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 A Tribute Like his three brothers who also made up The Winans, the life of Ron Winans was far, far more than simply one voice of four in one of Gospel's pioneering contemporary super groups.  Born in Detroit on June 30, 1956, Ron Winans was the second eldest of 10 siblings, and was brought up in a very strong and musical Christian home, with father David Winans and mother Delores Winans setting the tone.In the 1970's, together with younger brothers Carvin Sr., Michael and Marvin, he formed the quartet The Winans, catching the attention of Andrae Crouch, who was instrumental in bringing them their first record deal, on Light Records, and introducing the world to what was to become a ground-breaking force in Gospel music. Their first album, Introducing the Winans (produced by Crouch), hit in 1981, and featured smashes such as "Restoration" and "The Question Is", with the music framed in a contemporary style with enough traditional-mindedness, especially when it came to their vocal styles, so as to bring along the solid church audience with them.
In the late 1980's, Ron Winans started up a gospel choir workshop series aiming to encourage new artists and groom the abundant talent that he frequently encountered. As he stated at the time, the purpose was to "help aspiring artists to learn every facet of the industry". Along with the showcases and workshops was a live recording, dubbed Ron Winans Family & Friends. The first album debuted in 1988, and featured not only the vast amount of musical gifting that he and his extended family had to offer, but also brought along new names that have gone to become fixtures in the Gospel recording scene. By the time the fifth album, Ron Winans Family & Friends V: A Celebration was released in early 2005 (see album review), the world had been introduced to Kayla Parker, Donnie McClurkin and Darrell Hines, not to mention Angie and Debbie Winans, and dozens of others. In 1997, Ron Winans suffered a massive heart attack, and was declared clinically dead by his doctors. Round-the-clock intercessory prayer was offered by his family, who had gathered around his bedside, and God saw fit to bring forth a miraculous recovery. "Fourteen days later I awoke from my coma", said Ron in a 2004 interview with GOSPELflava.com (read full interview). "I remember the nurses hollering in my ear "Mr. Winans, Mr. Winans!" I felt as if I had been run over by a truck. I called my family members, and they proceeded to tell me what all had taken place." Sister CeCe Winans claims the event as one of the greatest spiritual experiences of her life. In 2003, she told GOSPELflava.com that "You can feel the fight of life and death like never before and you are totally powerless. The only power you have is in Jesus. You stand on faith and you cry out to Him. You can't be weak. You have to believe and know that God will do what you asked Him to do" (see full interview)  Winans went on to live another 8 full years, continuing not only with his ministry and with his music, but also continuing in ventures such as his business partnership with Gladys Knight (with their joint waffles and chicken franchise), and in producing and offering expertise and guest vocals (Sounds of Blackness, Jacky Clark-Chisholm, Carmen).While his departure is certainly a time to grieve, the life of Ron Winans was glorious, and God used him for his purposes in ways that surely we have only touched upon. Think about that the next time, for example, you hear Donnie McClurkin sing, or the next time you speak to any young Gospel artist coming from Detroit, or any other city, for that matter. God used Ron Winans to touch them all. Email This To A Friend
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