The Winans, Teddy Riley made a change to gospel music

When one listens to gospel artists over the past 20 years, they would only know a genre that has often flirted with mixing hip-hop to expand its audience.

Currently hip-hop artist Kanye West, who spent most of his career as a secular rapper and producer has been dominating the gospel chart with his "Jesus is King" album.

Gospel and hip-hop have come a long way and 30 years ago, one collaboration by The Winans and Teddy Riley kicked in the door, which led to present day artistic freedom and growth to both genres.

Before Return

On April 24, 1990 The Winans, which consisted of Carvin, Marvin, Michael and Ronald, released their sixth studio album entitled "Return." The gospel act residing from the genre's hotbed of Detroit debuted with "Introducing the Winans." The 1981 album moved gospel fans with progressive songs such as "The Question Is" and "Are We Really Doing Your Will."

At the time, a California based artist by the name of Andrea Crouch was dominating the genre by infusing a bit of a secular R&B grooves in his gospel hits. Crouch wasn't afraid to work with pop music giants of the time to make his records which included Earth Wind & Fire's Philip Bailey, Billy Preston and Stevie Wonder. He even had a song ("I've Got Confidence) that was covered by Elvis Presley before his passing.

Over his career Crouch's success landed him three appearances as a musical guest on "Saturday Night Live." He also appeared on "The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson" and composed the theme song for NBC's hit sitcom "Amen."

With all of his success beyond the church walls, despite never leaving the gospel genre, Crouch wasn't always received with open arms by more traditional Christians who claimed his music had gone a bit too far. Nonetheless artists such as Crouch as well as Edwin and Walters Hawkins helped to evolve gospel music's sound and made it more of a possibility for future artists from the church to make more of an impact on popular culture.

Now back to the Winans. As the 1980s pushed forward, The Winans became the biggest stars in gospel music. In 1985 they'd found themselves on Qwest Records which was ran by Quincy Jones and distributed by Warner Bros. The group scored it's first R&B hit "Let My People Go," and by 1986 it had collected three Grammy Awards.

In 1987 the brothers had an even bigger R&B radio hit when they teamed up with R&B superstar Anita Baker to record "Ain't No Need to Worry." That song hit number 15 on the Billboard R&B chart and had a hook that could be used in any secular love song. The song opens with Marvin Winans singing and Baker repeating, "Ain't no need in worrying what the night is gonna bring, 'cause it'll be all over in the morning."

On the initial listen, many churchgoers immediately pumped their brakes wondering if they'd just lost their favorite gospel group to the world of secular music. However they'd been reassured that The Winans had only brought Anita Baker into the gospel world, which in returned helped to get them more R&B radio spins than they'd ever gotten before.

When Baker sings "Sometimes we feel pain, but there are things we can change, just pray," listeners get a clue that it's a gospel song. Nevertheless many members of the church thought that The Winans, like Crouch before had pushed the boundaries of gospel music beyond where it was intended to go.

As the 1980s closed The Winans won two more Grammys, along with recording the title song on the hit movie "Lean on Me." The brothers joined Andre Crouch among others who lent their vocals to Michael Jackson's triple platinum selling single "Man in the Mirror" which hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

A little known fact is that Carvin wrote an R&B number one hit, "Make It Like It Was" which was originally a gospel song intended for The Winans' 1987 gospel chart topping album, "Decisions." The song was recorded by Regina Belle who became a top star in R&B during the late 80s and early 90s. BeBe & CeCe, Rap and Teddy Riley

BeBe & CeCe, Rap and Teddy Riley

In 1988 and 1989, The Winans saw their younger siblings Bebe & Cece rise to fame with their third album, "Heaven" which was certified gold. Using the similar format of "Ain't No Need to Worry," Bebe & Cece sang "Lost Without You," which crossed over to a number eight R&B hit and got more airplay than The Winans and Anita Baker's release.

While The Winans had a longer resume, their brother and sister were seeing successes on a mainstream level that they had yet to see. Bebe & CeCe also had the benefit of having pop megastar Whitney Houston on two of "Heaven's" of tracks as well.

As the 1990s approached a relatively new genre of music was starting to take over the minds and consciousness of America. Hip-hop went from being seen as a fad that would die a quick death like disco, to becoming a growing force as artists like MC Hammer, Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Kid-n-Play and Salt-n-Pepa were breaking through to mainstream audiences and selling millions of albums.

R&B and rap had rarely been successfully merged without seeming forced or awkward but by 1989, Bobby Brown had shown the world that it could be done successfully with his hit song "Don't Be Cruel" and "Every Little Step." More importantly Bobby Brown sung over a funky hip-hop inspired beat when he made the song "My Prerogative" which was produced by a young musical genius by the name of Teddy Riley.

Riley found fame early on as a teenaged producer for rap acts such as Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick and Kool Moe Dee. R&B star Keith Sweat noticed Riley's brand of music dubbed as New Jack Swing had an addictiveness to it like Parliament and James Brown did beforehand and he figured it could work over his songs. While Riley wasn't sure at first, Sweat's inclination was correct as he scored a number five pop hit under Riley's bouncy beat for the 1987 song, "I Want Her."

By 1990, Riley's sound had taken over much of the music industry and had began to dethrone the Minneapolis Sound that Prince had previously inspired. It would be a challenge to get airplay if your song didn't have a hint of the New Jack Swing sound.

Another little known fact is that Michael Jackson wanted Riley to work with him on his 1987 "Bad" album. At the time Jackson wasn't able to get in contact with Riley due to management issues.

The Winans & Teddy Riley Make a Change

The Winans were at an interesting place in their careers. They weren't the hot young sensations that BeBe & CeCe Winans were, but they weren't perceived as older or traditional like gospel greats The Williams Brothers. In 1990, The Winans made a daring move that would make singing with Anita Baker look like singing with gospel legend Shirley Caesar.

"It's Time" hit airwaves with a danceable beat that could be played at night clubs across the nation. However that had been done before. Fellow Detroit gospel stars, The Clark Sisters scored a gold record with their 1983 crossover hit "You Brought the Sunshine," which was inspired by Stevie Wonder's 1980 record "Master Blaster (Jammin')."

The sisters were offered what was said to be top dollar to sing the song at the most famous disco in the world, Studio 54 but their mom and manager gospel innovator Mattie Moss Clark turned the club down.

So back to The Winans and their daring move. "It's Time" the lead single on the "Return" album starts off with a rap verse by the hottest young secular producer on the planet, when the 22-year-old Teddy Riley raps,

"Well, it's time to make that change. People of the world today are fading. All of us have our ups and downs. You better think about it or you won't be around. What we need is a little bit of love. Sent by One from Heaven above. Take it from T, it's simple and plain. This ain't no game, you know what I'm saying?"

Gospel writer and composer Darren Thomas said, "Gospel music such as "O Happy Day" (1969) by the renowned Edwin Hawkins had always crossed-over, but what The Winans did was more intentional. "It's Time To Make A Change" was just the infusion the world needed and was just the soft insurrection needed in the church world."

Like when Crouch made moves with secular artists, not all gospel music lovers knew how to handle such an appearance by Riley, who was considered an outsider.

"I remember like it was yesterday," Thomas said. "Music in church bursted through limitation, crossed imaginary lines set by others in determining what the church could and could not do to reach over the walls that had kept it caged in for too long. The gifted began to create according to their imagination rather than what was on their church's do's and don'ts list. The Winans were certainly among the forerunners of those who did just that."

Once again, The Winans weren't the first gospel act to use a hip-hop artist on an album. Once more before them, The Clark Sisters featured one of the greatest MCs in hip-hop history Melle Mel on their 1988 song "Computers Rule the World (But God is Still in Control)."

Timing is so important when it comes to entertainment. By 1988, hip-hop was growing rapidly and the style of rap that Melle Mel presented, who had been releasing records since 1979, had given way to more elaborate and articulate rhymes of younger artists like KRS-ONE and Rakim. The crazy part of this is that in 1988 Melle Mel was only 27 but during those days most rappers had a three-year shelf life before being seen as old news.

Had the song been released in late 1986 or early 1987 it may have snuck it's way on to R&B stations but even then, most stations that played music by black artists played rap music very sparingly. Rap music wasn't taken seriously by most radio programmers.

By 1990, Teddy Riley's production work had sold millions of albums in the R&B, hip-hop and pop worlds. He even had his own group, Guy which had sold over a million copies of its debut album, having breathtaking performances on late night TV's Arsenio Hall Show.

When Riley and the Winans connected the timing couldn't have been better. Kids thought that Teddy Riley was cool and adult R&B fans respected his musicianship. The commercial result of "It's Time," led to The Winans matching BeBe & CeCe as their album "Return" eventually went gold as the single rose all the way to number five on the R&B charts. Another sign of success is that "It's Time" found its way on an episode of "The Cosby Show" which is one of television's most watched sitcoms of all-time.

""Return" is the coldest Winans album ever," said producer Jayshawn Champion, who has worked with R&B giants such as Usher and Faith Evans. "My favorite song was "Together We Stand," but having Teddy Riley on the lead single had The Winans on R&B radio every hour on the hour. Great Childhood memories."

The Winans scored a career best four R&B charted hits on "Return," proving that the album wasn't a one-hit gimmick. The brothers used Riley's production on only two songs. The second is "A Friend," which featured Riley's group-mate from Guy, Aaron Hall in a brief but soulful cameo. That song also earned heavy spins on R&B stations as it rose to number 11 on the R&B chart.

The Team Behind Return

As a music nerd it's always cool to see who contributed to successful projects. Return had its share of names behind the scenes. Saxophonist Kenny G plays on the beautiful ballad "When You Cry," featuring Carvin on lead. That song was a top 40 R&B hit as well.

The one and only Stevie Wonder appeared on the song "Everyday the Same." Along with his vast catalog as a solo artist, Wonder is known for making various cameos throughout his career with artists ranging from Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Whitney Houston and Frank Sinatra.

Here's a name you may know, Benny Medina. If you ever heard of a show called "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," it was based on his life. He was the executive producer of the album. Medina also managed careers of Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Babyface and Brandy. He was a song writer as well penning songs for Rick James The Temptations and The Four Tops.

Barry Hankerson was an engineer and executive producer for the project as well. He was married to Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Gladys Knight and was the uncle of the late R&B singer and actress Aaliyah. He executive produced albums for his niece as well as Timbaland, Anita Baker and Genuwine.

Bernard Bell wrote on "It's Time" and "A Friend" and over his career he composed songs for Michael Jackson, Patti LaBelle among others. Tammy Lucas also earned composer credits for "A Friend." If you're an 1990s hip-hop fan and you remember a woman's voice on Heavy D record "Is It Good to You," that's her. She also worked with Ashanti, SWV, Stephanie Mills and A Tribe Called Quest as well as many others.

Lanar Brantley played bass on "Free" and he had a diverse career in both gospel and secular music. He played for the Clark Sisters from the late 80s to the mid-90s. He also served as a live music director for Lady Gaga and Beyonce.

After Return

"Return" was the height of The Winans' popularity music wise. To promote the album there was a concert filmed at the Apollo Theater, which was released on VHS. "Return" won a Soul Train Award for Best Gospel Album.

The brothers continued to record together as a foursome until 1995, releasing just two more albums. They won their sixth and last Grammy for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album with their release of "All Out" in 1993.

Gospel's connection with hip-hop continued to develop throughout the decade. BeBe & Cece Winans made a record with MC Hammer entitled "The Blood" in 1991. Once again, timing is big thing as in 1990, MC Hammer was by far the brightest star in rap music and one of the biggest names in all of entertainment. By 1991, while he was still a hot, his descent was beginning as hip-hop was becoming more hardcore and less PG.

Even though their song with Hammer may not be as memorable as "It's Time," BeBe & CeCe went on to surpass their brothers in mainstream popularity and CeCe became the highest selling artist in gospel music history according to the RIAA.

Another Detroit based group, Commissioned mastered the craft of fusing New Jack Swing with gospel but the band didn't team up with any mainstream secular artists to do so and didn't get much airplay outside of the gospel programming sector.

In 1993, Kirk Franklin kicked off his career and by his second album 1997's "God's Property from Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation" he became the first gospel artist to meet and surpass the standard of "It's Time." His hit song "Stomp (Remix)," featured Cheryl "Salt" James from the pioneering rap group Salt-n-Pepa, was number one on the R&B chart. The album also became the first gospel project to reach the top spot on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Franklin to this day continues to have massive success with multiple platinum projects and a total of 15 Grammys, including two this year. He has succeeded despite having similar critics from inside the gospel world who believe his music has crossed the line, just as The Winans and others did before.

Many other artists including Commissioned's Fred Hammond, Marvin Sapp, along with Yolanda Adams, Mary, Mary and Donnie McClurkin have successfully found their way on to R&B radio while continuing the progressive sound that The Winans helped to build.

As for Teddy Riley, he continued his ascent to the top of the music industry. In 1991, Michael Jackson's wishes were fulfilled as Riley produced seven of the 14 songs on his "Dangerous" album, which went on to sell over 30 million copies around the world. He also produced more music with Bobby Brown and Mary J. Blige before having great success with his group Blackstreet which scored a number one pop hit with "No Diggity" in 1996.

He is regarded as one of the greatest producers in the history of popular music as his New Jack Swing sound dominated the music scene from 1988 to 1993 before giving way to the west coast G-Funk sound when Dr. Dre's "The Chronic," took over the imagination of secular music fans across the country.

Though The Winans' run ended in 1995, the four brothers have kept busy in the music business releasing individual projects. Ron Winans, passed away in 2005 due to heart issues. The surviving members are still active in music and ministry. In 2014, Marvin and Carvin teamed up with BeBe to release the successful 3 Winans Brothers album entitled "Foreign Land." It reached number two on the Billboard Gospel Chart.