Tamela Mann
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| Tamela Mann | |
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| Born | June 9, 1966 (age 41) Fort Worth, Texas |
Tamela J. Mann (born June 9, 1966) is an American actress and gospel singer, known for her role as "Cora" in Tyler Perry's plays including I Can Do Bad All By Myself, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Madea's Family Reunion, Madea's Class Reunion, Meet the Browns, and What's Done in the Dark. Mann began her career as a singer with the gospel group Kirk Franklin and the Family. Mann was a featured soloist on several tracks while with Franklin's group, including "Now Behold the Lamb", and "Lean on Me", the latter of which also included Mary J. Blige, Crystal Lewis, R. Kelly, and Bono.
Mann has also made appearances in movies such as Kingdom Come and Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Mann recorded some songs on the soundtrack for Diary of a Mad Black Woman, including participating in the song "Father (Can You Hear Me)". Mann is the wife of David Mann, who is known for his role as "Deacon Leroy Brown" in several of Perry's plays. Tamela Mann is known for her work with Tyler Perry as well as Dalton Isaac in 2008.
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Mann was born in Fort Worth, Texas. The golden-voiced actress has impressively ascended into one of todays most accomplished talents.
With her beginnings firmly rooted in Fort Worth, Texas, Tamela was born the youngest of 14 children. And like most youngest kids, Tamela never had to vie for attention. On the contrary, Tamela and all of her siblings were properly reared by none other than "Mother Eppe." A psalmist in her own right, Ms. Eppe was a HOLY woman who believed in and exercised solid bible principles. As Tamela's upbringing was grounded in the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) tradition, she inherently possessed a meek and quiet spirit as she grew.
At the age of 8, Tamela began mimicking the singing talents of her mother. By the time she was 12 years old, Tamela's electrifying octave was promoted to the church's adult choir. Often selected to sing solos, a bashful Tamela with perfect pitch and dramatic soprano control would gloriously bellow the Lord's praises! From her early singing days in the local church and high school choirs, a songstress blossomed.
As time would have it, such musical preparation served her music career of which Tamela was privileged to join up with multi-Grammy award winning and double platinum gospel phenomenon Kirk Franklin and The Family. The debut album of Kirk Franklin and The Family not only changed the musical landscape of gospel music but the album realized a defining moment in gospel music history by being the first to go platinum. Franklin and his group, The Family released the smash hit Whatcha Lookin' 4, which dominated on the Billboard's Top 200. The album was No. 3 on the R&B charts and No. 1 on Contemporary Christian and Gospel charts. Likewise, the album received celebrated musical honors including a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel album, a Soul Train Music Award, five (5) Stellar Awards, and an NAACP Image Award for the best duo or group.
In addition to the remarkable success Tamela has enjoyed with The Family, she has collaborated and performed with numerous artists including Yolanda Adams, Mary J. Blige, Al Green, Celine Dion, Bono, and Fred Hammond. Tamela's vocal contribution can be heard on various albums including Jackie McCullough Live, LL Cool J, and Kirk Franklin's Christmas. As if that were not enough, Tamela's signature voice can also be heard on respective Coca Cola and Ashley Stewart commercials. With countless television appearances to her credit such as The Jay Leno Show, BET Soundstage, 1999 Grammy Awards, Dove Awards, and the United States of America World Olympics, Tamela also appeared in the 2001 comedy movie Kingdom Come starring Whoopi Goldberg and Jada Pinkett Smith in which Tamela rendered an unforgettable solo during the film.
In 1996, Tamela joined the gospel musical cast of David E. Talbert as he directed the stage play comedy He Say...She Say...But What Does God Say?
In 1999, Tamela began her acting career. The natural flair of Tamela was sharply discovered by the one and only Tyler Perry. By the year 2000, Tamela's debut was set as she was cast in Perry's hilarious stage play hit I Can Do Bad All By Myself where she played the character of Cora-Madea's spiritual but giggly daughter and the lovable wife of "Mr. Brown." Always the encourager, Cora serves as the spiritual glue of the family and effective captures the audiences' attention when she harmoniously executes a thunderous song to make her point. In 2001, Tamela played in Perry's musical drama/comedy Diary of a Mad Black Woman. She played the character of Myrtle-a bit of a feisty, preachy woman who was never short on words.
In a relatively short period of time, Tamela's exemplary performances have paved the way for Cora to become a principal character in Perry's successful stage productions, Madea's Family Reunion and Madea's Class Reunion.
Tamela Mann positively exudes the gifts and calling from her Savior above. And while she is enjoying the fruits of her labor, her dearest joy comes from the relaxing days spent with her husband of 16 years, David Mann and their four adoring children. In March 2008, Tamela will play "Cora" in the film adaptation of Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns
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