Gospel Greats BeBe & CeCe Winans Get Their Star!

Gospel greats, BeBe and CeCe Winans get their star on Hollywood Blvd

Benjamon and Priscilla Winans the award-winning brother-sister gospel singing duo known as BeBe and CeCe Winans received their star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood on Thur 10/20 at 11:30 a.m. and I was blessed enough to be there!

This duo has been in the industry for over 20 years and have won many Grammy, Dove and Stellar awards. Their star was the 2,452nd to be placed on the Walk of Fame and Bebe and CeCe join Mahalia Jackson and Andre Crouch as the only other gospel artists honored in this way. The ceremony was held at 6125 Hollywood Blvd in front of the Music Box at the corner of El Centro and it was a full red carpet event. As an added touch, Bebe and Cece's names were on the Music Box's marquee sign above.

I arrived late so I missed the actual ceremony which I was told involved the pair signing a couple of praise songs from their various albums and then comments from them and their industry friends. I was told that Bebe and Cece gave God full credit for their longevity and success in the business and thanked God for the respective gifting in each other and the entire Winan family. Speaking of family, Bebe and CeCe's mother was there front and center as well as their respective kids and some of their Winan siblings including their brother Pastor Marvin Winans and I think I saw Vicki Winans.

I got to meet, hug and take pictures with both Bebe and CeCe after the ceremony and they signed my “Heaven” CD that I'd been traveling with for over 20 years. The songs on that CD helped me through a lot of tough times in the past and it still does today so I was glad I got to tell BeBe and CeCe that and to love on them a bit. Other fans had their self-titled first album which they gladly signed also. That album was released in 1987 around the time that Bebe and CeCe where singing with the Praise The Lord/PTL singers but it is now a near impossible album to find.

Bebe and Cece were very generous with the fans even though they had to be exhausted from all the photographers pics and interviews. CeCe was a true fashionista but very down-to-earth. In fact, she even jokingly mentioned that she'll have to go so because her "feet hurt". I told her that I could could sympathise as she was wearing a pair of beautiful but punishing 6 inch black stiletto leather and suede boots to match her leather skirt and jacket suit, She wore the leather suit with a belted ruffle blouse that was very cute. BeBe was dressed sharp too, wearing a dapper dark jacket top, open necked shirt and jeans.

I got to see many of the other celebrities who were in attendance, too including Tina from the gospel singing sister duo Mary, Mary, Yvette Nicole Brown form NBC's Community and jazz musician David Koz. Last but not least, I met Mr. Quincy “Q” Jones! Jones wore the coolest purple overcoat and he smiled, waved and shook my hand, too. Wow, God is amazing!

Update:

Bebe and CeCe did a series of free concert performances at the in West Covina last week at Faith Community Church. Faith Community Church has a membership of about 10,000 people and it is pastored by Dr. Jim Reeves, who was also a guest of the Winans at the star ceremony.

Update:
Found out today that one of the guests I saw at the star ceremony (an understated gray and bearded guy in plaid and a cap) was Jim Bakker, the once scandal plagued pastor formerly of PTL. He actually looked quite happy and at peace spiritually (Thank God!) but he was totally unrecognizable.


Sources:
www.walkoffame.com www.dagospeltruth.com www.gospelpundit.com


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