Erica Atkins-Campbell and Trecina Atkins-Campbell were born in Inglewood,
California. The Campbell (formerly Atkins) sisters grew up as part of a large family of nine children in Inglewood, California. Their parents are Thomasina (An evangelist and choir director at the Evangelistic Church of God in Christ) and Eddie (a youth minister). Because of their proximity in age, the two singers grew up closer to one another than to any of their seven siblings. The sisters quickly entered the world of church choirs, traveling gospel shows, and some television productions. All nine Atkins children were on the Bobby Jones Gospel show on BET.
The sisters had their sights set on making music a career and enrolled at El Camino College to study voice. There they ran up against the divide between academic music studies and the popular musical world. "We had to study classical and sing arias, which was fine," Erica told the Times, "but the teachers would tell us if we sang anything else it would damage our instrument." The sisters tours with the 1995 Michael Matthews traveling gospel show Mama I'm Sorry and Sneaky. Each sister subsequently toured as a backup singer for a variety of R&B acts including Brandy.
A meeting with producer Warryn Campbell led to their song publishing deal with the giant EMI music conglomerate and a series of songs that landed on the soundtracks. They wrote "Dance" and performed it with Robin S. for the soundtrack to the 1998 film Dr. Dolittle; "Let Go, Let God" for The Prince of Egypt Inspirational, one of three soundtrack albums for the film; and songs of theirs were recorded by Yolanda Adams and 702. At the same time, Mary Mary as a musical entity took shape.
The sisters' profile in the gospel industry was raised when their songs "Time To Change" and "Yeah" were recorded by Yolanda Adams on the Mountain High... Valley Low CD. The duo was subsequently signed to Columbia Records/C2 Records and decided to perform under the name Mary Mary, honoring Mary, the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. They were first gospel act to record for the industry giant Columbia Records since Tramaine Hawkins in the mid-1990s. Their first single, "Shackles (Praise You)" became a crossover hit, being popular with gospel, R&B, and pop audiences. It was a Top 10 R&B and Top 40 pop hit, and peaked at #28 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It became the first gospel song in five years to crack the R&B top ten and gained wide exposure on the MTV video cable channel. The album was a huge success because it offered a younger, hipper version of gospel that audiences could relate to.
Their first album, Thankful (Mary Mary Album) in May 2000, which would go on to win the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album, and a second single, "I Sings". Peaking at #1 on the Gospel album chart and at #59 of the overall Top 200 chart, Thankful was certified Platinum for sales of 1 million copies in the USA. Both singles were also hits in the UK and Europe, and to this day remain popular with Christian youths in the US, Latin America, and Europe.
With their second album Incredible, the duo was able to maintain their success. The record, soon after its release, went to #1 on the Gospel chart, and was able to enter the Top 20 of the Top 200 album chart. Incredible was later certified Gold for 500,000 copies sold in the United States. The album's singles In The Morning and I Try became relatively large hits within the contemporary gospel nation.
After taking time off to have children, their third album Mary Mary appeared. It became the duo's first album to enter the Top 10 on Billboard and was later on certified Gold for sales of 500,000 copies. The first single "Heaven" containing a sample from seventies soul trio the Honey Cone's "Want Ads". Heaven made history and broke chart records as it had an unprecedented 9 week run as the #1 record on Billboard's Gospel Radio chart. The second single, "Yesterday", also became a hit, especially on the Adult R&B charts where it peaked at #10. On the R&B/Hip Hop chart, the song became their second biggest hit since "Shackles" in 2000, reaching the #53 spot so far.
On October 10, 2006`, the recording group released their most recent album inspired by Christmas songs and is called A Mary Mary Christmas.
Hark The Herald Angels Sing
Mary Mary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Born so that we would rise
Born to bring opportunity
To receive the light
And life he brings
Christ we worship you majesty
Lord forever's what you'll always be
Jesus our Emmanuel
Hark the herald angels sing
Singing glory, glory, glory, glory
Hark the herald angels sing
Singing glory, glory
Glory to the King
Come, all the world awaits
Come into our hearts to stay
Take the old and make it new
Change us all to be just like you
Christ we worship you majesty
Lord forever's what you'll always be
But you came as man to dwell
Jesus our Emmanuel
Hark the herald angels sing
Singing glory, glory, glory, glory
Hark the herald angels sing
Singing glory, glory
Glory to the King
Joyful all ye nations rise c'mon
Join the triumph of the skies
With angelic hosts proclaim
Christ was born in Bethlehem
Hark the herald angels sing
Singing glory, glory, glory, glory
Hark the herald angels sing
Singing glory, glory
Glory to the King
Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the new-born King
The first verse of Mary Mary's "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" highlights the true meaning of Christmas: Jesus was born to offer the opportunity of eternal life to humanity. The lyrics are a reminder that Jesus's birth, life, and death had a great divine purpose. The song acknowledges the majesty and lordship of Jesus, but emphasizes that he also walked the earth as a man, with the name of Emmanuel, or "God with us". The chorus repeats the phrase "glory to the King" as the angels sing, celebrating the birth of Christ in Bethlehem.
The second verse of the song invites listeners to open their hearts to Jesus, who can transform them and make them new. The lines "Take the old and make it new / Change us all to be just like you" show the transformative power of Jesus's love and mercy. The following verses offer an invitation for all nations to come and join in the triumph of the skies, proclaiming the good news of Jesus's birth and the hope that it brings. The song continues with the chorus, repeating the phrase "glory to the new-born King" to celebrate the miracle of Jesus's birth.
Overall, Mary Mary's "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" is a joyful celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. It highlights the significance of his life, and reminds listeners of the great opportunity that his birth offers to humanity.
Line by Line Meaning
He was born so we would never die
Jesus was born to save us from eternal death and give us eternal life
Born so that we would rise
Jesus was born so that we would rise to new life in Him
Born to bring opportunity
Jesus was born to give us the opportunity to receive His grace and salvation
To receive the light
Jesus was born to bring us the light of truth and salvation
And life he brings
Jesus brings new life and hope to all who believe in Him
Christ we worship you majesty
We worship Jesus as the majestic and divine Son of God
Lord forever's what you'll always be
Jesus is the eternal Lord and King of all creation
But you came as man to dwell
Despite being God, Jesus became a human and lived among us
Jesus our Emmanuel
Jesus is our Emmanuel, God with us
Hark the herald angels sing
Listen to the angels proclaim the good news of Jesus' birth
Singing glory, glory, glory, glory
They sing to glorify God for the gift of His Son
Singing glory, glory
They continue to sing praises to God
Glory to the King
They give glory to Jesus, the King of kings
Come, all the world awaits
The world eagerly awaits the salvation that Jesus brings
Come into our hearts to stay
We ask Jesus to come into our hearts and stay with us forever
Take the old and make it new
Jesus transforms our old sinful nature into a new life in Him
Change us all to be just like you
We ask Jesus to change us to be more like Him in character and deeds
Joyful all ye nations rise c'mon
All nations should joyfully rise to accept and worship Jesus
Join the triumph of the skies
Join the angels in their triumph and joy over God's plan of salvation
With angelic hosts proclaim
The angels proclaim the good news of Jesus' birth to all
Christ was born in Bethlehem
Jesus, the Christ, was born in the humble town of Bethlehem
Glory to the new-born King
The angels give glory to Jesus, the newborn King of all creation
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANTONIO DIXON, ANSON DAWKINS, ERIC DAWKINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind