BMI Mourns the Loss of Gospel Legend Bishop Rance Allen
BMI is saddened by the loss of longtime affiliate, renowned Gospel singer/songwriter Bishop Rance Allen, who passed away on October 31 in Sylvania, Ohio at the age of 71.
A bishop, minister in the Church of God in Christ and founder of the groundbreaking Rance Allen Group, Bishop Allen blazed an innovative trail in the 70s by fusing traditional Gospel music with soul, jazz and rock’n’roll, forging a template later followed by crossover artists like Amy Grant, Andrae Crouch, The Winans and others. Classic tracks like “Ain’t No Need of Crying” and “I Belong to You” helped establish Bishop Allen as a major presence on the charts.
Having performed alongside and collaborated with luminaries such as Bebe & Cece Winans, Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp, Fred Hammond, Mariah Carey and many others, Bishop Allen was a formidable influence in both the Gospel and secular musical communities. Over the course of his career, he was nominated for five GRAMMY awards, honored at the 2005 BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards and performed for President Barack Obama at the White House in 2015.
Bishop Allen will be deeply missed by his friends, fans and family at BMI.
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