NEW YORK, NY. (Top40 Charts/ Columbia Records) - The platinum-selling chart-topping R&B/gospel duo
Mary Mary have announced dates for a North American spring club tour beginning April 8 in Annapolis, Maryland, and ending April 29 in Sacramento (please see itinerary following).
The Mary Mary 2009 spring club tour mark the pair's first evening's length live shows since the influential gospel singers took home this year's Best Gospel Performance Grammy for "Get Up," one of the key tracks on the No 1 Gospel album, The Sound.
Heralded as "Praiseworthy" by People magazine, The Sound peaked at No 1 on a variety of Billboard Christian and Gospel albums charts shortly after its release in October 2008.
That same week, The Sound entered the Billboard Top 200 at No 7, giving Mary Mary their highest charting - and second Top 10 - album on that chart (2005's Mary Mary peaked at No 8 on the Top 200). Mary Mary and The Sound achieved one of the highest chart debuts on the Top 200 of any gospel album released in 2008. A bonafide crossover smash, The Sound made a "Hot Shot" debut on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart at No 2.
"Get Up," the Grammy-winning lead single from The Sound, garnered massive crossover radio play on Urban, Urban Adult Contemporary, Rhythmic, Gospel and Dance radio formats while charting in a number of formats including No 5 Hot Gospel Songs, No 12 Hot Adult R&B Airplay, No 32 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, No 4 Hot Dance Club Play, and No 6 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles. "That song embodies what the whole album is about," says Mary Mary's Erica Campbell. "It asks people, 'Why are you waiting? Why do you care what other people think?' It reminds us that your beginning can be whenever you want it to be."
Beyond the music, Mary Mary recently started the Paint A Smile foundation and have launched BE U, a bath, body and candle line designed to inspire young women to celebrate their natural beauty and inner uniqueness through four basic principles : be honest, be beautiful, be intentional, be you. To further expand the BE U brand, Mary Mary have inked a publishing deal with Simon & Schuster to pen a devotional collection of inspirational stories, anecdotes and helpful hints.
"In an era when everybody gets nipped and tucked to look like somebody else, we're just telling people, 'Be you... Be intentional, honest and the unique person God made you to be,'" says Tina. "And with Paint A Smile, it's all about giving back, making kids happy and making them feel special because we want them to know how cool they are to us and that they're worth so much."
The Sound is Mary Mary's first new album since the release of A Mary Mary Christmas in October 2006 and is the duo's first new full-length non-seasonal album since release of the RIAA gold-certified Top 10 collection Mary Mary in July 2005.
The Sound premieres 11 new Mary Mary performances including the R&B-flavored title track "The Sound," "Superfriend," "God In Me," "Boom," "I'm Running," "Forgiven Me," "Dirt," "Seattle," "I Worship You," and "It Will All Be Worth It."
With able assistance from longtime producer and collaborator Warryn Campbell, Erica Campbell and Tina Campbell, the real life sisters a/k/a Mary Mary, weave their love of truth-grounded gospel music into a tuneful blend of R&B, pop, soul, jazz, electronic music, and more. (Erica's husband, Warryn Campbell has produced all of Mary Mary's albums including the RIAA platinum-certified Thankful as well as the RIAA gold-certified Incredible and RIAA gold-certified Mary Mary.)
As Mary Mary, Erica and Tina Campbell bring a revolutionary combination of R&B, urban , hip-hop and electronica to the world of contemporary gospel music.
Growing up in Inglewood, California, Erica and Tina first sang publicly in the local church choir and received their first break in 1998 with a song on the "Prince of Egypt" soundtrack.
In 2000, Mary Mary's platinum debut album, Thankful-featuring the hit "Shackles (Praise You)"-earned numerous awards including a Grammy for Best Contemporary Gospel Album and three Dove Awards, six Stellar Awards, a Lady of Soul Award, a Soul Train Award. Incredible, their second album, became the nation's No 1 Top Christian Album in 2002 and featured the Dove Award-winning hits "In The Morning" and "Thank You," featuring Kirk Franklin.
While Erica and Tina took a break after recording their second album to start-and spend time with-their respective families, the platinum-selling duo found the time to bring their exuberant gospel soul sounds down new avenues, including an appearance in the 2003 musical comedy, "The Fighting Temptations," and concert performances around the world.
In November 2005, Mary Mary took home the coveted American Music Awards trophy in the Contemporary Inspirational Music category, adding to a growing collection of critical and popular kudos that, in 2009 includes two Grammys as well as five Dove Awards, two Lady of Soul Awards, an NAACP Image Award, and multiple Stellar Awards.
The Grammy-winning R&B/gospel duo Mary Mary crossed over into Top 10 pop territory when the group's self-titled new album, released in July 2005, debuted at No 8 on the Billboard Top 200 best-selling album chart, the highest Top 200 chart position in the group's career. (Mary Mary's previous albums-2000's Thankful and 2002's Incredible-peaked at No 59 and No 20, respectively.)
When Mary Mary subsequently debuted at No 1 on the Billboard Gospel album sales chart, it became the best-selling Gospel debut of 2005.
"Heaven," the first single from Mary Mary, made chart history during its unprecedented 9 week run as the No 1 record on Billboard's Gospel Radio chart. "Heaven" was also a No 1 R&R Gospel Radio Single which hit the No 3 slot on the Billboard Bubbling Under - Hot R&B Singles chart.
Mary Mary 2009 Spring Concert Itinerary
4/8: Annapolis,MD - Rams Head On Stage
4/9: New York City - Sound of Brazil "S.O.B.'s"
4/13: Alexandria, VA - Birchmere Music Hall
4/14: Foxboro, MA - Showcase Live
4/17: New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
4/18: Lake Charles, LA - Lake Charles Civic Center
4/24: Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues
4/25: Phoenix, AZ - Celebrity Theatre
4/26: Los Angeles, LA - Sunset Strip House of Blues
4/27: Oakland, CA - Yoshi's
4/28: Sacramento, CA - Crest Theater
4/29: Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
