Mary Mary is an American contemporary gospel duo, consisting
of sisters Erica Atkins-Campbell (born April 29, 1972) and Trecina
"Tina" Atkins-Campbell (born May 2, 1974). The duo are often credited
along with Kirk Franklin for broadening the fan base of urban contemporary
gospel in the 2000s by introducing elements of soul music, hip hop, funk and
jazz. Mary Mary broke onto the music scene with their popular song
"Shackles (Praise You)"which is considered one of the pioneering
songs of urban contemporary gospel music. The group's name, as stated in an
interview is inspired by the two famous Mary's from the Bible; Mary, the mother
of Jesus Christ, and Mary Magdalene.
Their debut album Thankful (2000) was certified Platinum. In
addition, the duo has released three Gold albums: Incredible (2002), Mary Mary
(2005), and The Sound (2008) which have all charted No. 1 on the Billboard Top Gospel
Albums. They have also received four Grammys, among other awards. In 2011, they
released their fifth studio album Something Big with the hit single
"Walking".
In March 2012, they began their own television series, Mary
Mary, on WE tv, which has been such a success that they are in the process of
making a second season, which is due to begin in December 2012. Their most
recently released album is their first compilation album, Go Get It (2012),
with the hit single of the same name.
