Ted Winn

He’s best known as half of the Stellar Award winning duo, Ted & Sheri, who have enjoyed massive gospel smashes with “Come Ye Disconsolate” and “Celebrate” in recent years. However, Winn is now positioning himself for some solo smashes as he puts the finishing touches on his debut CD “Balance” which is scheduled for a fall 2008 release.
“I named the CD "Balance" because I want to inspire people to live lives that are full and healthy,” says Winn. “We have a tendency to be mono-dimensional because we fall into comfort zones and don’t dare to explore. It is my belief that God wants us to appreciate and experience him in a multiplicity of ways. God has given us a range of emotions, gifts, expressions, ideas, etc., and I endeavor to speak to and about those on this project.”
Winn’s evolved statement stems from his latitudinal upbringing. Born in Memphis, TN, he and his sister were raised by their mother. He grew up with the support of generations of aunts, cousins, his grandparents and a great-grandmother. “My family is and always has been close and my most impactful group of supporters. Anybody who knows me, knows I love them” he says. Keeping him in church and focused on music kept Ted out of trouble. “As long as I had music, I was good,” he says. He was good enough to graduate from the prestigious Watkins Overton Creative & Performing Arts High School where he was also very active in the choirs.
After leaving Memphis for a short stint, Ted returned and joined Kevin Davidson & The Voices of Binghampton. It was during that time that he met Sheri Jones-Moffett, who also sang in that choir. Shortly after, he formed Ted Winn & Deliverance. “That group was formed out of the choir,” says Sheri. “But the strange thing is we started getting invites from everywhere – just the two of us. We heard God calling us together very clearly. ” So, after eight months, Winn amicably disbanded the group circa 1995.
While matriculating at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ted & Sheri officially launched themselves as a duo. They met gospel radio promoter Neily Dickerson at the Gospel Music Workshop of America (GMWA) convention in Cincinatti circa 1999. She eventually signed them to her start-up label, Church Howse Music. The resulting CD “The Healing Starts Here” appeared in 2001. They appeared at all the major church conferences, hit the TV circuit and heard their cover of Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack’s “Come Ye Disconsolate" blanketed across gospel radio airwaves. Ted and Sheri garnered won numerous awards for this project, including two Stellar Awards.
All of that buzz led to the 2004 Word Records CD “Celebration.” The rousing title song, written by Donald Lawrence, shot to the Top 5 on Billboard’s gospel singles chart and won the group additional Dove and Stellar award nominations. That project didn’t reach its full potential because Word Records closed its gospel music division in the middle of the project. It was at that point, that Winn decided to start his own Veracity Entertainment Company. “I’ve had the experience of being on an independent and a major label,” he says. “I’ve learned a lot from each experience. One of the most valuable things I learned is that it’s about content. When you are the owner, you control what happens to your body of work. I don’t think launching things on your own label is the answer for everybody, but it’s how I feel like I should do this project.”
This project is Winn’s forthcoming “Balance” CD. While the project is still being shaped, there will be songs written by Winn, Israel Houghton, Jonathan Nelson, and PJ Morton, who wrote DeWayne Wood’s smash “Let Go, Let God.” Winn says the title song holds particular meaning for him. “Balance is the most personal song on the project, because it’s my attempt to summarize what I’m trying to say on this project,” he adds. “I wrote it first to and for me and secondly, for everyone who hears it. It’s from a place in me that wants to live better, grow wiser, experience culture and live a balanced life.”
Winn is looking forward to sharing this message on this spring’s The Hope Nation Tour that is sponsored by the Ellis Verne Agency, World Vision and the Gospel Music Channel. The tour features Dewayne Woods, Myron Butler & Levi, SWV’s Coko, Jonathan Nelson, Tarsha’ McMillan Hamilton, Canton Jones and Ted Winn. “I anticipate building the Ted Winn brand on the tour and having an incredible time sharing with the other artists,” he says. It’s all a part of Winn’s long-range plan to do more multi-media projects such as hosting a television or radio show. “I think the next generation of gospel artists is poised to make an incredible impact in people’s lives. I hope this tour serves as a catalyst for launching all of us into the personal lives of those who attend in a way that is inspiring, healing and entertaining. I want everybody to leave the HOPE TOUR moved to live a life of Balance.”