Gospel singer BeBe Winans often makes his music a family affair, and what else could be as fitting for a religious-inspired vocalist? From family act the Winans to a duet number with his sister CeCe, Winans has proved himself as a successful solo gospel act, garnering four Grammy Awards, 10 Dove Awards, six Stellar Awards, two NAACP Awards and one Soul Train Award in his 10-plus years of musical bliss.Winans got his start in the Winans family tradition of singing as a child, when he debuted as a backup singer for his famous brothers, the Winans. BeBe went on to form a duo with his sister CeCe Winans in 1987, and the two ran away with gospel favorites "Heaven," "I'll Take You There" and "Coming Back Home." After working with music superstars Stevie Wonder, Brian McKnight and Whitney Houston, Winans broke off from his sister to pursue the gospel industry solo. In 1997 Winans released his debut eponymous album, and it earned deservedly enormous success, peaking at the number two slot on the Top Gospel Albums chart in '97. Continuing on this streak, Winans' next album Love & Freedom, released in 2000, was the singer's first solo release to hit number one, and he did so on both the Top Contemporary Christian and Gospel charts.After 2000 BeBe Winans was wildly popular across the country. His live 2002 album BeBe Live and Up Close overcame the stigma of live albums and reached the top of the charts, and every successive Winans album has reached the charts, as well. 2004's My Christmas Prayer was a phenomenal holiday album, while 2005's Dream and 2007's Cherch separated the incredible gospel singer from the rest of his talented family, establishing himself as a bona fide solo artist instead of just another group act.
