TED WINN’s Debut Solo CD – BALANCE » IN STORES NOW !!

gospel | Oct 01, 2009 | Comments 0

Almost a decade ago, Ted & Sheri burst on the gospel music scene with a joyful chemistry and vocal charisma unlike any urban singing duo since Bebe & CeCe Winans. In a short period of time, their dynamic vocal runs and intense stage presence made them the toast of the gospel circuit. They won two Stellar Awards and enjoyed Top Ten radio smashes such as “Come Ye Disconsolate” and “Celebrate.” The duo has now taken an amicable hiatus to pursue solo careers.

Ted Winn’s debut solo CD, “Balance,” (TeddysJamz/Shanachie) features the Billboard Top 30 Hot Gospel Songs hit “God Believes In You.” The uplifting ballad has been on the chart for months and is resonating with audiences that like Winn’s work with Ted & Sheri and Richard Smallwood’s Vision choir that Ted Winn has recorded with since 1999. The song was born from tragedy. “A friend of mine was killed in an accident and he was one of many people whom I feel did not reach his potential because he never had a support system,” says Winn. “This song is meant to inspire every person to pursue every dream knowing that God has made an investment in them and He would not make an investment if He didn’t expect a return.”

It’s just one example of the poignant, heart-felt songs that round out this inspiring blend of Bible-based messages wrapped in an alluring urban adult contemporary rhythm. The entire project is a twist on the standard gospel music genre that seeks to save the Lost. Winn doesn’t finger-point. Instead, he encourages and uplifts both the Lost and the Found with these eleven vibrant songs.

“I want my music to become a vehicle to move people to a balanced place in life,” Ted Winn says of the CD title-tune. “The premise of the song is to live a balanced life. It’s talking about being conscious on a social, familial and spiritual level. It’s a real music song. I wanted it to be reminiscent of a 70s era song. That’s a time when music was creative in a different way. People didn’t just write to get hit records they wrote because they had something to say. I want people to hear this song and feel like it’s something they would have heard Sam Cooke or Marvin Gaye sing back in the day. “

The album opens with the mid-tempo track “Connected to the Kingdom” that harks back to the Hawkins Family’s California soul sound of the seventies. “Bishop Jim Swilley was talking about the economic crisis and that there’s a shaking in the land,” Winn says. “He went into this teaching about how things were shaping up for those who understand the principles of the Kingdom of God. While he was preaching, I began writing the song on my iPod.”

A singer in Winn’s iPod for years is the legendary Vanessa Bell Armstrong who joins him on “His Favor,” a subtle Earth Wind & Fire funk vibe. “I wrote that song to people who feel like they live with a dark cloud over them all the time,” Winn explains. “The song talks about a curse being broken. I define the curse as sickness, poverty and death. It’s not necessarily a physical death but the death of dreams and goals.”

The horn-driven “Reap” speaks of reaping joy after a time of tears. It’s the perfect segue for the inspirational “Moving Forward” that reminds Winn of his own triumph over tears. “It resonates with me on a multitude of levels,” he confesses. “I sing it because I want to motivate people to shake their baggage off and pursue life. It’s also a theme I apply to my life. Going back to my childhood and being raised by a single mom. Not having a relationship with my dad. My grandfather dying before he saw my music career develop. I had to focus on what lies ahead instead of what lay behind and make sure the rest of my life is as purposeful, intentional and fulfilling as possible.”

Over and over, Winn seeks to encourage the listener on songs such as “The Lifter,” a churchy old school-styled ballad. “Ever since I’ve been a member at Total Grace in Atlanta, Bishop Jonathan and Dr. Toni Alvarado have always taught the congregation that God cares about every aspect of our lives,” Winn says. “One Sunday as I was entering the church, I got word that a friend passed away and I was really down. That Sunday, Co-Pastor Toni Alvarado called me up to sing Byron Cage’s song `Psalm 3‘ not knowing I was wrought with emotion. That song mentions God as a lifter and that’s what moved me to write that song.”

Winn is not only an encourager but also a praiser. On the Sunday morning choir paean “Great Is Our God” Winn is joined by a new generation of gospel stars, DeWayne Woods, Jonathan Nelson and Myron Butler. The mellow “O My Soul” is a majestically pristine classical soul effort with live strings and a chorale setting. In a nod to Fred Hammond’s urban praise hybrids, Winn offers the mid-tempo “Trust His Name.” Of that song, he says “If a police officer comes to the door, you aren’t responding to the officer; You are responding to the authority he has in the name of the entity he represents. So when I say that I trust in Jesus’ name, I’m trusting in not only the literal name but the authority that backs up that name.”

These are spiritual truths Ted Winn learned in his native Memphis. He credits his family with keeping him grounded. He and his sister were raised by a single mother and extended family members. “My family has always been close and my biggest supporters,” he adds. “Anybody who knows me, knows I love them.” Keeping him in church and focused on music kept Winn out of trouble. “As long as I had music, I was good,” he says. He graduated from the prestigious Watkins Overton Creative & Performing Arts High School where he was also very active in the choirs.

After a stint in the Air Force, Ted Winn sang with Kevin Davidson & The Voices of Binghamton before forming his own group, Ted Winn & Deliverance. In 1995, he and Sheri Jones-Moffet formed the Ted & Sheri duo. While Winn was matriculating at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ted & Sheri signed their first recording deal in 1999. Since then, the duo recorded two best-selling CDs The Healing Starts Here and Celebrate. But, for now, he’s happy to take center stage and sing about balancing the spiritual and material worlds around us. “I want to inspire people to live lives that are full and healthy,” says Winn. “It is my belief that God wants us to appreciate and experience him in a multiplicity of ways.”

More… To order your copy of Ted Winn’s “Balance” (click here)

TED WINN – DISCOGRAPHY AND ACCOLADES

CD as TED WINN

-“Balance” (TeddysJamz/Shanachie Entertainment 2009)

RADIO SINGLE as TED WINN

-“God Believes In You” (TeddysJamz/Shanachie Entertainment 2009) Billboard Chart Peak Position: #24 Hot Gospel Songs

CDS AS TED & SHERI

-“Celebrate” (Word/Curb/Warner Bros. 2004) Billboard Chart Debut Position: #30 Gospel

-“The Healing Starts Right There” (Church House 2001)

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

-RIAA Gold Certification, “WOW Gospel 2004” (03/06/04): “Come Ye Disconsolate”-Stellar Award – Group or Duo of the Year (2002) -Stellar Award – Contemporary Group or Duo of the Year (2002) -GMWA Excellence Award – Best New Artist of the Year (2002)

TELEVISION APPEARANCES

-“Bobby Jones Gospel” (BET) -”Praise The Lord” (TBN) -“Say Yes with Candi Staton” (TBN) -“The Gospel of Music with Jeff Majors” (TV One) -“Good Morning Memphis” (WHBQ TV)

TED WINN SOLO CREDITS

- -Bishop Eddie Long & Total Praise Choir – “Spirit & Truth” (EMI 2004) -Percy Bady – “The Percy Bady Experience” (Gospocentric 2003) -Judith McAllister – “Raise The Praise” (Judah 2003) -Richard Smallwood & Vision – “Persuaded Live” (Verity 2001) -Richard Smallwood & Vision – “Journey: Live in NY” (Verity 2007) -Youthful Praise – “Exalted – Live” (Light Records 2007) – Gregg Patrick & The Bridge Choir: Crossover (Tyscot Records 2008)

TED & SHERI CD CAMEOS

-Mark Hubbard, Blessin’ Waitin’ On Me (Utopia Music Group 2004) -Various Artists, “WOW Gospel 2004” (Verity 2003) -Various Artists, “Gotta Have Gospel!” (Gospocentric 2003) -Hezekiah Walker – Family Affair Vol. 2 Live At Radio City Music Hall (Verity 2002) -Gerald Thompson – “Let the Church Say Amen” (AIR 1996))