Winans has 19 million record sales certified by RIAA,[2][3][4] making her one of the best-selling gospel music artists.

[7] Winans first went to Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1981 as a singer on the Christian telecast The PTL Club, hosted by Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker.

Although originally part of the larger Winans family singing group, CeCe and her older brother BeBe became a duo during their time at PTL, in response to positive reactions to their version of the song "Up Where We Belong" sung as a duet, with lyrics changed for Christian audiences.

They achieved crossover success, eventually releasing nine Gold and Platinum recordings, billed as BeBe & CeCe Winans.

In 2004, the 25-city tour Throne Room with the group Anointed featured free admission and was followed with a DVD release of the concert recorded in Tennessee.

Around September 2004, Winans experienced what she thought was a flu but turned out to be a serious stomach infection and was hospitalized immediately for surgery.

Due to the extended recovery time, the second half of the Throne Room Tour was postponed to early 2005.

Her son Alvin III co-wrote several songs on the album, and her younger sisters Angie and Debbie performed.

Winans' collection of Top Ten R&B radio hits includes "Count On Me", her duet with Whitney Houston, from the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack.

Winans released her eighth album, Thy Kingdom Come on April 1, 2008, featuring the single "Waging War".

[citation needed] Winans was a close friend of Whitney Houston[16] and godmother to her daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown.

On February 18, 2012, Winans performed the songs "Don't Cry for Me" and "Jesus Loves Me" at Houston's funeral, at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey.

Live at the Lambs Theater in New York (Recorded at the Lambs Theater in New York City) Live in the Throne Room (Recorded at the Cornerstone Church in Brentwood, TN) Journeys in Black: CeCe Winans (BET documentary of Cece Winans's life) Winans has received 17 Grammy Awards (out of 31 nominations),[18][1] 31 Dove Awards and 19 Stellar Awards (as well as numerous nominations).