The Rance Allen Group was a

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is c ...

group formed in Monroe,

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, and based in Toledo,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The s ...

, named after its lead vocalist, Bishop Rance Allen. The group was formed by vocalist,

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

ist,

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

, and songwriter Rance Allen (b. Monroe, Michigan) with his brothers Tom ( drums) and Steve (

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and sc ...

); another brother, Esau (percussionist), joined the group on an intermittent basis. During an appearance at a gospel talent contest in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, they came to the attention of one of the judges, record promoter Dave Clark, who worked for

Stax Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records. Stax was ...

. The group was the first to be signed to the Stax imprint Gospel Truth, and they recorded for the Stax organization throughout the 1970s. In 1972, the group appeared in the documentary film '' Wattstax''. Following this appearance, the group was named "Best Religious Group" by the National Association of Television and Radio Announcers (NATRA). David Porter co-produced the group's 1975 album ''A Soulful Experience'', for which he wrote an autobiographical song, "Just Found Me". The group's incorporation of

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

into traditional black gospel music prefigured the crossover success of such artists as

Amy Grant Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She began in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before crossing over to pop music in the 1980s and 1990s. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christia ...

Andrae Crouch Andrae, Andræ (Danish) or Andrä is a surname and given name, which is a variant of Andreae, itself a patronymic (via the Latin genitive case) from the personal name Andreas. Notable persons with this name include: Surname * Ahmed-Tobias Andr� ...

, and

The Winans The Winans are an American gospel quartet from Detroit, Michigan consisting of brothers Marvin, Carvin, Michael and Ronald Winans. Members ''Please refer to the Winans family page for more detail on the individual members.'' About: Origins & M ...

. In 1978, the group had a Top 30 R&B hit, "I Belong to You." The group received a nomination at the

34th Grammy Awards The 34th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 25, 1992, recognizing accomplishments by musicians from the previous year (1991). Natalie Cole won the most awards (three), including Album of the Year. Paul Simon opened the show. Performers ...

for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album for their 1991 album ''Phenomenon''. The group's latest release,
God Has Been So Good
', is a collaboration with hip-hop pionee
Glenn “Sweety G” Toby
producer Bernard Jackson and new gospel artist Mydason.

Rance Allen

Rance Allen (November 19, 1948 – October 31, 2020) was an American

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...

, Minister, and

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

musician, and the founder and leader of the Rance Allen Group. Known for his extremely wide vocal range and powerful singing voice, Allen became known as the main lead vocalist and the leader of the influential group. He was the senior pastor of the New Bethel Church Of God In Christ in Toledo, Ohio, since its July 1985 establishment. In November 2011, Rance Allen was elevated to the office of Bishop in the

Church of God in Christ The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is a Holiness–Pentecostal Christian denomination, and the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States. Although an international and multi-ethnic religious organization, it has a predominantly ...

, for the Michigan Northwestern Harvest Jurisdiction. Allen was born in 1948 in

Monroe, Michigan Monroe is the largest city and county seat of Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Monroe had a population of 20,462 in the 2020 census. The city is bordered on the south by Monroe Charter Township, but the two are administered autonom ...

to Thomas and Emma Pearl Allen, to a family of

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

Afro-Caribbean Afro-Caribbean people or African Caribbean are Caribbean people who trace their full or partial ancestry to Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of the modern African-Caribbeans descend from Africans taken as slaves to colonial Caribbean via the t ...

, and Afro-Latino American heritage. He had 11 siblings: six sisters and five brothers. Allen founded the Rance Allen Group in

in 1969 joined by his brothers Thomas and Steve. Allen was married to Ellen Marie Allen (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Groves). The two were married on December 1, 1970. The couple had no children together. Allen and his group had performed with many gospel musicians throughout the country, including

Marvin Winans Marvin Lawrence Winans (born March 5, 1958) is an American pastor and gospel singer, and a member of the musical Winans family. He is also known for his recurring role in the hit show ''Tyler Perry's House of Payne''. Life and career Early life W ...

, Bebe and

Cece Winans Priscilla Marie Winans Love, known professionally as CeCe Winans, (born October 8, 1964) is an American gospel singer. She rose to prominence as a member of the duo BeBe & CeCe Winans; before launching an acclaimed solo career. Winans has been ...

, the

Clark Sisters The Clark Sisters are an American gospel vocal group consisting of five sisters: Jacky Clark Chisholm (born 1948), Denise "Niecy" Clark-Bradford (born 1953), Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark (born 1954), Dorinda Clark-Cole (born 1957), and Karen Clark ...

Kirk Franklin Kirk Dewayne Franklin (born January 26, 1970) is an American songwriter, choir director, gospel singer, and rapper. He is best known for leading urban contemporary gospel ensembles such as The Family, God's Property, and One Nation Crew (1NC) ...

Marvin Sapp Bishop Marvin Louis Sapp Sr. (born January 28, 1967) is an American Gospel music singer-songwriter who recorded with the group Commissioned during the 1990s before beginning a record-breaking solo career. Sapp is also the founder and former sen ...

, John P. Kee, Fred Hammond, Tye Tribbett,

Shirley Caesar Shirley Ann Caesar-Williams (born October 13, 1938), known professionally as Shirley Caesar, is an American gospel singer whose career has spanned seven decades. She has won 11 Grammys in addition to Dove Awards and Stellar Awards; Caesar is kno ...

Donnie McClurkin Donald Andrew "Donnie" McClurkin, Jr. (born November 9, 1959) is an American gospel singer and minister. He has won three Grammy Awards, ten Stellar Awards, two BET Awards, two Soul Train Awards, one Dove Award and one NAACP Image Awards. He is ...

, Bernard Jackson Jr. and Mary McLaurine Glover. He also performed for President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

at a

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 180 ...

Celebration of Gospel Music and was nominated for five

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

Awards. Allen died on October 31, 2020 from complications due to a recent medical procedure. He was 71 years old.

Awards

Discography

* ''Rance Allen Group'' (1972) * ''Truth Is Where It's At'' (1972) * ''Brothers'' (1973) * ''Sanctified'' (1975; UK-only compilation) * ''A Soulful Experience'' (1975; reissued 1981 as ''Ain't No Need Of Crying'') * ''Say My Friend'' (1977; reissued 1979 as ''The Way It Is'') *''Straight from the Heart'' (1978; reissued on CD with bonus tracks in 1994) * ''Smile'' (1979) * ''I Feel Like Goin' On'' (1980) * ''Hear My Voice'' (1983) * ''I Give Myself to You'' (1984) * ''The Best of The Rance Allen Group'' (1988) (Stax Records) * ''Phenomenon'' (1991) * ''Up Above My Head'' (1995 compilation) * ''You Make Me Wanna Dance'' (1995) * ''Let The Music Get Down In Your Soul'' (1997; vault release) * ''Miracle Worker'' (2000) *''The Soulful Truth Of The Rance Allen Group'' (2001; UK-only compilation) * ''All the Way'' (2002) * ''Wattstax'' (various artists; box set) (2003) * ''The Live Experience'' (2004) * ''Closest Friend'' (2007) * ''The Live Experience II'' (2011) * ''Amazing Grace'' (2012) * ''Celebrate'' (2014) * ''Live From San Francisco'' (2016) * ''God Has Been So Good'' (202

References

External links

The Rance Allen Group
on Myspace * *God Has Been So Goo

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rance Allen Group, The 1970 establishments in Michigan 2020 disestablishments in Michigan American gospel musical groups Family musical groups Musical groups from Michigan Musical groups established in 1970 Stax Records artists Musical groups disestablished in 2020