The Atkins sisters were raised in Inglewood, California, the middle daughters of an Evangelical minister and part of a well-known singing clan locally.  They began singing in the church choir as young children, while learning about the progression of Gospel music beyond traditional boundaries by listening to albums by the Winans, Commissioned, and others.

Their first break came when they and their siblings appeared on BET's "Bobby Jones Gospel" show.  Soon, they were seeking additional performing opportunities, and scored spots in the mid-90s in Gospel road shows "Mama I'm Sorry" and "Sneaky."  They then separately landed gigs as backing vocalists for various Soul and Gospel performers, including Brian McKnight and Kenny Lattimore.

While they were known mostly as singers, the two were also developing their songwriting skills, and a chance meeting with hot young producer Warryn Campbell (Brandy, Boyz II Men) helped them to land a publishing contract (Erica Atkins would later marry Campbell while Tina married unrelated drummer Teddy Campbell).  Their song "Dance" was included on the Dr. Doolittle soundtrack, and they wrote and performed "Let Go, Let God" for the movie The Prince of Egypt.  Deciding that they would be forthright and uncompromising about their purpose -- to preach the Gospel through their music -- they chose the group name Mary Mary in honor of two women in the Bible: Mary Magdeline and Mary the mother of Jesus.

With their star rising in the Gospel world, they signed with Columbia and began working on their debut with Warryn Campbell producing.  Their 2000 album, Thankful, was a smash, breaking the invisible barrier that kept Gospel music off of popular radio.  The first single, the jubilant dance cut "Shackles," scored on the Gospel, Soul and Pop charts and established the duo as a hot commodity.  The rest of the album was equally engaging, as the combination of the sisters' strong lyrics and killer tunes with Warryn Campbell's exquisite production created the best Gospel disc of the year, and one that would earn them a Grammy for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel album.  To further cement their growing reputation, the Atkins sisters also contributed the two best songs ("Time to Change" and "Yeah") from Yolanda Adams' groundbreaking 2000 album Mountain High...Valley Low.  They also wrote for or appeared on the albums of a number of other artists, including Kelly Price and Dru Hill's Woody Rock.

Mary Mary returned in 2002 with Incredible, another solid disc of soulful Gospel that featured the dance hit "In The Morning" and a nifty cover of Stevie Wonder's "You Will Know."  Amazingly, it hit the Top 20 on the pop album charts, a rare feat for a Gospel album, and again showed that this duo was capable of writing and singing great music that appealed beyond traditional Gospel boundaries.

In late 2003, Mary Mary contributed the song "Dance Dance Dance" to the Gotta Have Gospel CD and were subsequently nominated for a 2004 Dove Award. On Sept. 13, 2004, Erica gave birth to new daughter Krista Nicole Campbell.

Mary Mary returned in 2005 with their third album, a self-titled gem that went gold and landed a hit with "Heaven."  They followed in 2006 with a Christmas album.

In 2007, Erica's husband and the duo's producer, Warryn Campbell, was diagnosed with cancer, and the group's fans began a prayer chain for his health.  He recovered, and the duo began working on their fifth album, The Sound, slated for a Fall 2008 release on Columbia Records.

By Chris Rizik