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Rance Allen
Gospel star Rance Allen, whose band Rance Allen drew on contemporary sounds for 1970s hits such as “Ain’t No Need of Crying” and “I Belong To You,” and anticipated crossover gospel artists such as The Winans and Amy Grant, has passed away at 71.
Allen’s wife, Ellen Allen, and manager Toby Jackson announced in a joint statement that Allen passed away early Saturday (October 31) while recovering from a “medical intervention” at Heartland ProMedica in Sylvania. , Ohio. Allen was a longtime resident of Toledo, Ohio and more recently Bishop of the Church of God in Christ for Northwest Michigan Harvest Jurisdiction.
“I am very sorry to hear of the passing of Gospel Great, Bishop Rance Allen,” singer Gloria Gaynor tweeted. “He will surely enrich the heavenly choir now.
Originally from Monroe, Michigan, Allen was a singer, songwriter, and musician who formed his band with his brothers Tom and Steve. Another brother, Esau, occasionally joined them. A promoter for Stax Records overheard them at a talent show in Detroit and they eventually signed with the label’s Gospel Truth imprint. Allen and his siblings were featured in the 1973 documentary WattStax, performing the funky “Lying On the Truth”.
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Like the Winans and others later, the Allens reversed the formula of soul artists like Ray Charles who used gospel sounds for secular themes. On “Just My Salvation”, the Allen group reworked the Temptations’ melancholy love song “Just My Imagination” into a fashionable hymn.
The Allens were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1998. Alone, Rance Allen was nominated for a Grammy in late 2009 or best gospel performance for “I Understanding,” which featured Mariah Carey and BeBe Winans among others.
In 2015, he sang at the White House, with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama among the attendees.
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