Andrae Crouch

Andrae Crouch is without question one of the most vital and influential artists in contemporary music today. His artistry has touched, and changed, millions of lives around the world. An international music star of legendary stature, his songs transcend color, class and creed with a vibrant message of hope, faith and joyous celebration.

However, with his new album Pray, Andre testifies to the enduring power of faith through times of trial, tribulation, and life changing choices, creating songs that not only testify to a difficult and demanding chapter in Andrae's life, but to the triumphant and uplifting music that was born out of these often-painful passages.

“'I wanted this album to be a heartfelt message of affirmation to people who are going through tough situations," Andrae explains. "I want to let them know that there is help in time of trouble, and that a brighter day is coming. It's a message I can sing about straight from the heart because I've been in those dark times, and been faced with those difficult decisions, and seen how much good can come out of sorrow and hardship." For Andrae, those experiences include the death of his beloved parents and his brother, all within the space of two years. It was also a time when he was confronted with the most challenging choice of his life-to continue a full-time musical career or take up where his father had left off as pastor of the family church in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley.

Beginning his musical career in his father's church, Andrae began playing the piano and writing music at the age of nine with no formal musical training. By the early Sixties, he had formed his own group, "Andrae' Crouch and the Disciples," establishing a reputation for electrifying live performances that spanned the globe. Consistently selling out concerts throughout Europe, Africa, the Far East and the Americas, his music has been translated into twenty-one languages. With a truly international following, Andrae' gives new meaning to the term "world class artist."