December 2012 and concluded
in February 2013. Their most
recently released album is their
first compilation album, Go
Get It (2012), with the hit
single of the same name. Then
the third season premieres on
February 27.
The sisters were born Erica
Monique Atkins and Trecina
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 Atkins,
an evangelist and choir
director at the
Evangelistic Church of God in
Christ, and father Eddie A.
Atkins, an Elder in the Church
of God In Christ and
Gang/Youth Counselor. Their
mother and father were married
and divorced three times when
their father, Eddie, died in
2013.]
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: Darrell Atkins
(born 1965; the only living
boy, as a second boy died as a
child); Maliea Atkins (born
1967); Erica and Tina (born
1972 and 1974); Delisa AtkinsBrown (born 1977); Thomasina
Atkins (born 1979); Alana
Atkins-Jamison (born 1985)
and Shanta Atkins (born 1986).
(Thomasina, Alana, Delisa and
Shanta Atkins all sing
background on Mary Mary
albums and in stage
performances.)
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
JOY FEELINGS | DECEMBER ISSUE
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