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Mary Mary's "Get Up" Takes Home The 2009 Dove Award For Urban Recorded Song Of The Year |
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| 2009-04-28 | ||
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Groundbreaking Contemporary Gospel Duo Earn Seventh Career Dove Award (dateline - New York ; source: Columbia Records) The contemporary gospel duo Mary Mary received the Urban Recorded Song of the Year Dove Award for "Get Up," one of the key tracks the group's #1 Gospel album, The Sound, at the 40th Annual Dove Awards ceremony held Thursday, April 23 at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Started in 1969, the Gospel Music Association's Dove Awards is the "Biggest Night In Gospel Music" and the longest running and most prestigious televised awards ceremony recognizing achievement in all genres of Christian and Gospel music. "Get Up" marks the seventh career Dove Award for Mary Mary, who won their first Urban Recorded Song of the Year trophy in 2001 for "Shackles (Praise You)" from Thankful, that year's Urban Album of the Year winner. Mary Mary's subsequent Dove Awards include 2002's Urban Recorded Song of the Year (for "Thank You" from the "Kingdom Come" soundtrack), 2003's Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song of the Year (for "In The Morning" from Incredible), 2004's Urban Recorded Song of the Year (for "Dance Dance Dance" from Gotta Have Gospel) and 2006's Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year (for "Mary Mary"). Earlier this year, "Get Up" took home the 2009 Best Gospel Performance Grammy while Mary Mary was honored with the 2009 NAACP Image Award for Best Gospel Artist (Traditional or Contemporary). Mary Mary are currently in the midst of a North American spring tour, the influential gospel performers' first evening's length live shows since taking home their 2009 Grammy Award. Heralded as "Praiseworthy" by People magazine, Mary Mary's latest album The Sound peaked at #1 on a variety of Billboard Christian and Gospel albums charts shortly after its release in October 2008. The Sound entered the Billboard Top 200 at #7, giving Mary Mary their highest charting -- and second Top 10 -- album on that chart (2005's Mary Mary peaked at #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 #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. "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. 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 #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 #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 #59 and #20, respectively.) When Mary Mary subsequently debuted at #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 #1 record on Billboard's Gospel Radio chart. Beyond the music, The Sound also marks the launching point for a new phase in the sisters' career. The singers hope to continue to expand the Mary Mary brand to territories such as a bath and beauty line, a designer t-shirt collection, children's books and music, interactive computer games, stage work, television, and more. Mary Mary are currently judges for the hit Viacom/Black Entertainment Television (BET) series Sunday's Best and the gospel pair are in the midst of their Spring Tour which is being sponsored by PZI Jeans and has made it's way across the United States and back again. Mary Mary 2009 Spring Concert Itinerary- Remaining shows: |
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