print: Mary Mary - Interview (November 2006) | BlackGospel.com, Your Gospel Music Ministry Source!

Interview with Mary Mary
November 2006, BlackGospel.com by Christopher Heron

With the American Thanksgiving holiday just a few days away from becoming the preoccupation of our nation, it can only mean one thing…Christmas is around the corner. That means pine trees on sale at every corner, wrapping paper available at every convenience store and enough food and flowing beverages to feed a village.

For Christians everywhere, Christmas takes on an even greater significance, as millions worldwide plan special celebrations to mark the arrival of the Savior. As well, millions more add to the spirit of the season by volunteering at food banks, visiting the incarcerated and shut-ins, giving gifts to the less-fortunate and singing songs to celebrate the Lord’s birth in the streets, homes and churches where Christians gather.

To capture the essence and meaning of the Christmas season, Mary Mary has released their fourth and most festive album to date – A Mary Mary Christmas. The CD is a terrific musical tribute to the birth and life of Jesus, offering the listener perspective, emotion and consideration for the true meaning of Christmas. BlackGospel.com happily spoke with two of the most jubilant individuals in the recording industry – Erica and Tina Campbell – about their happy memories of Christmas, their new Christmas album and their definition of ‘A Mary Mary Christmas. The interview revealed a light-hearted, sweet spirit that has often characterized Mary Mary since their recording debut in 2000.

Christopher Heron: Let’s talks about your new album, ‘A Mary Mary Christmas’. How long have you ladies (and Warryn Campbell) considered doing a Christmas album? Where did the inspiration to release something for the festive season come from?

Mary Mary (Tina): Two years ago, after our second album, we considered recording one for Christmas. As it turns out, the timing and the situation was not right. But this time, God wanted us to do it. We started to plan the album at the beginning of this year. Considering that we did not want to rush this kind of thing, we made sure we had ample time to plan and prepare for it. Many Christmas records are released, and, we simply wanted ours to be unique. We created six great original songs and I’m very proud them. I believe they can become classics. We were trying to give people something that would put them in the spirit of Christmas. That’s how it all came together. We got in there and knocked a record out in about a month.

Mary Mary (Erica): The actual recording time was quite short because our schedule was a bit demanding but we are used to that kind of thing now.

CH: What are some of your best Christmas memories growing up in a big household? And, is it possible to have a ‘Merry Christmas’ in Southern California where there are sandy beaches and hot sun?

MM (Erica): I love the spirit of Christmas. I love when family comes over. Fortunately, and unfortunately, we did not have tons of money so how we felt superseded what we received. There was this one Christmas where we couldn’t afford gifts, and people said, ‘It’s the thought that counts.’ So, we ended up telling each other what we thought of one another. It was hilarious because some comments were funny and some were serious but that made it memorable. So, as a result, we have a song called, ‘California Christmas;’ and yes, you can definitely have a great Christmas without snow.

MM (Tina): There is no snow to shovel. You are not stuck in your house. You can ride your bike and later go to the movies. You can visit all of your relatives and it doesn’t take extra long because the weather is not bad. We’re not mad at that. I have experienced a snowy Christmas, and I’m over it.

MM (Erica): It’s fun for like an hour.

MM (Tina): Right. When you’re going on the twenty-third hour stuck indoors, it is not fun anymore. So, I’m good with Christmas in California.

CH: “A Mary Mary Christmas” is what I consider typical Mary Mary. As I told you at the GMA in Nashville last year, it’s fun, it’s funky, and it’s filled with a lot of spirit. In the album, there is a song called, “Call Him Jesus,” that I noticed that was a departure from the sound Mary Mary is identified with; it is more like James Hall-ish or Ricky Dillard-ish.

MM: It is very Mary Mary-ish. It is not a departure.

MM (Erica): It is how Erica and Tina were raised singing in the church. We previously never included that in our Mary Mary repertoire, but if you ever came to an evangelistic Church of God In Christ, you would hear us singing songs like that all day long. And we felt like it was time for people to know where we really come from. I think you can hear it in that song.

MM (Tina): Because it is a ‘churchy’ song.

MM (Erica): It is us. It is us at church. The world does not identify that as Mary Mary. Hopefully they will after this album.

MM (Tina): Everybody who went to our church knew that singing that to be the Mary Mary song.

MM (Erica): We have a lot of family and friends from our church who come to the studio.

MM (Tina): People from L.A...

MM (Erica): ...And they say, “Oh! I remember when they used to sing in the choir.”

MM (Tina): The rest of the world is probably going to be surprised.

CH: I think one of the strengths you possess as a group is your remarkable harmony. There is a lot of vocal similarity when you sing together; it ties together like a neat bow. My question is for someone listening to your CD and trying to discern between your voices, how would they distinguish Erica from Tina…Tina from Erica? Who is the soprano and who’s the alto? Who is more comfortable with the riffs, runs and hollering?

MM (Tina): What is crazy is that on this album we switch and swap. I am the soprano of the group, and although Erica can sing high, she may be classified as a mezzo or lower soprano.

MM (Erica): I’m an alto.

MM (Tina): When she sings high, people will hear Erica and say “Oh girl, I love that!” When they ask me (who is singing) I tell them, ‘That’s Erica’. And sometimes when we listen to certain songs, we will ask each other, ‘Was that you, or was that me?’

MM (Erica): Our voices compliment each other.

MM (Tina): Sometimes we fill in for the other even if it is not in a range that we normally do.

MM (Erica): The warmer or heavier sounds are me.

MM (Tina): There are songs on this album that Erica started out singing and she was blazing out of control! She has this incredible tone - like a Walt Disney voice. She went into the studio to do her part and I was in such shock that I could not do my part for an hour! I don’t know if I posses that skill. She can sing and I sometimes think to myself, ‘What the heck am I supposed to do with this?!?’

MM (Erica): It was “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”.

MM (Tina): I sang well on that song, but Erica’s voice has the heavy tone and the strong and wonderful feel.

MM (Erica): Don’t make it sound like yours isn’t good.

MM (Tina): My voice is good; it’s just different from yours.

CH: Erica, your husband, Warryn Campbell, has recently produced an awesome record for Men of Standard’s, ‘Surrounded’. Would he use the same approach to produce their album as he would produce for Mary Mary? Or would it be different because producing for Mary Mary is more or less ‘a family thing’? With six years under your belts, there is a lot of give and take and plenty of synergy when the three of you get together. After all, you have all been part of the creative process for the past six years.

MM (Erica): We are a part of the creative process; even when he works with other gospel artists such as KiKi (Kierra Sheard). We wrote two songs on Kiki’s record. And even if we haven’t written something, we are always there. No matter whom the artist may be. Whether it’s Yolanda Adams, we always have some type of input. Warren will call us and say, ‘I am working on this project and I need you to write something.’ Sometimes we are available, and sometimes we didn’t write as much as we’d like to.

MM (Tina): One thing I do like about Warryn, he only works with people who he has some type of synergy with. When there is something about a person that he feels passionate, about he will say, ‘I like that voice.’ He doesn’t do it for the sake of doing it. And if he’s doing mainstream or gospel, he doesn’t do music just for the sake of doing it. I respect that a lot about him. Because of that, he gets calls from everybody, some of the biggest names in mainstream.

MM (Erica): I let Warryn field those issues. There may be a lot of potential artists trying to work with him and he’ll say, ‘No, I’m not feeling it.’ And I think to myself, ‘What?! Are you crazy? Do the record!’ He just won’t do it and I have to respect that. He has a lot of love for what he does.

CH: Final question: what is your definition of a merry merry Christmas? And what is the message for the holidays you want to leave with the listeners?

MM (Tina): The idea of a merry merry Christmas is it’s filled with presence, the presence of God. There is no Christmas without Christ. We think that it is very necessary that people should be filled with love, joy, praise, and family. It’s not about the money and gifts that you get although those things are cool. Maybe I’m a hypocrite because I expect something big and wonderful from my husband. I say to Teddy, ‘You are not let off of the hook but everyone else is.’ My husband does not let me off of the hook either.

MM (Tina): Our husbands say things like, ‘I want you to get me this car’, and we answer, ‘That’s an anniversary request. Besides, it’s Jesus’ birthday not yours. What I enjoy most and my most memorable Christmas was not a gift, it was the fun in having the family over. I am happy when they arrive. In the past, I would get upset because they start messing up my walls, or somebody would eat my plate of food that I put in the microwave. We would make up songs and do stupid stuff. That is the best part of Christmas: family and fun.

MM (Erica): We have a wonderful blend of organized chaos, as I like to call it.

MM (Tina): It is what it is. It’s going to be loud and crazy fun. But when you come over to the house, your biscuits might be stolen.

MM (Erica): It’s no fun if there is no one arguing over who’s going to eat first, or that someone ate somebody’s pie that they put away in the microwave.

MM (Tina): I’m sure that what you hear, through what we are saying is that it’s about family; enjoyment, celebrating, and letting them know that you love them. We’re always gone and we miss out on a lot but there are times we say, ‘I have to kick it with my sisters and my nieces, and my mom and dad”. Christmas is one of those times. I look forward to it. Now that we have our album, we will be playing our own Christmas music. And even after they play it for the twelfth time, our family will act like it’s the best, brand new thing they heard.

For information on Mary Mary and the new album release – A Mary Mary Christmas – visit the artist’s official website at www.mary-mary.com.