# Tina Campbell
**Tina Campbell** (born Trecina Atkins, 1974) is an American contemporary gospel singer, songwriter, and author, best known as one half of the Grammy-winning gospel duo [Mary Mary](https://www.edgepedia.org/mary-mary) with her older sister [Erica Campbell](https://www.edgepedia.org/erica-campbell), and later as a chart-topping solo artist.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1974 in Inglewood, California[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tina-campbell-mn0000366562) |
| Mary Mary | Formed in 1998 with sister Erica; four consecutive number-one albums on Billboard's Gospel Albums chart (2000, 2002, 2005, 2008)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tina-campbell-mn0000366562) |
| Grammy Awards | Two wins and six nominations as part of Mary Mary, including Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album for *Thankful* (2001) and Best Gospel Performance for "Get Up" (2009)[2](https://www.grammy.com/artists/mary-mary/17678/) |
| Breakthrough single | "Shackles (Praise You)" (2000), which reached No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100[3](https://chicagodefender.com/tina-campbell-gospel/) |
| Reality television | Star and executive producer of the We TV series *Mary Mary*, which ran for six seasons from 2012 to 2017[4](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621251346) • [5](https://www.bettertogether.tv/our-guests/tina-campbell) |
| Solo albums | *It's Personal* (2015), No. 1 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart and No. 90 on the Billboard 200; *It's Still Personal* (2017), a gospel Top Ten hit[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tina-campbell-mn0000366562) |
| Recent work | Single "Pray for Me" (March 2024), lead single for her third solo studio album, *Testify*[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tina-campbell-mn0000366562) |
## Early life and musical beginnings
Campbell grew up in [Inglewood, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/inglewood-california), the fourth of nine children of Eddie and Thomasina Atkins; she has described the family as poor and very active in church[6](https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstreams/52a511ec-1f7b-48ef-a4ec-27d0b8eb98b4/download). She studied classical singing and music at El Camino College, then left school to tour with traveling gospel stage productions in the mid-1990s[7](https://notablepeopleproject.org/tina_campbell). During this period she and her sister Erica worked as background singers for R&B artists, including Brandy, and landed songs on movie soundtracks in the late 1990s[3](https://chicagodefender.com/tina-campbell-gospel/).
Through touring, the sisters met the producer Warryn Campbell, who helped them secure a publishing deal with EMI Music Publishing in 1998; in the same year, they formed the duo Mary Mary[7](https://notablepeopleproject.org/tina_campbell).
## Mary Mary
Mary Mary became one of the most commercially successful contemporary gospel acts of the 2000s. Their debut album *Thankful* was released in 2000 and topped Billboard's Gospel Albums chart, and its single "Shackles (Praise You)" crossed into the mainstream, reaching No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100[2](https://www.grammy.com/artists/mary-mary/17678/) • [3](https://chicagodefender.com/tina-campbell-gospel/). The duo's next three albums, *Incredible* (2002), their self-titled 2005 release, and *The Sound* (2008), each went to number one on the Gospel Albums chart, and the latter three also reached the Top Ten of the [Billboard](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-magazine) 200; their final album, *Something Big* (2011), reached number two[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tina-campbell-mn0000366562).
The duo earned two [Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-awards) from six nominations: Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album for *Thankful* at the 2001 ceremonies, and Best Gospel Performance for "Get Up" in 2009[2](https://www.grammy.com/artists/mary-mary/17678/). Their crossover style drew criticism from some churchgoers who felt the music had too much of a secular feel; Tina told the Chicago Defender in 2009 that the sisters had initially struggled with those comments but had wanted the world to hear their music[8](https://chicagodefender.com/mary-mary-holding-it-down-lifting-god-up/). The duo also released books, including *Transparent* in 2003[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tina-campbell-mn0000366562).
## Television and public life
After *Something Big* and a 2012 compilation, Mary Mary shifted toward media work with a self-titled reality series on We TV, which ran for six seasons between 2012 and 2017 and followed the sisters' careers and family lives[7](https://notablepeopleproject.org/tina_campbell) • [4](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621251346). Tina served as a creator and executive producer of the show[5](https://www.bettertogether.tv/our-guests/tina-campbell). She has spoken publicly about the strain of having her marital difficulties portrayed on television, saying in a 2016 interview that the show's earlier seasons portrayed a volatile version of her that no longer reflected who she was[9](https://parlemag.com/2016/06/tina-campbell-interview-pt-2/).
Her marriage to Teddy Campbell, a drummer for *The Tonight Show with Jay Leno*, drew public attention after his infidelity was first reported in EBONY in 2013; more than a decade later, the couple remained together, a resilience they credit to prayer, counseling, and scriptural study[10](https://www.eewmagazineonline.com/the-gospel-beat/2024/6/6/tina-campbell-forthcoming-solo-album). She is a mother of five[11](https://uaagency.com/gospel/tina-campbell/).
## Solo career
In 2015 Campbell launched a solo career as both an author and a singer, releasing the memoir *I Need a Day to Pray* and the independently produced album *It's Personal*[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tina-campbell-mn0000366562) • [5](https://www.bettertogether.tv/our-guests/tina-campbell). The album topped the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart and rose to No. 90 on the Billboard 200[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tina-campbell-mn0000366562), and it won an NAACP Image Award[5](https://www.bettertogether.tv/our-guests/tina-campbell). Its singles included "Destiny" and the duets "Love Love Love" with [Stevie Wonder](https://www.edgepedia.org/stevie-wonder) and "Speak the Word" with [Tevin Campbell](https://www.edgepedia.org/tevin-campbell)[12](https://www.qobuz.com/ie-en/interpreter/tina-campbell/261866). Campbell has described the difference between duo and solo work plainly: without Mary Mary's staff, budget, and fanbase, she had to run her own project, and the experience taught her the business side of being an artist[9](https://parlemag.com/2016/06/tina-campbell-interview-pt-2/).
Her second album, *It's Still Personal*, released in September 2017, returned her to the gospel Top Ten and included the Grammy-nominated ballad "Too Hard Not To," a song about forgiveness; she received three Stellar Award nominations in 2018[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tina-campbell-mn0000366562) • [5](https://www.bettertogether.tv/our-guests/tina-campbell). In 2022 she released a live version of "Thank You Lord" and a collaborative holiday album with Teddy Campbell, *Christmas at Our House*, and Mary Mary performed with the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles during [Super Bowl LVI](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-lvi) celebrations[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tina-campbell-mn0000366562) • [7](https://notablepeopleproject.org/tina_campbell). In March 2024 she returned with "Pray for Me," her first original solo material in seven years and the lead single for her third solo studio album, *Testify*[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tina-campbell-mn0000366562) • [10](https://www.eewmagazineonline.com/the-gospel-beat/2024/6/6/tina-campbell-forthcoming-solo-album).
## References
1. [Tina Campbell Biography by David Jeffries, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tina-campbell-mn0000366562)
2. [Mary Mary Grammy Awards and Nominations, Recording Academy](https://www.grammy.com/artists/mary-mary/17678/)
3. [Who is Tina Campbell?, Chicago Defender (2013)](https://chicagodefender.com/tina-campbell-gospel/)
4. [Tina Campbell, Apple Snapshot](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621251346)
5. [Tina Campbell, Better Together (TBN)](https://www.bettertogether.tv/our-guests/tina-campbell)
6. [Charrise Monet Barron, Crossover for Christ: Contemporary Gospel since the 1990s, Harvard University dissertation (2017)](https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstreams/52a511ec-1f7b-48ef-a4ec-27d0b8eb98b4/download)
7. [Tina Campbell, Notable People Project](https://notablepeopleproject.org/tina_campbell)
8. [Mary Mary holding it down, lifting God up, Chicago Defender (2009)](https://chicagodefender.com/mary-mary-holding-it-down-lifting-god-up/)
9. [An Independent Gospel Journey In Review, Parlé Magazine (2016)](https://parlemag.com/2016/06/tina-campbell-interview-pt-2/)
10. [Tina Campbell Shares Personal Testimony and Exclusive New Album Details on 'Tamron Hall Show', EEW Magazine (2024)](https://www.eewmagazineonline.com/the-gospel-beat/2024/6/6/tina-campbell-forthcoming-solo-album)
11. [Tina Campbell, Universal Attractions Agency](https://uaagency.com/gospel/tina-campbell/)
12. [Tina Campbell Discography, Qobuz](https://www.qobuz.com/ie-en/interpreter/tina-campbell/261866)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Country, gospel, and western singers › Gospel singers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license