(Album cover for Lord Lift Us Up – 1984)

Benjamin and Cecelia are back with a vengeance!  BeBe and CeCe have come a long way during their 20 years in the GI (Gospel Industry) yall wasn’t ready for us to take you all the way back like that. They have sown their royal oats with multiple platinum and gold albums both in the Gospel and R&B genres (Don’t Gasp for air Saints, I said R&B) 5 Grammys, 8 Doves and more than 12 Stellars, 2 NAACP’s and more #1′s on radio than you can count!

(New promotional pics shot in ATL by celebrity photographer Derrick Blanks)

With a resume like that Tommy Couch, president of Malaco Music Group, a legendary southern R&B and Gospel label based in Jackson, Mississippi welcomed the dynamic duo with open arms… Yes Malaco!!!!  You read it right, BeBe and CeCe have a new distribution partner (Malaco Music Group) for their new record label, B & C Records. The single ‘Close to You’ is already getting radio spin pending their September release. RA’s (Recording Artist) take note, these two didn’t just return after a long hiatus, but they returned with their own record label! “As a true fan of their music for many years, this is one of the most exciting signings that I have made in recent years,” said Tommy Couch, president of Malaco Music Group.

On Wednesday, June 3, 2009 Malaco released this video and statement:

Here’s the statement….

The Malaco Music Group has announced that gospel music superstars BeBe and CeCe Winans have signed an exclusive distribution deal for B & C Records, their first joint record label venture. With Malaco Records as their new distribution partner BeBe and CeCe have launched their new label with the release of “Close to You”which is the first single from their gospel music CD which will be in stores in September.

I love this video of them singing the new single on TBN. You can tell they love and enjoy each other very much. What a special brother/sister relationship. lol @ CeCe teasing BeBe about going to bed at 8:00. Reminds me of how much I love my brothers even though they teased me terribly when were were young. lol ~ 1800Gospel.com

Posted by Malaco Records at 9:53:00 AM 0 comments

(with Oprah, Vince Gill, and Wynonna Judd after performing “Right Now (We Need One Another)” after a recent taping of The Oprah’s Show)

We hope to see BeBe and CeCe joining their Malaco counterparts Dorothy Norwood, Luther Barnes, The Mississippi Mass Choir, Maurette Brown Clark, Keith ‘Wonderboy’ Johnson, and newcomer Jai Reed in Stellar-ville next season!!! To read Malaco’s full statement from June 1 and see more video footage click on continue reading below….

Check out Malaco’s full statement via http://malacorecords.blogspot.com:

Monday, June 1, 2009

Malaco Records Signs Exclusive Distribution Deal with BeBe and CeCe Winans for the Launch of B & C Records

Jackson, Miss. –June 1, 2009 – Malaco Music Group announced today the signing of Gospel/R&B music superstars BeBe and CeCe Winans to an exclusive distribution deal for B & C Records, their first joint record label venture. With Malaco Records, a legendary southern R&B and Gospel label as their new distribution partner, the brother and sister music duo has launched their new label with the release of the single, “Close to You,” currently at radio. “Close to You” is the first from BeBe and CeCe’s upcoming CD, due in stores late September.

“As a true fan of their music for many years, this is one of the most exciting signings that I have made in recent years,” said Tommy Couch, President of Malaco Music Group. “I am very honored to bring these two stellar and respected artists to the Malaco Music Group family, and see nothing but a bright and prosperous future ahead. This new partnership represents for us the first of many steps toward building the Malaco Music Group into a major independent leader in the urban music world.”

Lionel Ridenour, Head of Malaco’s Urban Music Department, added: “We are more than excited about our partnership with BeBe and CeCe Winans, we are overjoyed. BeBe and CeCe Winans are international music superstars. They are pioneers of both traditional and contemporary gospel, as well as multi-platinum award-winning R&B music stars. We are very proud that BeBe and CeCe have chosen Malaco Music Group as the home for their new venture B & C Records.”

“With the rich heritage of so many great gospel legends, such as the Reverend James Cleveland, The Caravans, The Major Mass Choirs from Savoy and Malaco, we are elated to continue the tradition with superstar artists BeBe and CeCe Winans,” added D. A. Johnson, Malaco Music Group’s Director of Gospel Music Division.

BeBe and CeCe’s 20 year career in music includes multiple platinum and gold albums in both the Gospel and R&B music genres, 5 Grammys, 8 Doves, more than 12 Stellar Awards, 2 NAACP Awards, 12+ charting R&B singles, and countless #1 Christian and Gospel radio singles.

Their debut self-titled album, released in 1987, nabbed both Grammy and Stellar noms and a Dove Award, only the second Dove Award to be awarded to an African American Group in the category “Group of the Year.” The single “For Always” from the album earned BeBe and CeCe their first Grammy. Their second album, Heaven, was the first Gospel album to reach #1 on the Billboard sales chart and gave us two hit singles, “Lost Without You,” and “Celebrate Life.”

This long-awaited reunion album is a culmination of gained experiences over the last few years and promises to please the die-hard BeBe and CeCe fans and garner new ones as well.

For more information on Malaco Music Group, contact, Burton Doss, (601) 982-4255, bdoss@malaco.com

Posted by Malaco Records at 2:33:00 PM 0 comments