The daughter of a singer, Tamela Jean Johnson grew up with her thirteen brothers and sisters in the world of gospel music. Born in Fort Worth on June 9, 1966, she began her career with Kirk Franklin's group, The Family, and took part in a number of prestigious collaborations before going solo. Married to actor David Mann, she founded with him the music label Tilly Mann Music Group, under which she released her first solo album Gotta Keep Movin' (2005), which quickly became a best-selling gospel album (No. 3). She combines her singing and acting career in both television and film, appearing in a series of films in which she plays the character of Cora Simmons, Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005), Meet the Browns (2008) and the sequel. Parallel releases include The Live Experience (2007), The Master Plan (2009), followed by #1 Best Days (2012) and One Way (2016). In 2018, she formed a duo with her husband for the album Us Against the World: The Love Project, which reached No. 3. She continues her solo career with the albums Overcomer (2021) and Live Breathe Fight (2024).
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