LOS ANGELES, CA (February 8, 2009) - The 51st Annual Grammy Awards are in full swing and multi-platinum award winning Gospel music sensations Mary Mary have racked up the coveted award taking home the gold for Best Gospel Performance for their hit single, "Get Up," the lead single from their three-time Grammy nominated album, The Sound, their latest release on the Columbia Records/Sony Music label.
Dynamic duo sisters Erica & Tina Campbell prove that 2009 is the year of Mary Mary! Tonight's win adds to Mary Mary's growing collection of awards and accolades which include two previously won Grammys. As they satcheted beautifully down the red carpet in gowns by Grai (Tina Campbell) and Maticevski (Erica Campbell), the first ladies of contemporary gospel are primed to continue to set a higher standard in the world of gospel music.
Released in October 2008, The Sound has received enormous praise since entering the Billboard Top 200 at #7, #1 on Bilboard's Gospel Chart, #1 on Billboard's Christia n Chart and #2 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop chart. Their # 7 debut on the Top 200 gave 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 have achieved the highest chart debut on the Top 200 of any gospel album in 2008.
The Sound shows Mary Mary are not ones to shy away from in-your-face declarations of faith, the girls are now more intentional than ever about whom they adore, without for a moment compromising their call to innovation and growth. The introspective 'Seattle' is a prime example, a pensive prayer that asks the Lord to descend upon the soul the same way rain falls on the Emerald City. In the vein of Mary Mary standards 'Can't Give Up Now' and 'Yesterday,' a couple of ballads on The Sound stand out for their passionate delivery: 'I Trust You' (feat. Marvin Winans) and 'I Worship You' are easily the sonic and spiritual plateaus of the album.
The Grammy award winning lead sing le "Get Up" has gained tremendous crossover success on dance, gospel, R&B, and hip-hop charts, and has also been featured on the Emmy nominated hit show Ugly Betty. On February 12th, Mary Mary will attend the 40th NAACP Image Awards where20they are nominated for Outstanding Gospel Artist (traditional or contemporary). The 40th NAACP Image Awards will air live on Fox Television and will be hosted by Halle Berry and Tyler Perry.
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. Soon you will be able to see Mary Mary reprise their role as judges for the hit Viacom/Black Entertainment Television (BET) series Sunday's Best and the gospel pair are in the process of finalizing plans for their first US tour in two years.