Mary Mary

Gospel Singing Duo This three-time Grammy-winning sister act is credited—along with Kirk Franklin—with broadening gospel music’s demographic by including elements of R&B, hip hop, jazz and funk. Inglewood, Calif.-raised sisters Erica and Trecina Atkins started out in the music business with a publishing deal with EMI, but after signing a record deal with Columbia Records as the gospel-singing duo Mary Mary (honoring Mary, Mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene), they found a hit with the crossover single “Shackles (Praise You).” They also scored chart success with gold-selling albums like Incredible and Mary Mary.