Andraé Crouch, known as the Father of Modern Gospel, died Thursday. The Grammy Award-winning musician wrote contemporary standards that bridged the black and white Christian communities. That’s Andraé Crouch’s choir on Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.” He even arranged and conducted for the Lion King soundtrack. Crouch died Thursday in Los Angeles after suffering a heart attack last weekend. He was 72.
Andraé Crouch was the son of a preacher man. When he was nine, his dad opened a pentacostal church in a garage in the San Fernando Valley.
“I learned as my father needed a piano player in his church,” said Crouch ina 1980s TV special hosted by LeVar Burton. “He needed a piano player and he prayed for me one Sunday. And I started playing the piano about three weeks later.”
By then Andraé Crouch had already played a major role in creating a more contemporary, conservative gospel sound. The demonstrative shouts of the sanctified church were toned down to appeal to the broadest possible audience. Crouch was on The Jeffersons and he played Billy Graham crusades, the White House — even the Grand Ole Opry. Tennessee Ernie Ford introduced him from stage, in a performance that aired on PBS in 1985: “Now the man I’m about to introduce is a rare talent. He not only sings — he sings fine gospel, but he’s a fantastic writer.”
What he made retained its potency even when he grafted it onto pop music. You’ve felt it. That’s Andraé Crouch’s choir on “Man in the Mirror,” and behind Michael Jackson at the 1988 Grammy Awards.
Elvis Presley recorded Crouch’s I’ve Got Confidence for his 1972 gospel album He Touched Me, and Paul Simon recorded his Jesus Is the Answer on 1974’s Paul Simon in Concert: Live Rhymin’. Crouch also became the go-to vocal arranger for Los Angeles recording sessions that needed a gospel sound, working not only with Jackson and Madonna but also Elton John, Quincy Jones, The Commodores, Diana Ross and Ringo Starr.
Crouch’s gospel albums often featured guests from the R&B and jazz worlds, including Stevie Wonder, El DeBarge, Wilton Felder and Earth, Wind & Fire’s Philip Bailey. Chaka Khan, Sheila E. and vocal group Take 6 appeared on his most recent album, 2011’s The Journey.
His recordings brought him seven Grammys, and Crouch also received an Academy Award nomination for his arranging work on the 1985 film The Color Purple. He was also the arranger and choir director for “The Lion King.”
Crouch was only the third gospel artist to have a star placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Throughout his life, Crouch struggled with dyslexia, sometimes memorizing words by the shapes of their combination of letters. He often drew simple pictures to help him comprehend words and write songs.
Crouch’s sister, Sandra Crouch, served as his spokeswoman, and the siblings were pastors at the New Christ Memorial Church in San Fernando, Calif., carrying on a work begun by their parents.
Soon and Very Soon
Statement by The President on the passing of Andre Crouch:
Michelle and I were saddened to learn of the passing of music legend Pastor Andrae Crouch. Pastor Crouch grew up the son of a minister in California and discovered at a young age that he was blessed with extraordinary musical talent which would lead to an iconic career that spanned over 50 years. As a leading pioneer of contemporary gospel music, the soulful classics that Pastor Crouch created over the years have uplifted the hearts and minds of several generations and his timeless influence continues to be felt in not only gospel but a variety of music genres. We are grateful that his music and spirit will continue to live on for years to come and our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and fans during this time.
Take Me Back
My Tribute (To God Be The Glory) w/All Star Choir