Every morning when Carvin Winans wakes up, he goes to a special place in his house for what he calls, prayer hour. During the hour of prayer, Winans takes time to thank God for his family, his accomplishments, his struggles, and his blessings. His head down and his eyes closed, Winans focuses on understanding that his journey could have been different. Who knows what his life would be like without his faith? For him, his blessing starts with being born into an incredible family.
HIS FAMILY
There are ten Winans siblings, who were born to David (Pop) and Delores Winans’ (Mom) parents. The siblings in birth order are Ronald (deceased), Carvin, Marvin, Michael, Daniel, Benjamin (“BeBe”), Priscilla (“CeCe”), David II, Angelique, and Debra Renee. Carvin and Marvin are the only twins in the family.
Mom and Pop Winans lived in Detroit, Michigan, where the family attended and sang in church. The musical family was so talented that everyone in the family went on to have careers in the music industry. Pop Winans also had a solo career in music, releasing a CD of gospel music with his wife, Delores “Mom” Winans, called Mom & Pop Winans in 1989. That project earned him a Grammy nomination.
With the apple not falling far from the tree, the Winans’ children all went on to develop their sound and act as they formed in various groups. Carvin performed as a member of the Winans. This group included his brothers, Marvin, Ron, David Jr., and Michael.
The group had major success singing contemporary gospel and toured all around the world.
Their big break was their first record, Introducing the Winans, produced in 1981 by Andrae Crouch, two years after he discovered them and invited them to tour with him.
They performed vocals in This Is America, Charlie Brown’s segment “The Building of the Transcontinental Railroad” in 1989. Their style was noted for its crossover efforts and received airplay on R&B radio. The group’s last recording was in 1995. They have been involved in various Winans family projects where they are credited as the Winans, like in November 2000s Christmas: Our Gifts to You.
Together, the Winans have won seven Grammys, and their music still resonates with people today.
“It was a very special time for us,” Winans said, “We were able to accomplish some amazing things. And to do that with my brother made it even more special.
HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Carvin and his brothers have experienced moments throughout their careers that, for him, will never be forgotten. Carvin recounts one of his best memories of his journey by making it on to The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
“I grew up watching Johnny Carson, so when we were asked to appear on his show, I thought I had made it,” Winans chuckles. “There are certain times when you just look back and say, ‘wow that was cool,’ and that was one of those moments.”
Winans has so many memories to be thankful for. One of his fondest memories is being asked to sing backup to the Michael Jackson song, Man in The Mirror. He thinks back to being asked to work with Jackson and how, in that moment, they knew that they were at the top of their game. Friends with Quincy Jones, the group was asked to come in and share some ideas about how they would approach the background vocals.
“When we got there, Michael would share his thoughts with Quincy, and then Quincy would share those thoughts with us. We would respond with our ideas, and then we all would sing.” Winans continued, “Then it got to the point where Quincy said to Mike, ‘Hey, they are right here in the room, you can just tell them our ideas.’ We all laughed, and then Michael loosened up and we had a ball making that record.”
Winans knew the song was going to be special because of what it meant to everyone as they were making the song.
“People do not know this, but that was Michael’s gospel song. His goal was to make a gospel record, and Man in The Mirror, was it,” Winans said. “We could all feel how deep and powerful we all sang.”
Today Man in The Mirror is considered to be one of Jackson’s best songs and would reduce people to tears when he performed the song in concert. Winans remembers that recording session as one of the best days of he and his brothers’ recording careers.
HIS STRUGGLES
As all men do, Winans has seen his day of struggle. Even with an amazing family, even with being born to sing like a bird, life can be challenging at times. For Winans, the journey of life was no different.
“Even though I was born in the church, I still had my share of bad decisions,” Winans remembered. Although none of his decisions caused him any long-term problems, Winans knew that this career was going to have ups and downs and that he would need to stay grounded and humbled to better handle the losses as well as the wins.
Winans left the music industry for about fifteen years when he moved to Canada. Winans met his wife Cherie, who is Canadian, and the couple decided to live in Canada. Winans became a dual citizen and started his life with his new wife by stepping away from music.
“When we moved to Canada, I tried to remain in music, but no one there really understood what it took to create music at the level I was used to,” Winans said. “I tried a few things and then eventually I had to do something else because gospel music in Canada was not popular, and I lived in an area where no one made music professionally.”
Winans received residual checks from past records and performances; however, those checks became smaller and smaller, and their bills stayed the same.
“My wife was incredible and very consistent in her work.” Winans continued, “So I would cook and clean, and I made sure when she got home, everything was good, but that got old and I knew I had to do something to start to bring in some income.”
Winans was out of his element. His Grammys, his career, and his fame did not create an income for his family in Canada. He and his wife created a resume, and he applied for a porter’s job at the local Volkswagen dealership in the area.
The owner of the dealership was floored when he saw Winans’ resume.
“He said to me, ‘There is no way I am going to let you wash cars at my dealership,’” Winans said.
But Winans needed a job and did not care about his past. He needed to put food on the table. He eventually got the job and did it with class and humility. Winans was eventually moved up to sell cars and outsold every salesman on the floor while he worked there. He did his job with pride, and it made him feel valuable enough to take another look at music.
Winans was offered an opportunity to return to the States to become the CEO of a record label. He jumped at the chance. He had been out of music for a long time, and this gave him a chance to get back to doing the things he loved. With his wife and kids’ support, he left Canada and began his new position.
His dream job quickly became his worst nightmare.
“When I went to cash my first paycheck, it bounced,” Winans said.
The office was not real, the opportunity was not real, and the job was not real. Winans had been scammed. He thought he had done his homework. He and his wife checked the opportunity out; it looked legit. He moved his daughter to a new school, he bought a new home, and he left his wife in Canada. It was fake, and Winans’ faith was shaken.
HIS BLESSINGS
Winans’ foundation was shaken, but his faith never wavered. His family was separated; however, their belief in each other was strong. Winans remembers those in the music industry hired him to do special projects, which paid his bills. He was offered chances to step back into singing and soon realized that his nightmare might actually have been a dream, because it moved him back to a city where he could thrive doing what he loved.
Today, Winans has just released his latest project, Cool Gospel. It blends so much music with messaging. Each song resonates at a level everyone can feel. Winans credits his upbringing for allowing him to bounce back like he has.
“There is someone out there who is struggling with a decision and direction. I need them to know that if they keep God in their life, and their faith strong, they will find what they are looking for, and they will find their destiny,” Winans said.
Prayer hour is over. Winans opens his eyes and stands in front of his huge bay window and looks out into the world with a sense of peace and happiness. He knows that he is blessed. He knows that he is humble, and he knows that his journey is one built in purpose.
If there is any message to his story, it is that anyone can stumble, anyone can fall; it is how you get back that matters. A strong example of a man, the way only Pop Winans could have made.
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