Mary Mary - Early Years

Early Years

The sisters were born Erica Monique Atkins and Tina Evette Atkins in California. The Atkins sisters grew up as part of a large family of nine children in Inglewood, California. Their parents are mother, Thomasina, an evangelist and choir director at the Evangelistic Church of God in Christ, and father, Eddie, a youth minister. Their parents were married and divorced three times and are currently separated.

Due to their proximity in age, the two sisters grew up closer to one another than to any of their seven siblings. The Atkins children are: Darrel (born 1965; the only living boy – as the second boy had died as a child); Maliea (born 1967); Erica and Tina (born 1972 & 1974); Delisa (who was originally a third member); Thomasina (known as Goo Goo who is also their stylist) (born 1979); Alana (born 1985) and Shanta (born 1986). Thomasina and Alana sometimes sing back up for their big sisters.

The sisters quickly entered the world of church choirs, traveling gospel shows, and some television productions. All eight Atkins children were on the Bobby Jones Gospel show on BET.

The sisters had their sights set on making music a career and enrolled at El Camino College to study voice. There they ran up against the divide between academic music studies and the popular musical world. "We had to study classical and sing arias, which was fine," Erica told the Times, "but the teachers would tell us if we sang anything else it would damage our instrument".

The sisters toured with the 1995 Michael Matthews traveling gospel show Mama I'm Sorry and Sneaky. Each sister subsequently toured as a backup singer for a variety of R&B acts, including Brandy.