Andrae Crouch

Andrae Crouch
Andraé Edward Crouchwas an American gospel singer, songwriter, arranger, record producer and pastor. Referred to as "the father of modern gospel music" by contemporary Christian and gospel music professionals, Crouch was known for his compositions "The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power", "My Tribute" and "Soon and Very Soon". In secular music, he was known for his collaborative work during the 1980s and 1990s with Stevie Wonder, Elton John and Quincy Jones as well as conducting choirs that sang on...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionGospel Singer
Date of Birth1 July 1942
CitySan Francisco, CA
CountryUnited States of America
I write just knowing that I enjoy writing. But if I have to write, it seems like nothing comes. But when I go there for my own pleasure, the Lord might just give me loads of stuff all at once.
I would imagine that most of my writing is done spontaneously. I had no intention of writing, and then I'll just walk through the house, and I'll hear this melody, and I'll turn on the tape players and go back to it later on. Some days I'll get 3-5 songs a day.
People think that because people do religious stuff, that's all we're supposed to do. But with God's help, everything that He wants me to accomplish, I'm going to do it. It's all about pacing.
Some things that I write, you'll see a page with cartoon pictures or a drawing of a car - like a Ford - or a flag. I still do it on an occasion when a word is strange to me.
I've always wanted something that the message is meaningful to me. I think about all these diversified personalities, people, and countries that I play. I'm simple, and I want to be able to sing my songs to anybody.
I think that some people still think that the formula other than gospel still is not strong enough to get that crossover appeal to people enough that they would play it all the time, or nonchurch people would accept it, but I disagree.
I started singing by default, I think. Because there was a guy in the group that thought the group wasn't going to ever be anything. And I was getting ready to record, and I'd never recorded my voice. It was always other people that I featured because I thought they did a much better job.
There have been times when we've been playing, and people who were sick were totally healed.
That's all I want in life is to be remembered as a guy that really loved God.
My mother's father was Jewish, so she was very conservative. She liked little, pretty music-orchestral-type things.
Just the way my voice sounds now, it's always had this little hoarse thing to it. And I'd have to do vocal exercises to make my voice clear.
If I was sharp in every area, I might be too big-headed or something.
I'm a pastor. I say, 'Let the church say amen,' and that settles it. Everything has been said, you know; it's like we have to agree with God.
I'd never written a song before 'The Blood'; I didn't know it was going to be a song.