Entertainment

Andrae Crouch Remembered for Dedication to Gospel Music

Published

11 years ago

January 22, 2015

In this Sept. 1, 1996 file photo, Grammy winning gospel singer Andrae Crouch sings during service at the Christ Memorial church in Pacoima, Calif. Crouch, a legendary gospel performer, songwriter and choir director whose work graced songs by Michael Jackson and Madonna and movies such as The Lion King, has died at age 72. (AP Photo/Frank Wiese, File)

DERRIK J. LANG, AP Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Andrae Crouch was remembered at his funeral in Los Angeles for his dedication to spreading gospel music around the world.

The Grammy-winning gospel performer, songwriter and choir director was honored Wednesday during a service at the West Angeles Church of God in Christ. There were performances and appearances by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Yolanda Adams, Ledisi and many gospel luminaries.

“Andrae is the father of modern gospel,” said Jackson. “We cannot forget how hard he fought, not just to change people, but to change our society. Andrae is not just a local or national gospel singer. He is an international transformer, a historic figure that eclipsed his time and changed the course.”

Several attendees performed renditions of Crouch’s songs, backed by a band and 80-person choir. Wonder remembered first working with Crouch when he was asked to join in on the tune “I’ll Be Thinking of You,” which Wonder performed during Wednesday’s service.

“I was in the studio and someone said, ‘Andrae Crouch wants you to play harmonica on this song,'” Wonder recalled before playing. “I said I’ve always wanted to play harmonica for him on a song, so it’s truly an honor to be able to do this song again and celebrate his life. He blessed me as a friend.”

Other guests included Kirk Franklin, Shirley Caesar and BeBe, CeCe and Marvin Winans, who performed the eulogy.

“I thought these were just hymn songs,” Franklin said of Crouch’s deep discography. “I had no idea of the impact of this guy that was packing out Carnegie Hall, big arenas in London, tours and all of this big stuff.”

Crouch and his twin sister, Sandra Crouch, were pastors at the New Christ Memorial Church in the Los Angeles suburb of San Fernando. An emotional Sandra recalled her brother’s final days to the crowd gathered for the four-and-a-half-hour-long service.

“I tried to keep my twin here, but God said, ‘He’s suffered enough, and I want him home with me.'”

Sandra later lifted the mood by jokingly reminding everyone that her twin was born 30 minutes before her and was therefore her “opening act.”

Crouch was awarded seven Grammys throughout a career that spanned more than a half-century. His work graced songs by Michael Jackson and Madonna and movies such as “The Color Purple” and “The Lion King.”

Crouch died Jan. 8 at Northridge Hospital Medical Center, where he had been admitted after suffering a heart attack, according to his spokesman. He was 72.

___

Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang.

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Oakland Post: Week of December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

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January 2, 2026

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Alameda County

Bling It On: Holiday Lights Brighten Dark Nights All Around the Bay

On the block where I grew up in the 1960s, it was an unwritten agreement among the owners of those row homes to put up holiday lights: around the front window and door, along the porch banister, etc. Some put the Christmas tree in the window, and you could see it through the open slats of the blinds.

Published

3 weeks ago

December 21, 2025

Oakland Post

Christmas lights on a house near the writer’s residence in Oakland. Photo by Joseph Shangosola.

By Wanda Ravernell

I have always liked Christmas lights.

From my desk at my front window, I feel a quiet joy when the lights on the house across the street come on just as night falls.

My father, the renegade of the block, made no effort with lights, so my mother hung a wreath with two bells in the window. Just enough to let you know someone was at home.

Two doors down was a different story. Mr. King, the overachiever of the block, went all out for Christmas: The tree in the window, the lights along the roof and a Santa on his sleigh on the porch roof.

There are a few ‘Mr. Kings’ in my neighborhood.

In particular is the gentleman down the street. For Halloween, they erected a 10-foot skeleton in the yard, placed ‘shrunken heads’ on fence poles, pumpkins on steps and swooping bat wings from the porch roof. They have not held back for Christmas.

The skeleton stayed up this year, this time swathed in lights, as is every other inch of the house front. It is a light show that rivals the one in the old Wanamaker’s department store in Philadelphia.

I would hate to see their light bill…

As the shortest day of the year approaches, make Mr. King’s spirit happy and get out and see the lights in your own neighborhood, shopping plazas and merchant areas.

Here are some places recommended by 510 Families and Johnny FunCheap.

Oakland

Oakland’s Temple Hill Holiday Lights and Gardens is the place to go for a drive-by or a leisurely stroll for a religious holiday experience. Wear a jacket, because it’s chilly outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at 4220 Lincoln Ave., particularly after dark. The gardens are open all day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. with the lights on from dusk until closing.

Alameda

Just across the High Street Bridge from Oakland, you’ll find Christmas Tree Lane in Alameda.

On Thompson Avenue between High Street and Fernside drive, displays range from classic trees and blow-ups to a comedic response to the film “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Lights turn on at dusk and can be seen through the first week in January.

Berkeley

The Fourth Street business district from University Avenue to Virginia Street in Berkeley comes alive with lights beginning at 5 p.m. through Jan. 1, 2026.

There’s also a display at one house at 928 Arlington St., and, for children, the Tilden Park Carousel Winter Wonderland runs through Jan. 4, 2026. Closed Christmas Day. For more information and tickets, call (510) 559-1004.

Richmond

The Sundar Shadi Holiday Display, featuring a recreation of the town of Bethlehem with life-size figures, is open through Dec. 26 at 7501 Moeser Lane in El Cerrito.

Marin County

In Marin, the go-to spot for ‘oohs and ahhs’ is the Holiday Light Spectacular from 4-9 p.m. through Jan. 4, 2026, at Marin Center Fairgrounds at 10 Ave of the Flags in San Rafael through Jan. 4. Displays dazzle, with lighted walkways and activities almost daily. For more info, go to: www.marincounty.gov/departments/cultural-services/department-sponsored-events/holiday-light-spectacular

The arches at Marin County Civic Center at 3501 Civic Center Dr. will also be illuminated nightly.

San Francisco

Look for light installations in Golden Gate Park, chocolate and cheer at Ghirardelli Square, and downtown, the ice rink in Union Square and the holiday tree in Civic Center Plaza are enchanting spots day and night. For neighborhoods, you can’t beat the streets in Noe Valley, Pacific Heights, and Bernal Heights. For glee and over-the-top glitz there’s the Castro, particularly at 68 Castro Street.

Livermore

The winner of the 2024 Great Light Flight award, Deacon Dave has set up his display with a group of creative volunteers at 352 Hillcrest Avenue since 1982. See it through Jan. 1, 2026. For more info, go to https://www.casadelpomba.com

Fremont

Crippsmas Place is a community of over 90 decorated homes with candy canes passed out nightly through Dec. 31. A tradition since 1967, the event features visits by Mr. and Mrs. Claus on Dec. 18 and Dec. 23 and entertainment by the Tri-M Honor Society at 6 p.m. on Dec. 22. Chrippsmas Place is located on: Cripps Place, Asquith Place, Nicolet Court, Wellington Place, Perkins Street, and the stretch of Nicolet Avenue between Gibraltar Drive and Perkins Street.