Mary Wilson (singer)

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Mary Wilson

Background information
Born March 6, 1944 (1944-03-06) (age 64)
Greenville, Mississippi, U.S.
Origin Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genre(s) R&B/pop/soul
Occupation(s) Singer, actress, and author
Instrument(s) Vocals
Years active 1959 - 1995
Label(s) Motown
Associated acts The Supremes
Website www.marywilson.com

Mary Wilson (born March 6, 1944 in Greenville, Mississippi) is an American singer best known as a member of the Motown soul and pop group The Supremes. Wilson was the only Supreme who remained in the group when it was formed in 1959, as The Primettes, until the very end, when the group was disbanded in 1977. The Supremes (Diana Ross, Florence Ballard, and later, Cindy Birdsong along with Mary Wilson) enjoyed twelve US number-one hit records.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Mary Wilson was the first child born to Sam and Johnnie Mae Wilson. The Wilson's later had a son (Roosevelt) and a daughter (Catherine "Cat"). As a baby, she moved first to St. Louis and then to Chicago before settling with her aunt and uncle, Ivory ("I.V.") and John L. Pippin, in Detroit. At the age of six, Mary was returned to the custody of Johnnie Mae, who had spent time in Mississippi. This was a confusing time for Mary, as she led to believe that Ivory and John L. were her parents. By the age of twelve, Mary and her family had settled at Detroit's Brewster-Douglass housing projects.

[edit] The Supremes

Main article: The Supremes

In 1958, Mary Wilson met Florence Ballard while both attended junior high school. They quickly became close friends with a mutual interest in music. When Milton Jenkins, manager of male vocal group The Primes, decided to form a female spin-off called The Primettes, he recruited Ballard, who recruited Wilson. Wilson then recruited a new friend of hers, Diana Ross, and Jenkins added Betty McGlown to complete the lineup.

By 1961, The Primettes had signed to Motown Records, replaced McGlown with Barbara Martin, and changed their name to The Supremes. In the early days, the girls traded lead vocals, with Wilson handling many of the ballads in her distinctive alto voice. The Supremes went two years without a Top 40 hit, finally scoring with "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through his Eyes" in 1963. By late 1963, Diana Ross became the lead singer of the group, which finally began a long streak of Holland-Dozier-Holland-helmed Top 10 hits, including ten US #1 hits, beginning with "Where Did Our Love Go".

In 1967, after three years of phenomenal success, Motown chief Berry Gordy changed the name of the group to Diana Ross & the Supremes and replaced Florence Ballard with Cindy Birdsong. Although hits were less frequent during this time period, they enjoyed their two biggest-selling hits in 1968 and 1969, respectively. Oddly, Wilson doesn't sing on those two songs. The backing vocals on the 1968 #1 hit "Love Child" are the Andantes. The last single released with Diana Ross, "Someday We'll Be Together", hit the #1 spot but Ross is the only Supreme singing on it (with Julia Waters, Maxine Waters and Johnny Bristol providing the backing vocals). In 1969, Mary Wilson cut a solo version of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" in addition to a duet version with Eddie Kendricks from the Temptations. The solo version eventually surfaced on a Supremes' 4 cd box-set released in 2000.

When Diana Ross left the group in 1970 for a solo career, singer Jean Terrell was brought in as her replacement. The "New Supremes" -- Wilson, Terrell, and Birdsong -- continued their hit-making process from 1970 through 1972 with hits like "Up The Ladder To The Roof," "Stoned Love", "River Deep-Mountain High" (with The Four Tops), "Nathan Jones", and "Floy Joy". Wilson began sharing leads with Terrell on several of the singles, including "Touch", "Floy Joy", and "Automatically Sunshine".

Cindy Birdsong left the group in April 1972 to start a family and was replaced by singer Lynda Laurence, formerly of Stevie Wonder's Wonderlove group. This pairing did not last long. After the Stevie Wonder-produced "Bad Weather" failed to ignite much interest in 1973, both Terrell and Laurence departed from the group. Wilson enlisted Scherrie Payne, Freda Payne's younger sister, and welcomed back Cindy Birdsong to carry on the group. It took nearly two years for Motown to produce new recording contracts for the Supremes, during which time the group concentrated on live performances, and Wilson married Dominican businessman Pedro Ferrer.

Wilson took charge of the Supremes, assisting her husband in managing and sharing lead vocal duties with Payne in the group. This lineup continued on until 1976, when Birdsong was replaced by Susaye Greene, also a former Wonderlove member. With Greene, the Supremes recorded two disco-flavored albums with some success. By the start of 1977, Wilson had finally decided to leave The Supremes and start her solo singing career. Her "farewell" performance with the group in its latest line-up occurred in June of that year at the Drury Theatre in London, England. (Remaining Supremes Payne and Greene reportedly planned to search to replace Wilson with a new third member, and to continue a new Supremes line-up that included their contributing songwriting efforts to the act; but by the fall of 1977, it was announced that Motown had decided to officially disband The Supremes as a recording group on its label.)

[edit] Lead vocals with the Supremes

From the very first recording sessions for Lu-Pine Records back in 1960, Mary Wilson was featured on lead vocals on albums and later singles too, right-up until the demise of the group.

  • as The Primettes
    • "Pretty Baby" - b-side to "Tears of Sorrow"
  • as The Supremes
    • "Baby Don't Go" - from the groups debut album Meet the Supremes
    • "It Makes No Difference Now" - from the group's 1965 album The Supremes Sing Country, Western & Pop - this was the first released track to feature all group members on lead vocals
    • " The Tears" - Never-Before-Released-Masters From Today's Brightest Stars-The 1960s
    • "Sunset" - also from The Supremes Sing Country, Western & Pop, as a duet with Diana Ross
    • "Come And Get These Memories" - a remake of the Martha and The Vandellas hit, featured on the group's 1966 hit album Supremes A' Go-Go, alternate mix included on "Lost & Found - Let the Music Play: Supreme Rarities 1960-1969".
    • "Falling In Love With Love" - from the group's tribute album The Supremes Sing Rodgers & Hart, a duet with Diana Ross; also featured on the live album Diana Ross & The Supremes Farewell
  • as Diana Ross and The Supremes
  • as The Supremes (1970s)
    • "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - from New Ways but Love Stays. Shared Vocal with Jean Terrell.
    • "Touch" - from the album with the same name. A soulful duet with established lead singer Jean Terrell, this marked the first time that Mary had taken a lead on a single.
    • "A Heart Like Mine" - from the Smokey Robinson produced album Floy Joy
    • "Floy Joy" - another duet with Jean Terrell from the album with the same name.
    • "Automatically Sunshine" - second single from the Floy Joy album and third duet single with Jean Terrell.
    • "I Keep It Hid" - album track from the critically acclaimed album The Supremes Produced and Arranged by Jimmy Webb.
    • "He's My Man" - from the 1975 album The Supremes, co-lead vocals with Scherrie Payne
    • "Early Morning Love" - from the 1975 album The Supremes
    • "Where Is It I Belong?" - from the 1975 album The Supremes
    • "This Is Why I Believe In You" - from the 1975 album The Supremes, co-lead vocals with Scherrie Payne
    • "You Turn Me Around" - from the 1975 album The Supremes
    • "Don't Let My Teardrops Bother You" - from the 1976 album High Energy
    • "Till The Boat Sails Away" - from the 1976 album High Energy
    • "I Don't Want To Lose You" - from the 1976 album High Energy
    • "You're What's Missing In My Life" - from the 1976 album High Energy, duet with Scherrie Payne
    • "We Should be Closer Together" - from the group's final album Mary, Scherrie & Susaye
    • "You Are The Heart Of Me" - from the group's final album Mary, Scherrie & Susaye
  • Tracks released after the group disbanded
    • "After All" - Recorded in 1961 and later included on the 2000 Supremes' Box Set. This is the only released song to feature Barbara Martin. It also features Florence and Diana.
    • "Our Day Will Come" - Recorded in 1965 for the unreleased There's A Place For Us album. It was released on "The Never-Before-Released Masters" in 1987.
    • "The Ballad Of Davy Crockett" - Recorded in 1967 for the unreleased Diana Ross & The Supremes Sing Disney Classics album. The song was released on "The Never-Before-Released Masters" CD in 1987.
    • "Still Water (Love)" - taken from recording sessions for the proposed album Promises Kept. released on the compilation, This Is The Story: The Jean Terrell Years 1970 - 1973.
    • "Can We Love Again" - out-take from the 1975 album 'The Supremes', released on the The 70s Supremes Anthology.
  • Unreleased tracks
    • "Boogie Man" - out-take from the 1975 album The Supremes.

[edit] Solo career

In the fall of 1977, Mary Wilson (with assistance by Cindy Birdsong and Debbie Sharpe) was forced to fulfill tour dates in South America that had originally been booked in advance for the by-now-disbanded Supremes, but which Motown did not cancel. Scherrie Payne and Susaye Greene refused to fulfill these dates with Wilson, prompting the tour promoters to threaten Wilson (and Ferrer) with legal action. Undaunted, Wilson continued on as a solo artist. Wilson released her solo debut album on Motown Records entitled Mary Wilson, and the single, "Red Hot," which hit number ninety-five on the Billboard R&B charts and number eighty-five on the Billboard dance music charts in late 1979. Motown released Wilson from her contract in 1980, and she sought deals with Atlantic and the Boardwalk labels. For her live shows, Wilson periodically billed herself as "The Supremes Show with Mary Wilson" or "The Supremes Starring Mary Wilson," leading to legal trouble with Motown, whom Wilson found wholly owned the Supremes name and, despite protracted legal battles, would not cede it to her.

In 1986, Wilson released her first autobiography, Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme, which told the story of her life with the Supremes up to 1970, and including Florence Ballard's later years and funeral. After a heavy publicity campaign, Dreamgirl was a New York Times Best Seller for months, and was also eventually released in paperback. It remains one of the best selling rock and roll autobiographies of all time. Ironically, the title of the book is taken from the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, which is loosely based upon the Supremes story. Wilson's follow-up book Supreme Faith: Someday We'll Be Together, was published in 1990, and followed Wilson's life from the days of the "New Supremes" into and through the 1980s. Eventually an updated version was released, marrying the two books with new chapters written by Wilson.

In England, Wilson recorded the dance single "Don't Get Mad, Get Even" on the Motorcity label. She continued to tour, appearing in Vegas, Reno, Tahoe and other venues alongside comedians such as Jay Leno, Don Rickles, and Joan Rivers. In the early 1990s, Wilson recorded her first solo album in twelve years, Walk the Line, on CEO Records. Two singles were released, "One Night With You," and the title track, "Walk the Line." However, the record company folded shortly after Wilson's album was released.

[edit] Later years

In the years since, Wilson has released other singles, namely "U" (1995) and "Turn Around" (1996) for various labels She continues to tour nine to ten months out of every year, singing the Supremes' hits. In 1997, she moved to New York City and enrolled at New York University, graduating in May 2001 with an Associate's Degree in Liberal Arts. In April 2001, she performed in the musical Leader of the Pack at the Shubert Theatre in Boston. The year after, she starred in the national touring company of Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies.

In the late 1990s, Wilson appeared in a New York comedy play called Grandma Silvia's Funeral as a wise-cracking, but bitter family member. Wilson had a cameo appearance in the 1999 comedy film Jackie's Back, playing Jackie's former school teacher.

In late 1999, Wilson was contacted by former Supremes-mate Diana Ross regarding a Supremes reunion tour that Ross was assembling for 2000. It would have been the first time that Supremes Wilson, Ross and Birdsong had performed together since their brief on-stage reunion at the March 1983 taping of the NBC television special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today & Forever. Ultimately, Ross commenced this "Return to Love" tour in the spring of 2000 with two Supremes who'd joined the trio after Ross left, as Wilson reportedly insisted that the reunion deal presented her did not reasonably respect and reflect her contributions to and participation in the historic group. (This tour failed by mid-summer; many fans were sad, nonetheless, because they'd hoped to see Mary Wilson take the stage once again with Diana and Cindy.)

In 2002, Wilson appeared, along with other 1960s and 1970s stars, in the motion picture Only The Strong Survive. In March 2003, she performed in The Vagina Monologues at the Detroit Opera House. She began hosting The Motown Show, a syndicated radio program on Westwood One, that September.

For several years, Wilson resided in New York. While there, she co-hosted a mid-morning radio show with Bob Law, playing classic R&B hits, on WWRL. In July 2006, Wilson underwent angioplasty after complaining about severe chest pains. She has since recovered and is back on the road. Wilson also recently released the DVD Mary Wilson Live at the Sands, on which she performs many of the old Supremes hits in celebration of the forty-fifth anniversary of the group. Currently, she is recording an album of songs taken from her personal diaries for the Holland brothers, co-writers of many of The Supremes' number-one hits of the 1960s. Wilson has also started in 2006 to perform a new show "Up Close & Personal", where she sings ballads and standards in lieu of Supremes' hits. She has received very positive reviews, including her most recent show at Feinstein's in New York City, which highlight her strong vocal interpretations of "I Am Changing"(From Dreamgirls), "New York State of Mind" and "Both Sides Now". Wilson also continues to perform the Supremes' hits at other shows and sings with symphony orchestras, as well.

On April 22, 2008, Mary took the stage with Australian vocal group Human Nature, on the Seven Network television show It Takes Two. They performed two duets from Human Nature's Get Ready album: "It Takes Two" and "River Deep, Mountain High".

[edit] Other work

In recent years, Wilson has made headlines for proposing a bill to ban impostor groups to perform under the name of 1950s and 1960s rock groups, including Motown groups such as The Marvelettes and The Supremes, which was passed in several states.

Wilson has also been touring and lecturing across the U.S., speaking to various groups nationwide. Her lecture circuit, “Dare to Dream”, focuses on reaching goals and triumph over adversity. Wilson's charity work includes the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, the American Cancer Society, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, the Easter Seals Foundation, UNICEF, The NAACP, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the All-Star Network, and Figure Skaters of Harlem, a youth organization devoted to helping children towards entering the Olympics. Most recently, Wilson became the Mine Action spokesperson for the Humpty Dumpty Institute [1], a NYC-based non-profit organization forging innovative public-private partnerships designed to help solve specific international problems.

In April, 2008, Wilson made a special appearance on 20/20 to participate in a social experiment involving pedestrians reacting to a young woman singing 'Stop! In The Name of Love' with intentional amateurishness. Wilson approached the woman and gave her constructive criticism towards her style in contrast to the pedestrians whose reactions were positive yet dishonest.


Mary has also been involved with a touring exhibition of the Supremes' former stage wear, which has been on exhibit in Cleveland, USA and on 12 May 2008 will commence it's UK tour, starting at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Over 50 sets of gowns are shown in rotation, starting with early informal wear from the early 1960s, and including famous gowns worn on television specials and nightclub apeparances by the group in the 1960s and 1970s.

[edit] Personal life

During the mid-1960s, Wilson dated Four Tops member Abdul "Duke" Fakir. Mary has also been romantically linked to Tom Jones, Steve McQueen, and Flip Wilson.

During the late 1960s, Wilson adopted her cousin's son, Willie, and raised him as her own son. On May 11, 1974, Wilson married Pedro Ferrer had subsequently had three children together: Turkessa (born 1975), Pedro (born 1977), and Raphael (born 1979). In 1981, Wilson divorced Ferrer, whom she describes in Supreme Faith as being habitually abusive. On January 29, 1994, tragedy struck Wilson when she fell asleep at the wheel of her Jeep Cherokee, which hit the central barrier of a highway in California. As a result of the accident, Wilson suffered serious injuries, and her son Raphael died.

As of 2008, Wilson, who now resides in Las Vegas, is single and has three living children and eight grandchildren.

[edit] Solo discography

[edit] Albums

Motown releases
CEO release
Mary Wilson

[edit] Album guest appearances

  • with Neil Sedaka Come See About Me one song - "Come See About Me"
  • with Paul Jabara De La Noche Sisters one song - "This Girl's Back"
  • Sing For The Cure one song - "Come to Me Mother"
  • with The Four Tops From the Heart (2006) one song "River Deep - Mountain High"
  • with Human Nature Get Ready (2007) two songs "River Deep - Mountain High" and "It Takes Two"

[edit] Singles

Motown release
  • 1979: "Red Hot" / "Midnight Dancer"
  • 1980: "Pick Up The Pieces" / "You're The Light That Guides My Way" (UK only)
CEO releases
  • 1992: "One Night With You"
  • 1992: "Walk the Line"
Other releases
  • 1987:"Don't Get Mad, Get Even" - Nightmare Records
  • 1989:"Oooh Child"-Nightmare Records
  • 1995: "U" -Contract Recording Company
  • 1996: "Turn Around" - Da Bridge Records
  • 2000: "It's Time To Move On"
Unreleased
  • 1980: Gus Dudgeon produced master tracks for Motown - "Love Talk", "Save Me", "You Danced My Heart Around The Stars", "Green River"
  • 1986: "My Lovelife is a Disaster" (unreleased demo)
  • "Sleeping In Separate Rooms" (Atlantic c.1987)
  • "Stronger in a Broken Part" (Atlantic c.1987)
  • "The One I Love" (Atlantic c.1987)
  • "Can We Talk About It"
  • "Show Me"
  • "Love Child" (out-take from Walk the Line album)

[edit] Autobiographies

  • Wilson, Mary with Patricia Romanowski and Ahrgus Juilliard (1986). Dreamgirl: My Life As a Supreme. New York: St. Martin's Press.
  • Wilson, Mary and Romanowski, Patricia (1990). Supreme Faith: Someday We'll Be Together. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-016290-2
  • Wilson, Mary and Romanowski, Patricia (1986, 1990, 2000). Dreamgirl & Supreme Faith: My Life as a Supreme. New York: Cooper Square Publishers. ISBN 0-8154-1000-X.

[edit] DVD Appearances

  • Mary Wilson: Mary Wilson Live At The Sands
  • Tiger Town (movie) - National Anthem singer
  • Jackie's Back (movie) - Vesta Crotchley
  • The Supremes: Reflections: The Definitive DVD Collection - singer
  • The Four Tops: - performs 'River Deep Mountain High'
  • Dionne Warwick - interview only
  • Only The Strong Survive - performs 'Love Child' and 'Someday, We'll Be Together'
  • Brenda Russell: "Walkin' in New York" - cameo in music video

[edit] References

  1. ^ www.thehdi.org

[edit] External links

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Florence Ballard · Cindy Birdsong · Susaye Greene · Lynda Laurence · Barbara Martin · Scherrie Payne · Diana Ross · Jean Terrell · Mary Wilson
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