No one sings Mary, Did You Know? like Clay Aiken. He is the master of this song. His beautiful voice soars. Clay doesn’t just sing the song…he puts his heart and soul into the performance. It seems that every fiber of his being is involved in his interpretation.
It takes a strong vocalist with a big range to sing this song. It also takes a huge heart and understanding of the lyrics to perform with feeling. Clay shows all this when he performs this beautiful song.
Two popular Christian musicians collaborated to write Mary, Did You Know? Mark Lowry wrote the moving lyrics and Buddy Greene wrote the simple, but beautiful music.
According to his official biography:
Mark Lowry has been making people laugh, cry and think for nearly 40 years. Singing publicly and recording albums and videos since age eleven, you could say that Mark has done this most of his life.
Mark graduated from Liberty College in 1980 with a degree in Youth – Music ministry. He began his career by performing at independent Baptist churches around the country.
In 1984, his church asked him to write a Christmas Play. Trying to put a different twist to the play, Mark wrote down a series of questions that he thought he would like to ask Mary, the mother of Jesus. The questions were used between the scenes as “fillers”
Six years later, Buddy Greene wrote the music to the beautiful lyrics and Mary, Did You Know? was born.
Buddy Greene grew up in Macon, GA. He spent his childhood learning folk songs, first on the ukulele and then the acoustic guitar.
Buddy has a strong reputation as a singer/songwriter and guitarist. Today, he is one of Nashville’s finest harmonica stylists.
The collaboration of these two outstanding musicians produced the beautiful song, Mary, Did You Know? that quickly became a modern-day Christmas standard. It has been recorded by more than thirty different artists including Kenny Rogers & Wynonna, Kathy Mattea, Christopher Parkening & Kathleen Battle, Natalie Cole, Reba McEntire, Clay Aiken, Gary Chapman, and countless others.
A huge thank – you to Mark, Buddy, and Clay. The talent of these three men makes Mary, Did You Know? one of my favorite holiday songs. What about you?
Thanks for the information on MDYK. Clay truly sings this song so beautifully. Love it! 🙂
MDYK is my favorite Clay recording. He sings it with such reverence and deep meaning.
The instrumental background is, imo, perfection. The words say everything I believe….. It is
one of my favorite Christmas songs…..
Clay's version will always shine. This song was written for his astonishing voice. I truly believe that. Thanks musicfan. It really made my morning better!
This is another one of those songs that I wasn't overly fond of before I heard Clay Aiken sing it.
It's not that it isn't a beautifully crafted song, it is, but it wasn't until I heard the above posted performance that I truly got a feel for the music, the lyrics, the meaning. Clay has a stunning way of interpreting songs and the ability to transition from simple to BIG and back to simple effortlessly.
Thank you for posting this!
No one can sing Mary Did You Know like Clay Aiken, once Clay sings a song I cannot listen to any one else singing it, they always come up lacking!xD
No one does Christmas music like Clay. So beautiful and heartfelt.
MDYK is a beautiful song and tribute and Clay has the range and tone and depth of feeling to do it justice. He has many beautiful versions and this is just one.
Just to add to my previous comment, one of my favorite performances was in The View. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scHi3SaoeQk&fe…
Love this song. Clay singing it just makes it better!
Clay sings this song by far better than anyone else……it is one of my favorites from him.
Wished the radios played it more.
Clay sings the most hauntingly beautiful rendition of MDYK. I think the NJU agree when they have watched it 348,892 times. I also think the version from The View is beautiful. He puts so much emotion into this song.
My favorite Christmas song and only by Clay! Thanks for such wonderfully interest information about this most beautiful song!
This is one of my favorites also – but only if Clay is singing it -seems that goes for most songs –
I also have a hard time listening to most other singers anytime. Being 75yr. old I refuse to spend
my precious time listening to many others. Clay and "very few others" bring the joy that Clay does.
I have a poster of Clay from the last Christmas Tour in'07(Cleveland) on my bedroom wall – next
to it are 2 Chris. Cards framed – one of Mary holding Jesus and a Lamb, the other Mary bending to
kiss His face, with the words in gold "Kissing the Face of Jesus"! Every time I look at that wall I am inspired as I think of Clay singing MDYK ! This helps to fill my "precious" time! <3 <3