Mr. Crouch, who had been in poor health for some time, passed away five days after suffering a heart attack.
Here's a look at some of Andrae's many highlights:
His best-known, often performed with a choir, included “The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power,” a slow, pulsing, bluesy number that he wrote as a teenager; “My Tribute (To God Be the Glory),” which begins with the longing of a torch song and swells to an anthem; and “Soon and Very Soon,”
which, with its joyous R&B flavor, was sung by a choir at a public
memorial for Michael Jackson. They were both churchly and rocking, and
they gave Mr. Crouch a following beyond the realm of gospel fans.
From
the mid-1960s into the ’80s, he led the group Andraé Crouch and the
Disciples, which performed at the Hollywood Bowl, at Carnegie Hall and
on “The Tonight Show” and toured in Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. He
appeared a handful of times on “Saturday Night Live.” The
easy-listening group the Johnny Mann Singers recorded an album of his
songs.
Mr.
Crouch was also an arranger, producer and choirmaster, and led choirs
that sang on pop hits including Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror”
and Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.” Paul Simon included his song “Jesus Is
the Answer,” featuring the Jessy Dixon Singers, on his 1974 album “Paul
Simon in Concert: Live Rhymin’.” His song “I’ve Got Confidence” was
covered by Elvis Presley in 1972 on his gospel album “He Touched Me.”
Mr.
Crouch also worked in the movies and television. He composed, arranged
and conducted music for the “The Color Purple” (1985), for which he
shared an Oscar nomination with Quincy Jones and others. He was also the
choral arranger and conductor for “The Lion King.” He composed the
theme music for the television comedy series “Amen,” starring Sherman
Hemsley as a church deacon. In the 1994 television movie “In Search of
Dr. Seuss,” he was the voice of Yertle the Turtle.
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