Vickie Winans

Viviane Bowman (born 18 October 1953; Detroit, Michigan), known professionally as Vickie Winans, is an acclaimed American gospel singer, songwriter, music producer, comedian, and actress.

Celebrated for decades as "the hardest working woman in gospel music", she established a monumental legacy within contemporary Christian music by blending traditional vocal power with a sharp, independent business acumen.

Over a career spanning more than forty years, Winans transitioned from a prominent major-label flagship vocalist into a highly successful self-managed entrepreneur. Boasting seven Grammy nominations, fourteen Stellar Awards, and an NAACP Image Award, her enduring impact on the gospel landscape is defined by her unwavering vocal resilience and her uncompromising dedication to the spiritual purity of her genre.

Early Life
Born into a deeply religious and musical household in Detroit, Michigan, Winans was the seventh of twelve children born to Mattie Bowman and Aaron Bowman, a contractor and carpenter. She discovered her love for singing within the church at an early age, delivering her first public performance at the tender age of eight at the International Gospel Center.

During her teenage years, her musical foundations were further solidified when she organised her own gospel group, the International Sounds of Deliverance. This early immersion in vocal harmony and direct community ministry provided her with the technical mechanics and performance confidence that would later underpin her professional entry into the mainstream gospel industry.

Career
Winans launched her professional timeline after being encouraged by her second husband, Marvin Winans of the celebrated vocal group The Winans, releasing her breakout 1985 solo debut album, Be Encouraged, on Light Records, which featured her iconic signature rendition of "We Shall Behold Him".

Her career breakthrough accelerated with successive acclaimed studio projects, including Total Victory in 1989 and her self-titled album, Vickie Winans, in 1994, before scoring a monumental milestone with her landmark live recording, Live in Detroit, in 1997, which spawned the definitive global gospel hit "Long as I Got King Jesus". She continued her chart-topping momentum by self-financing an aggressive marketing campaign for her 2003 masterpiece, Bringing It All Together, which debuted at number one on the Billboard Gospel Albums chart, a feat she repeated with Woman to Woman: Songs of Life in 2006 and How I Got Over in 2009.

Beyond the recording booth, she expanded her professional footprint into acting and television, hosting BET's comedy showcase A Time to Laugh, appearing in the 2012 feature film Sparkle, and taking the stage in prominent theatrical productions such as the Broadway show Don't Get God Started, the national tour of The First Lady, and a highly publicised supporting role in the hit gospel stage play Tell 'Em I'm Gonna Make It.

Personal Life
While maintaining an intensely busy public ministry, Winans has openly navigated her personal milestones and family legacy before a global audience. Following her previous marriages to Ronald E. Brown—with whom she shares her son, the multi-platinum R&B producer Mario Winans—and Marvin Winans, which connected her to the legendary Winans musical dynasty and yielded her son, Marvin Jr., she was later married to Joe McLemore.

Her personal resilience was profoundly shaped by a deep family tragedy when she miscarried five months into her pregnancy; according to reported accounts, she lost a premature baby girl who lived for only 65 minutes.

In her later years, Winans faced severe physical hurdles, battling through two major vocal surgeries caused by structural overuse. She bounced back beautifully through intensive speech and vocal therapy, returning to full-time live singing to the immense relief of her international fanbase.

Current Activities
At present, Vickie Winans remains active within her genre, with updates announced via official channels as confirmed. Operating completely without a traditional manager or agent, she manages her widespread booking, music publishing rights, and comedic ventures through her core umbrella corporation, Viviane, Inc. She also continues to oversee her independent record label, Destiny Joy Records, which she originally founded in 2005 as a beautiful tribute to the daughter she lost.

While she has not released a full-length studio project since her 2009 chart-topper, she remains highly protective of her musical lane; in public forums, she firmly asserts that dropping the name of Jesus into a track does not make it gospel music if the spirit behind it is not pure.