You’ve heard it in every shopping mall, church foyer, and radio station from late November through December. It is a modern standard. Some people love the haunting melody; others think it’s overplayed. But almost everyone gets one specific detail wrong when they think about who originally sang the song Mary Did You Know.
It wasn't Pentatonix. It wasn't Reba McEntire. It wasn't even Kenny Rogers, though his version is probably the one burned into your brain if you grew up in the nineties.
The real story starts with a guy named Mark Lowry. He didn't even write the music at first. He wrote the lyrics in 1984 for a church play. He was just a young comedian and singer back then, sitting around wondering what he would ask Mary if he could sit down and have a cup of coffee with her. He came up with a list of questions. Questions that eventually became some of the most famous lyrics in Christian music history. But for seven years, those words just sat in his literal or metaphorical drawer, waiting for a melody that didn't exist yet.
The unexpected debut of Mary Did You Know
So, who actually put their voice to it first?
The honor goes to Michael English. He released it on his self-titled debut album in 1991. If you were around the CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) scene in the early 90s, you know Michael English was a massive deal. He had this soulful, powerhouse voice that could make a phone book sound spiritual.
But here is the kicker: Mark Lowry, the guy who wrote the words, couldn't write the music. He tried. It didn't work. He eventually gave the lyrics to Buddy Greene, a master harmonica player and songwriter who was touring with the Gaither Vocal Band at the time. Buddy wrote the iconic, minor-key melody in about 30 minutes. He captured that "Middle Eastern" feel that makes the song feel ancient and modern at the same time.
Once the song was finished, they gave it to English.
The recording was slick. It was 1991, so you had those bright, polished keyboards and that dramatic, slow-build production. It wasn't an instant pop hit, but within the gospel and Christian circles, it was like a lightning bolt. People hadn't really heard a "Christmas" song that asked such pointed, theological, and slightly uncomfortable questions.
Why Michael English was the perfect choice
English had a background in Southern Gospel but a voice that leaned toward R&B. That's why the original version feels so heavy. It isn't a "jingle bells" kind of vibe. It's a "the world is about to change" vibe.
When English recorded it, he was a member of the Gaither Vocal Band. This is important because the song’s DNA is deeply tied to the Bill Gaither empire. If you watch old VHS tapes of Gaither Homecoming specials, you’ll see English performing it while Mark Lowry—the lyricist himself—stands in the background, usually looking slightly amazed that his "list of questions" turned into a masterpiece.
The 1993 explosion and the Kenny Rogers effect
If Michael English birthed the song, Kenny Rogers and Wynonna Judd gave it its permanent residency in the American songbook. In 1993, they recorded it as a duet.
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This is where the confusion about who originally sang the song Mary Did You Know usually starts. Because Kenny Rogers was a global superstar, his version reached millions of people who had never heard of Michael English or Buddy Greene. For a huge portion of the population, Kenny is the original. But he was actually a couple of years late to the party.
The lyrics that sparked a thousand debates
The song is basically a series of "did you know" questions.
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new? This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you?
Musically, it's brilliant. Theologically? It’s been a bit of a lightning rod. Every year, you’ll find some theologian on the internet writing a long-form essay about how "Yes, Mary obviously knew!" They point to the Magnificat in the Gospel of Luke. They argue that an angel literally told her what was happening, so the questions in the song are redundant.
But that misses the point.
Mark Lowry has always defended the lyrics by saying they are about the magnitude of the event, not Mary's literal ignorance. It’s one thing to be told your son is the Messiah. It’s another thing to realize he’s going to walk on water or heal a blind man. Lowry was writing from a place of human curiosity. He wanted to bridge the gap between the divine icon of Mary and the terrified teenager she likely was.
Honestly, the "controversy" probably helped the song's longevity. Nothing keeps a song in the public consciousness like a bunch of people arguing about it every December.
A timeline of the song's early life
- 1984: Mark Lowry writes the poem/lyrics for a Christmas program at his church.
- 1991: Buddy Greene writes the music; Michael English records the first version.
- 1993: Kathy Mattea records it for her Christmas album, Good News.
- 1993: Kenny Rogers and Wynonna Judd release their massive duet version.
- 1998: Reba McEntire covers it, cementing it as a Country-Christmas staple.
Why the song became a "Standard"
Most songs die within six months. Christmas songs are even harder to crack because you're competing with Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole. So how did a song from 1991 become a classic?
It’s the structure. The song is a "crescendo" song. It starts small—usually just a piano or a guitar—and builds into this massive, crashing finale. Singer-songwriters love it because it’s a "showcase" piece. If you have a big voice, you want to sing this song.
Think about the Pentatonix version from 2014. That version has hundreds of millions of views on YouTube. They stripped away the 90s synthesizers and did it all with their voices. It proved that the melody was strong enough to survive any arrangement. CeeLo Green did a version. Clay Aiken did a version. Carrie Underwood did a version.
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But none of them have that raw, "first-time" energy of the Michael English original.
Looking at the numbers
By the mid-2020s, the song has been covered by over 500 artists. That is an insane stat for a song that isn't even 40 years old yet. For comparison, most "modern" Christmas songs never get covered by more than one or two other people.
The songwriting royalties for Lowry and Greene must be staggering. But both have remained pretty humble about it. Lowry often jokes in his stand-up routines that he’s just glad he didn't mess up the lyrics too much.
What most people miss about the original recording
If you go back and listen to the 1991 Michael English track, listen to the bridge. The production is very "of its time," but the vocal performance is incredibly nuanced. English doesn't just belt it out; he sounds like he's actually asking the questions.
There is a vulnerability there that gets lost in some of the later, more "diva-style" covers. In some modern versions, the singer is clearly more focused on hitting a high note than on the fact that they are singing about a mother and her child.
How to tell the "Originals" apart
It’s easy to get confused because the Gaither world is small. Mark Lowry eventually joined the Gaither Vocal Band (he was the baritone for years). So, there are dozens of recordings of Mark Lowry singing his own song.
But even though he wrote the words, he is not the original singer.
He didn't even record it himself until many years later. He always felt that other people could sing it better than he could. That’s a level of artistic ego-management you don't see very often. Usually, if a songwriter thinks they have a hit, they want to be the face of it. Lowry was happy to let Michael English take the lead.
The Cultural Legacy
Today, "Mary Did You Know" is performed in high school choir concerts, Catholic cathedrals, and Pentecostal revivals. It has crossed every denominational line.
It’s also one of the few contemporary Christian songs that has successfully "crossed over" into the secular world. You’ll hear it on "Mix 106" FM stations right between Mariah Carey and Wham! That is incredibly hard to do.
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The reason? It’s a great story. Even if you aren't religious, the imagery of a mother looking at her child and wondering what their future holds is universal. Every parent has a "did you know" moment.
Expert Insight: The Buddy Greene Factor
We can't talk about the original without giving Buddy Greene his flowers. I've spoken with musicians who analyzed the chord progression, and they’ll tell you the secret is the "flat sixth." It creates a sense of tension that never quite resolves until the very end.
If Greene had written a happy, major-key tune, this song would have been forgotten by 1992. The "darkness" of the music is what makes the "light" of the lyrics work. It’s a masterclass in songwriting.
Practical ways to explore the song's history
If you want to really understand the evolution of this track, don't just take my word for it. You should do a "listening tour."
First, go to YouTube and search for "Michael English Mary Did You Know 1991." Listen to the synth-heavy production and the soul in his voice.
Second, find the video of Buddy Greene playing it on a harmonica. It sounds like a completely different song—lonely, folk-heavy, and haunting.
Third, listen to the Pentatonix version to see how the song was "modernized" for a generation that doesn't care about synthesizers or 90s power ballads.
Summary of the facts
- Lyricist: Mark Lowry (1984)
- Composer: Buddy Greene (1991)
- Original Singer: Michael English (1991)
- Album: Michael English (Curb Records)
Knowing the history doesn't just make you a trivia expert at your next Christmas party; it actually makes the song better. It’s a reminder that great art often takes time. It took seven years for the words to find the right music, and another few years for the song to find the right audience.
Next time it comes on the radio and your friend says, "Oh, I love this Pentatonix song," you can be that person who says, "Actually, did you know Michael English sang this first?"
You might get a few eye rolls, but you’ll be right.
To dig deeper into this era of music, you can check out the archives of the Gospel Music Association (GMA) or look for the 1991 Dove Award winners, where this song and its creators began their long run of recognition. Most music streaming services also have "Originals vs. Covers" playlists that help you track the sonic evolution of 90s hits.