About Ann

I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live." Psalm 104:33

More than likely you’ve seen Ann Downing as a regular on the popular Gaither Homecoming Video series. However the majority of her time is spent maintaining a full schedule of church concerts and speaking engagements each weekend traveling throughout the United States and Canada.

Apart from her affiliation with the Gaither Homecoming Friends, Ann’s own versatile music style appeals to a wide range of musical tastes and age groups, not just the Gaither Video fans  While she is a commissioned song evangelist in the Church of the Nazarene, Ann enjoys sharing her music and ministry with a wide variety of denominations.

Ann’s unique presentation style is also appealing in that she comes down from the platform to communicate with the audience on a very personal level.  Her spontaneous, off-the-cuff delivery gives the feeling of a conversational visit rather than a rigid formal program.

Raised on a cotton farm in rural Mississippi, Ann grew up dreaming of the day she’d sing gospel music all over the world. Right out of high school she began to realize that dream by securing a position with the legendary Speer Family, later marrying the man of her dreams and co-founding a group that helped shape  the face of Gospel music we have today. She won the industry’s highest honor—the Dove Award—for Female Vocalist within a year of co-founding the Downings and went on to be inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

Ann has been lauded with various awards and accolades throughout her gospel music career spanning over forty years. However, she’s quick to tell you that she’s like you in many ways. Fading success? She’s been there! Crumbling marriage or financial ruin? She’s been there! Lost a spouse or experienced a devastating trauma in your family? Ann’s walked in your shoes!

What do you do when you can’t “fix” what’s wrong in your life or the lives of those you love? What do you do when the circumstances of your life beg the question, “do you really believe what you’ve said about trusting God?” Ann’s intensely personal story is one that reaches us all where we live and helps us hold firmly to the promise that “earth has no sorrow that heaven can’t heal.”