The Winans are an American gospel quartet from Detroit, Michigan, consisting of brothers Marvin, Carvin, Michael and Ronald Winans.
The Winans
| |
|---|---|
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | Gospel, R&B |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Labels | Light Records Qwest/Warner Bros. |
| Members | Marvin Winans Carvin Winans Michael Winans |
| Past members | Ronald Winans |
Please refer to the Winans family page for more detail on the individual members.
Brothers Ronald, Marvin, Carvin, and Michael Winans, the second, third, fourth and fifth siblings of the Winans family, grew up in Detroit, Michigan. They were discovered by Andrae Crouch, who signed them to Light Records.
Brothers Ronald, Marvin, and Carvin made two albums in 1974 without Michael, and in 1975 with Michael under the name "The Testimonial Singers".
Their big break was their first record Introducing The Winans, produced in 1981 by Andrae Crouch, two years after he discovered them and invited them to tour with him.
They performed vocals in This Is America, Charlie Brown's segment "The Building of the Transcontinental Railroad" in 1989. Their style was noted for its crossover efforts and received airplayonR&B radio. The group's last recording was in 1995. They have been involved in various Winans family projects where they are credited as "The Winans", e.g. November 2000's Christmas: Our Gifts To You.
The eldest brother of the group Ronald Winans died on June 17, 2005, of retaining fluid.[1]
| Year | Album details | Chart positions [2][3] | Certifications[4] (sales thresholds) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
US Gospel |
US CCM | |||
| 1981 | Introducing The Winans
|
— | — | — | — | |
| 1983 | Long Time Comin'
|
— | — | 8 | — | |
| 1984 | Tomorrow
|
— | — | 3 | — | |
| 1985 | Let My People Go
|
— | 57 | 1 | — | |
| 1987 | Decisions
|
109 | 30 | 1 | 12 | |
| 1988 | Live At Carnegie Hall
|
— | — | 13 | 22 | |
| 1990 | Return
|
90 | 12 | 1 | 4 |
|
| 1993 | All Out
|
— | 41 | 15 | 9 |
|
| 1995 | Heart & Soul
|
— | — | 3 | 12 | |
| 2000 | Christmas: Our Gifts to You
|
— | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||
| Year | Album details | Chart positions [2][3] | Certifications (sales thresholds) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Gospel | ||||||
| 1990 | The Best Of The Winans
|
— | ||||
| 1994 | Feel the Spirit
|
- | ||||
| 1995 | The Light Years
|
— | ||||
| 2002 | Legends Of Gospel
|
— | ||||
| The Very Best Of The Winans
|
16 | |||||
| 2003 | Great Family Of Gospel
|
— | ||||
| 2004 | Gospel Greats
|
— | ||||
| 2005 | The Definitive Original Greatest Hits
|
— | ||||
| 2008 | Gospel Legacy
|
— | ||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions[2][3][6] | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B |
UK | ||||
| 1985 | "Let My People Go" | 42 | 71 | Let My People Go | |
| "Very Real Way" | — | — | |||
| 1986 | "The Real Meaning of Christmas" | — | — | The Real Meaning of Christmas (Maxi-single)/"Decisions" | |
| 1987 | "Ain't No Need To Worry" (feat. Anita Baker) | 15 | — | Decisions | |
| "Love Has No Color" (feat. Michael McDonald) | — | — | |||
| "Give Me You" | — | — | |||
| 1989 | "Lean On Me" (with Thelma Houston) | 73 | — | Lean On Me (Soundtrack) | |
| 1990 | "It's Time" (featuring Teddy Riley) | 5 | — | Return | |
| "A Friend" (featuring Aaron Hall) | 11 | — | |||
| "When You Cry" (featuring Kenny G) | 40 | — | |||
| 1991 | "Don't Leave Me" | 34 | — | ||
| 1993 | "Payday" (featuring R. Kelly) | 74 | — | All Out | |
| 1994 | "That Extra Mile" | — | — | ||
| 1995 | "Heart & Soul" | 89 | — | Heart & Soul | |
| 1996 | "Count It All Joy" | — | — | ||
| "Standing On Promises | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart or was not released | |||||