Tamela Mann is a very notable American gospel singer who also proved herself as an actress and as a loving mother of four.
She says that often she cannot find the difference between her work life and her personal life, because she is guided by the same feelings in both.
She started her career in 2005 which soon rose to fame and ended in getting a Grammy Award nomination. This was a very big moment for her and she could not believe that she ended up being so famous, but she was very happy and said that it was a good confirmation of the fact that she was working very hard.
She is also very popular on all media, from television to online media where she often presents details of her personal and professional life.
Early years
She was born as Tamela Jean Johnson on June 9, 1966, in one of the biggest cities in the state of Texas called Forth Worth, in the United States. It was very tough for her to live there and get along with other people in her class and the kids from the neighborhood since she was always pretty shy and had a huge family.
She was born into a very big African American family where she was the youngest child and she had 13 siblings. She was very connected to her brothers and sister and they all took care of one of each other through the years.
She was born into a very religious Christian family and was raised by a firm hand of her mother Eppe who was raising her children by strict biblical principles. This is why she later became so fond of God and the church and she always felt very close to it.
Her parents were members of a Pentecostal – Holiness Christian Church called the Church of God in Christ, and it is the 5th Christian Church in the United States when it comes to the number of members. They spoke about faith to their children a lot and transferred them the strength of praying which Tamela embraced by heart.
She started singing in church when she was very young and turned out to be one of the choir’s best singer. She was praised for her great talent and a divine voice and her mother was very proud by her daughter’s talent.
She was only 12 years old when she got invited to perform in the adult choir because of her amazing voice. She had a strong voice and could do the event he most difficult songs so he soon fit in the choir-like she was twice her age. Many of her teachers noticed the same thing and they told her that she should pursue a career in professional singing.
It also led to a big number of solo performances she had as a member of the choir because her voice was often described as divine. She was very happy to be able to contribute to the community in such a way and she also enjoyed it, so it was a plus for everyone.
She was a little shy at first but she later embraced her singing as a positive thing and a way of life so he continued singing in the church’s choir and entered the choir in her high school.
It took her a while for overcoming her stage fear but eventually, she did it and became a very known gospel singer and an actress. This brought a big change in her life and she was very happy because of it.
Career development
She started her music career by entering the choir formed by Kirk Franklin. It consisted of 17 singers and she was chosen there for her great talent. She was very proud o fit this and her parents were happy that she was finding herself in something that she is comfortable with.
She was a member of that choir when „Kirk Franklin and the Family“ debut album was released in 1993. This was a pretty big deal back in the day and it was exceptionally interesting for her to be in all of this.
After that, she started her collaboration with successful singers of all genres, from Mary J. Blige to Bono. She was also a member of the cast of a theatre play called „He Say… She Says… But What Does God Say?“ made by a known playwriter David E. Talbot.
Her acting career began quite soon after this. It was in 1999 that she was noticed by another playwriter and an actor Tyler Perry who hired her in her plays. Her first role was in a play called „I Can Do Bad All By Myself“.
She got very good reviews for her first acting project so he was pleased by herself. She said that she loved meeting other people and the actors and that most of the stuff that she learned there she could have used for other things besides acting as well.
As for her next successful performances she mostly played in Tyler Perry’s makings. She was very happy for her talent being recognized.
In 2001 she played a role in his stage play named „Diary of a Mad Black Woman“ where she starred alongside him and Marva King. She starred in a play named „Madea’s Class Reunion“ performed in 2003, again with Tyler Perry.
In 2004 she played a role in a comedy-drama written by Tyler Perry and it was another play where she acted together with her husband. It was named „Meet the Browns“.
In 2006 she starred in a comedy-drama named „Madea’s Family Reunion“, which was a film adaptation of Tyler Perry’s play. The same year she gained a role on Tyler Perry’s play called „What’s Done in the Dark“.
She was invited to guest on a loto f show slike „The Tonight Show with Jay Leno“ and BET Soundstage. She also appeared at the Grammy Awards in 1999 and at the Dove Awards where she sang. It was a pretty big deal for her and she was getting all of the attention she deserved.
In 2009 she again appeared in a movie made by Tyler Perry called „Madea Goes to Jail“ where she stars alongside Tyler Perry and her husband David Mann. In 2012 she gained a role in a musical movie called „Sparkle“, released by TriStar Pictures. She played in it next to Whitney Houston, Mike Epps, Cee Lo Green and more.
Other than acting she entered the music business with the creation of her music label called „Tillymann Music Group“. She has released a solo album through that label in 2005, titled „Gotta Keep Movin’“. Her debut live album was released two years later and she named it „The Live Experience“. A lot of her songs can be heard on the soundtracks of the movies she starred in.
Her second album was released in 2009, under the name „The Master Plan“ and it went high in Top 3 albums on the Billboard chart of Gospel Music.
In the summer of 2012, she released her 3rd album called „Best Days“. This was a huge success for her since it went to No.1 on Billboard Gospel Chart on No.14 on the Billboard 200 chart.
In 2014 she had received a Stellar Award in the category „Best Female Gospel Artist in 2014“. She ha also received a BET Award in the same category. This was very emotional for her and she says that every time she gets an award it’s like she is finally living the life she wanted.
In the spring of 2019 WW, the Weight Watchers made Tamela their new ambassador. Tamela is now focused on living a healthier life and will try to lose weight because her health is compromised.
A the same time she starred in „Madea’s Farewell Tour“ and received the NAACP Image Award for her first book released also in 2019. She said that working on the book was very hard since she was very determined and wanted it to be perfect, but she was very happy with the end result.
She has written it together with her husband Mann and it is named „Us Against the World: Our Secret to Love, Marriage, and Family“. The book was also followed by an album with performances of both of them.
Personal life
As for her personal life, she is in a happy marriage with David Mann, a gospel singer, and an actor. They got married in 1988.
Both she and her husband are devout Christians who live their lives through cherishing moral standards of the Bible. They raised four kids together. Porcia and Tiffany are David’s children while their mutual kids are David Jr and Tia. They also raised her nice named Sonya the same as their kids.
In 2015 their reality show was aired on BET TV. It was named „It’s A Mann’s World“ and it is very popular. At first, they were very suspicious about entering the reality television but they later realized that it was a great way to connect with their fans, improve their household relationships and speak about God and his greatness.
In the summer of 2019, she had to undergo knee surgery and was adviced to lose some weight because of o fit.
She and her husband have a joint Instagram account where they often post about their lives. For example, they have shared all about her weight loss and her double knee surgery, and David shared information regarding his biological father he had met a few years ago and about the fact why he was recently arrested.
Quick summary
Full name: Tamela Jean Johnson
Date of birth: June 9, 1966
Birthplace: Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Age: 53
Profession: gospel singer, author, reality TV star, actress
Height: 170 cm
Weight: NA
Net Worth: $3 million