Mayor Eric Garcetti, along with Mike Davis, commissioner of the Board of Public Works, and the Our Authors Study Club honored recently six-time Grammy Award winner and Gospel great, BeBe Winans, with the Living Legend Award as part of the city of Los Angeles 2019 African-American Heritage Month.
The event, a kick-off ceremony for African-American Heritage Month—this year nationally themed: “Black Migration: Human Rights and Transformative Resistance,” took place last week at Los Angeles City Hall Council Chambers where Winans surprised those in attendance with an acapella rendition of “God Bless America.”
Following the ceremony, another gathering was held on the south lawn of City Hall and included a musical tribute featuring Greater Music Workshop of America with Rev. Calvin Rhone, who sang “We’re On Our Way,” “Lord Help Me to Hold Out“; Clifton Bolton, from the Church of God in Christ, who sang “Up Where We Belong,” and Pastor Desmond Kringle who sang “Stand.” Actress Nita Whitaker also performed “My Seventh Son,” from Winans’ critically acclaimed original musical “Born For This,” in which Whitaker plays his mother.
BeBe Winans is best known as an inspirational, R&B, and popular vocalist, songwriter who along with his musical partner and sister, CeCe, are the first Christian crossover artists to hit the mainstream. Over the past 10 years, Winans has been working behind the scenes on various projects such as serving as a former executive music producer for the OWN Network’s latest scripted series, “Greenleaf” and host of his own radio show on the Heart & Soul Channel (68) on Sirius/XM Radio Networks on Sunday Mornings (9 a.m. ET/7am PT).
In April 2018, his song, “He Promised Me” featuring Tobbi & Tommi and introducing Kiandra, reached number one on the Billboard Gospel airplay charts making it the first solo number one of his career. In September 2018, Winans released his newest single “Laughter” performed with Korean gospel group Korean Soul. He also has plans to bring his critically acclaimed original musical “Born for This” to Broadway.
