Hope, Andros Island, Bahamas. Spence had one sister, Edith Pinder, who sang with him, and four half-brothers. However, there was no available information regarding the names of his … Read MoreJoseph T. Spence (1910-1984)
Revella Hughes was a soprano singer, composer, musician, recording artist, and the first female choral director for a Broadway production. She was known as The Colored Nightingale, The Prima Donna of the Musical Stage, and The Sophisticated Lady of the Organ. Revella Hughes was born on … Read MoreRevella Hughes (1895-1987)
Rhythm and Blues singer Tevin Jermod Campbell was born on November 12, 1976, in Waxahachie, Texas, to Rhonda Byrd, a former postal worker and later co-manager of the young artist’s career. He began singing gospel as a soloist and choir member at Jacob’s Chapel in … Read MoreTevin Campbell (1976- )
R&B tenor singer Jimmy J. Hughes was born February 3, 1938, in Leighton, Alabama. At the age of 5, he listened to Radio WLAY, a country music station in Littleton, Alabama. He sang country because that was the only radio station he heard until he … Read MoreJimmy J. Hughes (1938- )
Born on August 29, 1929, contralto gospel singer and conductor Albertina Walker, was the youngest of nine siblings. Her parents, Ruben Walker and Camille Coleman Walker, moved from Georgia after the birth of their first four children and raised their family in the Bronzeville community … Read MoreAlbertina Walker (1929-2010)
Soprano lyricist June Deniece Chandler Williams was born on June 3, 1951, in Gary, Indiana. She was the first of four children born to Lee Chandler, a security guard, and Alma Chandler, a licensed practical nurse. Williams sang as a child in the choir at … Read MoreDeniece Williams (1951- )
Stephanie Dorthea Mills, the fifth of six children, was born on March 22, 1957 in Queens, New York, to Joseph Mills and Christine Mills but she was reared in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. At an early age, she sang gospel music at Cornerstone Baptist … Read MoreStephanie Mills (1957- )
BeBe and CeCe Winans are an American gospel duo comprised of siblings Benjamin “BeBe” Winans, born September 17, 1962, and Priscilla “CeCe” Winans, born October 8, 1964. Both Winans were born in Detroit, Michigan to David Glenn “Pop” and Delores Amelia Ransom “Mom” Winans, a … Read MoreBeBe and CeCe Winans
Carlton D’Metrius Pearson is an American preacher, author, and gospel singer. He was born on March 19, 1953, to the Rev. Adam Louis Pearson and Lillie Ruth Johnson Pearson in San Diego, California. Pearson’s father was the pastor of St. John’s Church of God in … Read MoreCarlton D’Metrius Pearson (1953- )
