Wednesday, August 03, 2016

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Andrae Crouch and the Disciples

Artist:Andrae Crouch and the Disciples
Song:My Prayer (To God Be The Glory)
Album:Hall Of Fame





Andrae Crouch was a pioneer of contemporary gospel music. Many of his songs are now considered standards including My Prayer. He was born July 1, 1942 in San Francisco and he and his twin sister Sandra grew up in Los Angeles. Their parents owned a dry cleaners, a restaurant and a church. Crouch showed musical talent as a child and by the time he was a teen, he was writing songs and preaching. He started performing regularly in local churches in the late 60s. Crouch was introduced to Light Records owner Ralph Carmichael and Andrae Crouch and the Disciples released their debut album in 1968. At first they were a standard gospel group which included Sandra. My Prayer first appeared on the 1972 album Keep On Singin'. Crouch recorded this song many times and it has also been covered by many artists. For the 1975 album Take Me Back, Crouch expanded his band to include horns arranged by drummer Bill Maxwell. This new band got him a lot more mainstream attention. And by the late 70s, Crouch went solo and signed with Warner Bros. He was very successful in the 80s and many gospel artists credit Crouch with inventing contemporary gospel. This 2CD budget comp is a good intro to his music. Crouch also worked on the music for the film The Color Purple. He also discovered The Winans and Crouch produced their early albums. In the 90s, Crouch wasn't as active after his parents died. But occasionally he would surface as an elder statesman of gospel music. Andrae Crouch died on Jan. 8, 2015 at age 72. Here's the video for My Prayer (To God Be The Glory) by Andrae Crouch and an all star choir. This video was produced for the 1996 album Tribute: The Songs of Andrae Crouch.

No comments:

Post a Comment