Mary, Did You Know?

"Mary, Did You Know?" is a Christmas song with lyrics and music written by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene. It was originally recorded by Christian recording artist, Michael English on his solo debut album in 1991 (English and Lowry were both members of the Gaither Vocal Band). Lowry would record the song several times himself, most notably with the Gaither Vocal Band on their 1998 Christmas album.

The song has since gone on to become a modern Christmas classic, being recorded by many artists over the years across multiple genres.

Vickie Winans version

"Mary, Did You Know?"
Single by Vickie Winans
from the album Vickie Winans
Released 1994
Format CD
Recorded 1994
Genre Contemporary Gospel
Length 4:11
Label Intersound
Writer(s) Mark Lowry, Buddy Greene
Producer(s) Vickie Winans, Loris Holland

"Mary, Did You Know?" is Vickie Winan's eleventh track on her self-titled album Vickie Winans.

Kenny Rogers & Wynonna Judd version

"Mary, Did You Know?"
Single by Kenny Rogers & Wynonna Judd
from the album The Gift
Released December 1996
Format CD single
Genre Country
Length 3:53
Label Magnatone
Writer(s) Mark Lowry, Buddy Greene
Producer(s) Brent Maher, Jim McKell
Kenny Rogers singles chronology
"I'll Be There for You"
(1992)		 "Mary, Did You Know?"
(1996)		 "The Greatest"
(1999)

A duet version recorded by Wynonna Judd and Kenny Rogers peaked at No. 55 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts in 1997.[1]

Chart positions

Chart (1997) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[2] 55


Clay Aiken version

"Mary, Did You Know?"
Single by Clay Aiken
from the album Merry Christmas with Love
Released 2005
Format Digital download
Recorded 2004
Genre CCM, adult contemporary
Length 3:21
Label RCA
Writer(s) Lee Rufus Greenebill, Mark Alan Lowry
Producer(s) Walter Afanasieff
Clay Aiken singles chronology
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
(2005)		 "Mary, Did You Know?"
(2005)		 "Without You"
(2006)

"Mary, Did You Know?" is Clay Aiken's fifth single for his Christmas album Merry Christmas with Love. Aiken performed the song on The Tyra Banks Show.[3]

Chart positions

Chart (2005) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks 35
U.S. Billboard Hot Christian Songs 32


Cee Lo Green version

"Mary, Did You Know?"
Song by Cee Lo Green from the album Cee Lo's Magic Moment
Released 2012
Format Digital download
Recorded 2012
Genre R&B
Length 3:54
Label RCA
Producer Adam Anders, Peer Åström

"Mary, Did You Know?" is the eleventh track on Cee Lo's Christmas album Cee Lo's Magic Moment. On December 15, 2012 the song appeared on the US R&B Songs chart at number 22.

Chart positions

Chart (2012) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard R&B Songs[4] 11
U.S. Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[4] 44

Pentatonix version

"Mary, Did You Know?"
Song by Pentatonix from the album That's Christmas to Me
Released October 17, 2014
Format Digital download
Recorded 2012
Genre Ambient, a cappella
Length 3:23
Label RCA

"Mary, Did You Know?" is the sixth track on Pentatonix's second Christmas album, That's Christmas to Me.[5] The song both debuted and peaked at No. 26 on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week ending December 6, 2014.

Chart positions

Chart (2014) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[6] 26

Other versions

Hayley Westenra recorded the song on her second album, My Gift to You, released in New Zealand and Australia, by Universal New Zealand label in 2001. Producer James Hall called it her "most perceptive" song choice for the album. The song was also included as a bonus song on a special UK version of her first international album, Pure, in 2003, as well as the New Zealand version of her greatest hits album, River of Dreams: The Very Best of Hayley Westenra, in 2008. Westenra also performed the song for her PBS Great Performances special, Live from New Zealand, which aired in 2004, and was released on DVD in 2005.

Reba McEntire performed a version of this song on her 1999 Christmas album The Secret of Giving.

Contemporary Christian group The Katinas covered the song on their 2004 album Family Christmas.

Jeff Fenholt covered the song on his 2005 album "Down from his glory ... and more".

Kimberley Locke covered the song on her 2007 album Christmas.

Rock band Kutless covered the song on BEC Recordings 2008 album X Christmas.

Rascal Flatts released a version of the song as a single in 2011. Their version also appeared on the 2012 compilation A Very Special Christmas: 25 Years Bringing Joy to the World.

Contemporary Christian musician Jeremy Camp covered the song on his 2012 album Christmas: God with Us.

Scotty McCreery covered the song on his 2012 album Christmas with Scotty McCreery.

Don Moen covered the song (in a duet with its composer, Buddy Greene) on his 2012 album Christmas: A Season of Hope.

Mary J. Blige covered the song on her 2013 album A Mary Christmas.

The Oak Ridge Boys recorded a version of the song on their 2013 albumChristmas Time's A-Comin'.

During the ending of the 2013 Christmas film "A Madea Christmas", a character named Bailey McCoy sang the song at a Christmas Jubilee.

Musical

The song was also used as the basis for a stage musical, also titled Mary, Did You Know and written by Bruce Greer, that won the 1999 Dove Award for Musical of the Year.[7]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p93355/charts-awards/billboard-singles
  2. ↑ "Kenny Rogers Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Kenny Rogers.
  3. ↑ Clay Aiken - Mary Did You Know - The Tyra Banks Show on YouTube
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.billboard.com/artist/298842/cee+lo+green/chart?f=1230
  5. ↑ Official Video - Mary, Did You Know? - Pentatonix on YouTube
  6. ↑ "Pentatonix Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot 100 for Pentatonix. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  7. ↑ Cusic, Don (2010). Encyclopedia of contemporary Christian music: pop, rock, and worship. ABC-CLIO. pp. 141–. ISBN 978-0-313-34425-1. Retrieved 7 June 2011.

External links