–By Brandon
Mark Lowry wrote the lyrics to “Mary, Did You Know?” in 1984, but he did not give them to fellow Gaither Band member Buddy Greene until 1991 (thus making it one of the very few songs that is younger than all Choir of the Sound members…). Greene wrote the music in about 30 minutes. In writing the song, Lowry tried to capture the sense of awe a mother would have if she realized what her son would become. The song was originally recorded by Christian recording artist Michael English, but has since been recorded by numerous artists across a broad range of genres (from Kenny Rogers to CeeLo Green to Pentatonix).
Member reflection: Back in December 2006, Choir of the Sound was at Shorecrest Performing Arts Center in one of the final rehearsals before our holiday show. For some reason, I needed to leave the stage while we were running through “Mary, Did You Know?”, and for the first time I was able to listen to that song from the audience’s perspective. I was immediately struck by the beauty of this arrangement, and how the setting for voices without instruments seemed to emphasize the intimacy of the message of what is one of my favorite holiday songs. —David