Life
Legendary Gospel performer and Pastor, Andrae Crouch dies at 72
His influence also crossed over into in pop music. Elvis Presley performed his song “I’ve Got Confidence” for a 1972 gospel album, and Paul Simon” recorded “Jesus Is the Answer” for a 1974 live album.
Crouch worked with many other stars, from Diana Ross to Ringo Starr, and his gospel albums sometimes featured performers from other musical genres. His 18th solo album, “The Journey,” released in 2011, featured Chaka Khan, Shelia E., Take 6, Kim Burrell and Marvin Winans.
Crouch was one of only a handful of gospel performers to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
His choir, The Disciples, sang background for Madonna’s song “Like a Prayer.” Crouch helped Michael Jackson arrange the King of Pop’s 1987 hit song, “Man in the Mirror.”
He also arranged music for the 1985 film “The Color Purple” — which earned him an Academy Award nomination — and Disney’s “The Lion King” in 1994.
His success came despite a lifelong struggle with dyslexia. To create, he would make drawings that allowed him to grasp the concept. For the Jackson song, he drew a mirror with an image in it.
“I memorized everything through sight, the shape of the word,” Crouch told The Associated Press in 2011. “Some things that I write, you will see a page with cartoon pictures or a drawing of a car — like a Ford — or a flag. I still do it on an occasion when a word is strange to me.”
“So when I finish a song, I thank God for bringing me through,” he continued. “You have to press on and know your calling. That’s what I have been doing for all my life. I just went forward.”
Crouch had health issues in recent years, including diabetes and cancer. Last month, he was hospitalized for pneumonia and congestive heart failure and had to cancel a tour.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press
