Mary Mary facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Mary
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Tina and Erica performing in 2005
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Inglewood, California, U.S. |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | Columbia |
| Associated acts | Warryn Campbell |
| Members | |
Mary Mary is a famous American urban contemporary gospel music group. It's made up of two sisters, Erica Atkins-Campbell (born in 1972) and Trecina Atkins-Campbell (born in 1974). They formed the group in 1998.
Mary Mary became very well-known after their first album, Thankful (2000), came out. This album had their huge hit song "Shackles (Praise You)". Their next album, Incredible (2002), even reached number one on the Top Gospel Albums chart. Their third album, Mary Mary (2005), included popular songs like "Heaven" and "Yesterday".
Their fourth album, The Sound (2008), had two number-one songs: "Get Up" and "God in Me". In 2011, they released Something Big, followed by a collection of their best songs called Go Get It in 2012. After that, they took a break from making music together. In 2012, they also started their own TV show called Mary Mary on WE tv.
Mary Mary has sold more than eight million records around the world. They have been nominated for eleven Grammy Awards and won four times. This includes awards for Best Gospel Performance and Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album. Many people say Mary Mary helped make urban contemporary gospel music more popular in the 2000s. They did this by mixing in sounds from soul music, hip hop, funk, and jazz. The group's name comes from two important Marys in the Bible: Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene. They even performed at the White House in 2005!
Contents
Growing Up and Starting Music
The Atkins sisters, Erica Monique and Trecina Evette, grew up in a big family. They had seven other brothers and sisters in Inglewood, California. Their mother, Thomasina Atkins, was an evangelist and a choir director at their church. Their father, Eddie A. Atkins, was also part of the church and helped young people. He passed away in 2013.
Erica and Tina were very close because they were similar in age. They were closer to each other than to their other siblings. Many of their siblings also sang background vocals on Mary Mary's albums and during their shows. One sister, Delisa, was even part of the group at first but left to go to college. Later, all eight Atkins children sang together on a TV show called Bobby Jones Gospel on BET.
When they were younger, Erica and Trecina sang in church choirs. They also traveled with gospel shows and appeared on TV. The sisters went to El Camino College to study singing. There, they learned about different kinds of music. Erica once said that their teachers wanted them to sing classical music. But the sisters also loved singing other styles. In 1995, they toured with gospel shows like Mama I'm Sorry. After that, each sister sang backup for different R&B artists, including Brandy.
Mary Mary's Music Journey
First Steps to Stardom (1999–2001)
After meeting music producer Warryn Campbell, the sisters got a deal with EMI. This led to their songs being used in movies. They wrote and sang "Dance" for the 1998 movie Dr. Dolittle. They also performed "Let Go, Let God" for The Prince of Egypt. Other artists like 702 and Yolanda Adams also recorded their songs. This is when Mary Mary officially became a music group.
The duo then signed with Columbia Records. They chose the name Mary Mary to honor Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene from the Bible. They were the first gospel group to record for Columbia Records in many years. Their first song, "Shackles (Praise You)", became a huge hit. It was popular with gospel, R&B, and pop fans. The song reached the top 5 on the R&B charts and the top 10 on pop charts. It even made it to number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This was the first gospel song in five years to reach the R&B top ten. It also got a lot of attention on MTV.
Their first album, Thankful, came out in May 2000. It quickly went to number one on the Gospel Album Chart. It also reached number 59 on the overall Top 200 chart. The album sold over one million copies in the United States, earning a Platinum award. It also won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album. Their second song, "I Sings", was also popular. Both "Shackles (Praise You)" and "I Sings" were hits in the UK and Europe.
Continued Success (2002)
With their second album, Incredible, Mary Mary kept up their success. It came out in July 2002 and immediately hit number one on the Gospel Albums Chart. It also entered the top 20 of the Top 200 album chart. Incredible later sold 500,000 copies in the United States, earning a Gold award. The main songs from this album were "In The Morning" and "I Try". Even though this album reached higher on the charts, it sold fewer copies than their first. The duo said this was because of less advertising and the rise of illegal sharing of music. In November 2003, they released their book called Transparent.
New Music and Family Time (2005–06)
Mary Mary took some time off to have children. Then, they released their third album, Mary Mary, in July 2005. This was their first album to reach the top 10 on the Billboard charts. It also earned a Gold award for selling over 500,000 copies. The first song, "Heaven," used a part of an older song called "Want Ads." "Heaven" made history by staying at number one on Billboard's Gospel Radio Chart for nine weeks! Their second song, "The Real Party (Trevon's Birthday)," also did well. A third song, "Yesterday," became a hit on the Adult R&B Chart, reaching number 10. The last song from the album, "Believer," talked about being a Christian.
TV and More Hits (2007–10)
From 2007 to 2012, Erica and Tina were judges on a gospel music TV show called Sunday Best on BET. They judged alongside Donnie McClurkin.
On October 21, 2008, they released their fifth album, The Sound. The first song, "Get Up," was released online in July 2008. The Sound was very successful. It sold over 37,000 copies in its first week, which was their best start for an album. It debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200 chart and number two on the US R&B chart. It also topped both the gospel and country music charts. The album stayed at number one on the Billboard's Gospel Album Chart for over six months. Their producer, Warryn Campbell, worked with many other artists on this album. In spring 2009, the song "God in Me" became a crossover hit. It reached number five on the R&B/Hip-Hop Chart and number one on the Hot Dance Club Play chart.
Mary Mary and Warryn Campbell were nominated for a Grammy Award for "God in Me" in the Best Gospel Song category. The album also won four Stellar Awards in 2010. They were also asked to sing in the remake of "We Are the World" to help Haiti after the earthquake.
New Album and Reality TV (2010–12)
In 2009, Mary Mary started working on their sixth album. In April 2010, they released a book called Be U. In late 2010, they released "Walking" as the first song from their new album. The album was first called OMG, but they changed it to Something Big after Usher's song "OMG" became popular. Their album was released on March 29, 2011. Mary Mary sang the title song "Something Big" on BET's Celebration of Gospel 2011.
On February 13, 2012, Mary Mary performed their new song, "Go Get It," for the first time. This song was from their collection of greatest hits with the same name. The performance was shown on the last episode of their TV show, Mary Mary. The album Go Get It was released on May 8, 2012. It had 13 remixed and improved versions of their past hits.
To promote "Go Get It," Mary Mary announced a Go Get It Tour. They visited ten different cities across the United States. Other artists like Isaac Carree and VaShawn Mitchell joined them on tour.
Solo Projects and Reunion (2014–Present)
In 2014, Erica Campbell released her own album called Help. It won Best Gospel Album at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards. Her next album, Help 2.0, came out in March 2015. Erica also hosts a morning radio show called Get Up! Mornings with Erica Campbell. In May 2015, Tina released her first solo album, It's Personal. This album came out at the same time as her book, I Need a Day to Pray.
In July 2016, Mary Mary released a new song called "Back to You." It was part of the soundtrack for the movie Ben-Hur. In August 2017, Tina released a special version of her first album called It's Still Personal. In 2018, Mary Mary performed together again at the Stellar Awards on TV One. They sang a mix of their popular songs.
Erica Campbell and her husband announced a new TV series coming to TVOne. This news came after their reality show on WeTv ended. Mary Mary also performed in a special Easter Verzuz battle in 2022, competing against another gospel duo, BeBe & CeCe Winans.
Family Life
Both sisters are married to men who happen to have the same last name, Campbell. In 2000, Tina married Teddy Campbell, who was the drummer for American Idol. Teddy has a daughter from a past relationship. Tina and Teddy have four children together: Laiah Simone (born 2003), Meela Jane (born 2007), Glendon Theodore II (born 2009), and Santana (born 2012).
Erica married their music producer Warryn Campbell on May 26, 2001. Their wedding was shown on a TV show called A Wedding Story. They have three children: Krista Nicole (born 2004), Warryn III (born 2010), and Zaya Monique (born 2012).
In 2014, Warryn and Erica Campbell started a Bible study group in Los Angeles, California. The next year, Warryn became a pastor. In 2015, the couple started their own church called the California Worship Center in North Hollywood, Los Angeles.
Mary Mary's Albums
- Thankful (2000)
- Incredible (2002)
- Mary Mary (2005)
- A Mary Mary Christmas (2006)
- The Sound (2008)
- Something Big (2011)
See also
