Tamela Mann

Tamela Jean Mann(néeJohnson) is an Americangospelsinger, songwriter, and actress. She is married to actor David Mann.She began acting in 1999 when she was discovered byTyler Perry. She debuted in the stage playI Can Do Bad All By Myselfin 2000. The following year, she appeared in the comedy filmKingdom Come. She went on to act in Perrys playsMeet the Browns,Madea's Family Reunion,Madea's Class Reunion,Diary of a Mad Black WomanandWhat's Done in the Dark.In 2005, she waa in the romantic comedy drama filmDiary of a Mad Black Woman which was inspired by the play of the same name. She reprised her role in the 2008 filmMeet The Browns. The following year, she began starring on the TBS sitcom Meet the Browns, which ran til 2011. She appeared inMadea Goes to Jail(2009) andMadea's Big Happy Family(2011). In 2012, she waa in the musical filmSparkle, a remake of the1976 film of the same name, alongsideWhitney Houston and singerJordin Sparks (making her film debut). She co-starredin the 2014 drama filmFirst Impressionand starred and produced 2018 Christmas filmMerry Wish-Maswith her husband. In 2021, she starred in the another holiday film,Soul Santa.From 2015 to 2017, she starred, along with her husband, in the Bounce TV comedy series,Mann & Wife. In 2020, she returned to her role as Cora Simmons in the BET sitcomTyler Perry's Assisted Living. In 2022, she appeared inA Madea Homecoming on Netflix. She then was cast inThe Color Purple, a film adaptation for the screen from the 2005stage musical of the same name.Mann began her career as a singer with the gospel groupKirk Franklin and the Family. She 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 includedMary J. Blige,Crystal Lewis,R. Kelly, andBono. She began her solo career by releasing the albumsGotta Keep Movin(2005), andThe Master Plan(2009).Her third studio album,Best Daysreached No. 1 on theBillboardGospel albums chart, and was certifiedGoldby theRIAA. The lead single "Take Me to the King" earned her a nomination for theGrammy Award for Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance.Her fourth studio album One Way(2016), also reached No. 1 on theBillboardGospel Albums chart; and spawned the single "God Provides", which won her theGrammy Award for Best Gospel Performance/Songin 2017.Along with herGrammy Award, she has earned many other accolades and honors, including multipleNAACP Image Awards,aBillboard Music Award, and aBET Award.In 2022, she was inducted into theBlack Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.She has received a total of nine No. 1 onBillboard’s Gospel Airplay chart singles; while "Take Me to the King" spent 25 weeks on the top.