Gospel music duo Mary Mary will be performing at the White House tonight in honor of legendary musician Stevie Wonder, who will be receiving the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
Tony Bennett, Martina McBride, Will.i.am, Diana Krall, and other performers will also be part of the once-in-a-lifetime concert that will be broadcast on PBS stations across the country the following night.
President and Mrs. Obama will be present as well with the president expected to present the award.
"Words will never be able to express how thankful we are that God continues to give us favor and allows us to minister the good news of the gospel in the unique way He gave to us," says Erica Campbell, the elder of the two Mary Mary sisters.
“Erica and I are excited about what God is doing in us, through us and for us and we plan to enjoy the path that He's taking us and use every open door to introduce others to His goodness and love," added Tina Campbell.
The special performance comes on the heels of several new honors and accolades for Mary Mary, including the 2009 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Gospel Artist and Grammys for Best Gospel Performance, among others.
Last Thursday, the Gospel Music Association revealed the nominees for the annual Dove Awards, which included Mary Mary, who were nominated for “Group of the Year,” “Urban Recorded Song,” and “Contemporary Gospel Album.”
"2009 is truly shaping up to be the year of Mary Mary for the dynamic duo sisters Erica & Tina Campbell," Mary Mary's publicists said earlier this month.
Since its release last year, Mary Mary’s latest album, The Sound, has earned the Campbell sisters notable praise, entering the Billboard Top 200 at No. 7, Billboard's Gospel Chart at No. 1, Billboard's Christian Chart at No. 1, and Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop chart at No. 2. Their No. 7 debut on the Top 200 gave Mary Mary their highest charting – and second Top 10 – album on that chart.
Furthermore, as the duo’s publicists touted, "Mary Mary and The Sound have achieved the highest chart debut on the Top 200 of any gospel album in 2008."
"The first ladies of contemporary gospel continue to set the precedent in the world of gospel music," they exclaimed.
Currently, the musical pair is in the process of finalizing plans for their first U.S. tour in two years. Their last big tour, “Mary Mary Christmas Unplugged” in 2007, followed the October 2006 release of their Christmas album A Mary Mary Christmas.
PBS will air tonight’s In Performance at the White House on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.
