Mary Wilson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Wilson
|
|
|---|---|
Wilson in 1994
|
|
| Born | March 6, 1944 Greenville, Mississippi, U.S.
|
| Died | February 8, 2021 (aged 76) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
|
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1959–2021 |
| Spouse(s) |
Pedro Ferrer
(m. 1974; div. 1981) |
| Children | 3 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments |
|
| Labels |
|
| Associated acts | |
Mary Wilson (March 6, 1944 – February 8, 2021) was an American singer and concert performer best known as a founding member of the Supremes, the most successful Motown act of the 1960s and the best-charting female group in U.S. history, as well as one of the all-time best-selling girl groups in the world.
The group released a record-setting twelve number-one hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100, ten of which Wilson sang backing vocals for.
Wilson remained with the group following the departures of other original members, Florence Ballard in 1967 and Diana Ross in 1970, though the group disbanded following Wilson's own departure in 1977. Wilson later became a New York Times best-selling author in 1986 with the release of her first autobiography, Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme, which set records for sales in its genre, and later for the autobiography Supreme Faith: Someday We'll Be Together.
Continuing a successful career as a concert performer in Las Vegas, Wilson also worked in activism, fighting to pass Truth in Music Advertising bills and donating to various charities. Wilson was inducted along with Ross and Ballard (as members of the Supremes) into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.
Contents
Early life
Mary Wilson was born to Sam and Johnnie Mae Wilson in Greenville, Mississippi. She was the eldest of three children including a brother, Roosevelt, and a sister, Katherine. Wilson lived with her parents and moved to St. Louis and later to Chicago before living with her aunt Ivory "I.V." and uncle John L. Pippin in Detroit. Wilson reunited with her mother and siblings at the age of 9. To make ends meet, Wilson's mother worked as a domestic worker.
Before reaching her teenage years, Wilson and her family had settled at Detroit's upstart housing project, the Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects.
Mary Wilson first met Florence Ballard at an elementary school in Detroit. The duo became friends while singing in the school's talent show. In 1959, Ballard asked Wilson to audition for Milton Jenkins, who was forming a sister group to his male vocal trio, the Primes. Wilson was soon accepted in the group known as The Primettes, with Diana Ross and Betty McGlown.
Wilson graduated from Detroit's Northeastern High School in January 1962. Despite her mother's insistence she go to college, Wilson instead focused on her music career.
The Supremes
Main article: The Supremes
Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard were good friends in junior high school with a mutual interest in singing. 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, Diane 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 1964, Diane Ross (now Diana Ross) was the sole 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".
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. The group carried on for the rest of the 1960s, although hits were less frequent than they had been during the middle part of the decade.
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 big hits like "Up The Ladder To The Roof," "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 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 Puerto Rican businessman Pedro Ferrer.
Wilson took charge of the Supremes, sharing lead vocal duties with Payne, and assisting her husband in managing 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 more albums before they disbanded and gave their final performance at the Drury Theatre in London, England.
Solo career
Mary Wilson continued on as a solo artist, releasing her debut album on Motown Records entitled Mary Wilson," and the single, "Red Hot," which hit number 95 on the Billboard R&B charts in 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. Dreamgirl was a New York Times Best Seller for months, and was also eventually released in paperback. 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.
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.
Later years
.jpg)
In the years since, Wilson has released other singles, namely "U" (1995) and "Turn Around" (1996) for various labels; both were hits in Europe. 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 2002, Wilson appeared, along with other 1960's and 1970's stars, in the motion picture Only The Strong Survive.
Wilson later moved to Las Vegas from New York City, where she had resided for several years. While in New York, she co-hosted a mid-morning radio show with Bob Law, playing classic R&B hits, on WWRL.
Wilson 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.
Other work
A tireless humanitarian, Wilson had also been touring and lecturing across the U.S., speaking to various groups nationwide. Her lecture circuit, “Dare to Dream”, focused on reaching goals and triumph over adversity. Wilson's charity work included the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, 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.
Personal life
Wilson married Pedro Ferrer in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 11, 1974. Their union produced three children: Turkessa, Pedro Antonio Jr. and Rafael. Wilson and Ferrer divorced in 1981. Wilson is also adoptive mother to her cousin, Willie.
In January 1994, Wilson and her 14-year-old son Rafael were involved in an accident on Interstate 15 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas when their Jeep Cherokee veered off the highway and overturned. Wilson sustained moderate injuries; Rafael died.
As of September 2019, Mary had 10 grandchildren and 1 great granddaughter, which she revealed during the 2nd episode of season 28 of Dancing with the Stars.
In 2001, Wilson received an associate degree from New York University.
Wilson received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Paine College in Augusta, Georgia.
In 2020, Wilson received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Newspaper Publishers Association. Wilson was also along with The Supremes were inducted into National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame class 2013. Wilson also served as the master of ceremonies for the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame from 2016-2019 and a board member.
Death
Wilson died in her sleep on February 8, 2021 in Las Vegas at the age of 76. Two days before her death, she had announced on YouTube that she was planning to release new solo material with Universal Music Group, and hoped it would come out before March 6, her birthday.
Motown founder Berry Gordy said he was "extremely shocked and saddened" by the news of her death and said Wilson was "quite a star in her own right and over the years continued to work hard to boost the legacy of the Supremes."
Images for kids
-
Wilson at the LBJ Presidential Library in 2019
-
Wilson in 2019
