Mary Mary cap award-winning week

|PIC1|It was an award-winning week for gospel duo Mary Mary, who just named Outstanding Gospel Artist at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Image Award on Thursday.

Still glowing from their win for Best Gospel Performance at this past Sunday's Grammy Awards ceremony, Thursday night's win marks the first time sisters Erica and Tina Campbell have won an NAACP Image Award. It adds to the many accolades they have received for their chart-topping album, The Sound, which released last October.

"2009 is truly shaping up to be the year of Mary Mary for the dynamic duo sisters Erica & Tina Campbell," Mary Mary's publicists announced Thursday. "Tonight's win adds to Mary Mary's growing assortment of awards and achievements which include two Grammys, an American Music Award, Stellar Awards, BET Awards, and more."

Since its release last year, The Sound has received 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.

The duo's publicists said Mary Mary and The Sound had achieved the highest chart debut on the Top 200 of any gospel album in 2008.

Beyond the music, The Sound also marked the launching point for a new phase in the sisters' career. The singers hope to continue to expand the Mary Mary brand to territories such as a bath and beauty line, a designer T-shirt collection, children's books and music, interactive computer games, stage work and television.

"The first ladies of contemporary gospel continue to set the precedent in the world of gospel music," the duo’s publicists said.

Currently, the gospel pair are in the process of finalising plans for their first US 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.