Witness was a contemporary gospel group from

Detroit, Michigan 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 ...

. Often called the female version of Commissioned, an all-male contemporary gospel group, they were the brainchild of and chiefly produced by Michael A. Brooks, an original member and producer of Commissioned.

Lineup changes and accolades

The group hailed from

, and was originally formed as a quintet consisting of Lisa Page Brooks, Tina Brooks, Yolanda Harris, Diane Campbell, and Marvie Wright. The group was signed to the Tyscot label in 1986 where they produced their debut album ''Keep Looking Up'', after which Wright departed the group. After the release of their fourth album ''Mean What You Say'', Tina Brooks and Yolanda Harris also left. In the years between ''Mean What You Say'' and the release of ''Standard'', LouAnn Stewart joined the group; gospel singer Lizz Lee also briefly joined before being replaced by Lisa's sister Laeh Page. After the release of ''A Song In the Night'', Campbell and Stewart left the group. Detroit singers Ayana Thomas and Candice Smith join the group for ''Love Is An Action Word'', but subsequently left when it went on hiatus in 1999. When Witness returned in 2003 for ''An Appointed Time'', LouAnn Stewart rejoined the group.

Tasha Page-Lockhart Tasha Page House (born March 21, 1983 as Natasha Marie Page) is an American Christian R&B and urban contemporary gospel artist and musician. She won the gospel singing competition, ''Sunday Best'', in season six of BET. She started her music ca ...

, daughter of Lisa Page Brooks and future '' Sunday Best'' winner, had also joined the group. Albums ''We Can Make a Difference'' and ''Standard'' received three-star reviews from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, and albums ''Mean What You Say'' and ''Love Is an Action Word'' got four-star reviews from the publication. Witness's best-reviewed album was ''He Can Do the Impossible'', which was awarded four and a half stars. Cross Rhythms rated ''Mean What You Say'' a four out of ten, while giving ''A Song in the Night'' a nine out of ten. ''An Appointed Time'' was awarded a seven out of ten, and ''Speak to the Generations'' was rated an eight out of ten. Witness has also experienced ''Billboard'' success with their albums ''He Can Do the Impossible'', ''We Can Make a Difference'', ''Love Is an Action Word'', ''A Song in the Night'', and ''Standard''. Witness was nominated for a Grammy in 1991 for Best Group/Duo, and was awarded the 1991 GMWA Excellence Award for Best Group and the 1993

Stellar Award A Stellar Award is an award presented by SAGMA to recognize achievements in the gospel music industry.Sagma
The Stell ...

for Best Performance Group/Duo.

Discography

Albums

Compilations

References

{{Authority control American gospel musical groups Musical groups from Detroit Musical groups established in 1986 1986 establishments in Michigan African-American girl groups Singers from Detroit