S1 Ep 11: A Conversation About Sandra Crouch

I was not at all prepared for the calls I got, back to back, late Sunday afternoon telling me that Sandra Crouch had died. I didn’t know her, but the people who called knew that I loved her and they wanted me to know before the news went all around the world. A world without Sandra (or Andraé) Crouch in it is hard to fathom. Her music has been present in my life since I was born. Her solo albums in the eighties and nineties were companions for me in incredibly hard and lonely times. With her twin brother, Andraé, she innovated the contemporary gospel sound in his early group The COGICS, and simultaneously began a career as a session musician, playing percussion on everything from the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” and “ABC” to Janis Joplin’s posthumous Pearl album. When Andraé launched his group, The Disciples, in 1965, she was once again there providing vocal and instrumental support as the group became a driver in the development of contemporary gospel and (what would later become known as) contemporary Christian music. They broke color lines in the Jesus Movement, performing at the seminal Explo ‘72. Sandra co-wrote the Disciples’ anthem “Jesus Is The Answer” which, today, can be found in hymnals. By the end of the decade, she and the Disciples found themselves at the White House, performing for President Jimmy Carter. She stepped into the spotlight as a recording artist in her own right with 1983’s We Sing Praises, which produced monster hits like the Jean Johnson-led “He’s Worthy” and “Magnify the Lord (We Sing Praises).” The album earned three Grammy nominations and took home the award for Best Soul Gospel Performance, Female. Musician and social commentator Dara Tucker posted a tribute to Sandra Crouch on her TikTok (@darastarrtucker) that highlights her important contributions to the world of popular music and notes the lack of focus on the weight of her life’s work. Dara has joined me for this episode in which we unpack our thoughts about this amazing woman who will be deeply missed.