Andraé Crouch (born as Andraé Edward Crouch on July 1, 1942, in Los Angeles, California [1]), is an American Gospel musician, recording artist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. His first group was the Church of God in Christ Singers (COGICS) in 1960, which included Billy Preston who later played organ for the Beatles and Eric Clapton. [1] The COGICS were the first group to record the song "The Blood". Crouch founded the Disciples in 1965. At the urging of Christian composer Ralph Carmichael, he began to record his compositions in 1969. During the 1965-85 period, Andraé Crouch and the Disciples appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, performed at the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall, and toured 68 countries. Crouch's most popular songs from this period include "The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power," "Through It All," "Bless His Holy Name," and "My Tribute". Their contemporary gospel sound reached beyond the traditional African American base and touched a racially and musically diverse audience. Several musical acts and solo performers covered (made recordings of) his more popular works, further expanding Crouch's musical influence. Has sung solo with the Oslo Gospel Choir in Norway on several occasions. In 2006, he released Mighty Wind, a 40th anniversary album featuring guest performances by Marvin Winans, Crystal Lewis, Karen Clark Sheard, and Lauren Evans. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.