Mary Wilson

Major Works

• “Where Did Our Love Go” (1964)
• “Back in my Arms Again” (1964)
• “Baby Love” (1964)
• “Come See About Me” (1965)
• “Stop! In the Name of Love” (1965)
• “I Hear a Symphony” (1966)
• “You Can’t Hurry Love” (1966)
• “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” (1966)
• “The Happening” (1967)
• “Love is Here and Now You’re Gone” (1967)
• “Love Child” (1968)
• “Reflections” (1967)
• “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (1970)
• “Love Hangover” (1976)
• “Upside Down” (1980)
• “Muscles” (1982)

Mary Wilson: A Biography

by S.M. (SHS)

Ever since she was a young girl living in Greenville, Mississippi, Mary Wilson dreamed of becoming a singing star. Born March 6, 1944,  she is best known as a charter member of the Supremes. During high school, she and singers Florence Ballard and Diana Ross formed a vocal group that became known as the Primettes.  In 1961 the group signed a recording contract with the Motown Record Company and changed its name to the Supremes.

Between 1964 and 1967, the Supremes dominated commercial radio airplay with a series of successful songs. The Supremes had thirty-three Top 40 hits of which an unbelievable twelve of the group’s songs became number one hit records on the Billboard magazine music charts.  Some os these songs were  “Where Did Our Love Go?” “Baby Love,” “Stop! In The Name Of Love,” and “You Can’t Hurry Love.”

By 1970 Florence Ballard had left the Supremes (due to illness), and Diana Ross had embarked upon a (soon to be very successful)  solo career.  Flo and Diana were replaced and  Mary kept singing. She  became the only member that performed with the group from the beginning to the end.

Mary set out on her own musical path when, in 1977, the Supremes officially disbanded.  Her first solo album, Mary Wilson, resulted in the dance classic, Red Hot.  Mary also did a little acting in Canada with the play “Beehive,” a musical about a girl singing group.She made her off-Broadway debut in “Grandma Sylvia’s Funeral”  and wrote an autobiography in 1986 which led her to become a New York Times best-selling author.  When her independent label folded, Mary began telling her story all over the world in lectures called Dare to Dream.  After a tragic car accident involving her daughter in 1994, Mary decided to move to New York to revive her education.

Mary Wilson has since been recording new albums, and for the last two summers has toured with the Four Tops and the Temptations. She has written two books, Supreme Faith: Someday We’ll be Together and Dream Girl:  My Life as a Supreme.  In Supreme Faith, Mary tells of her abusive relationship with her husband Pedro and her tense friendship with Diana Ross. An updated edition of Dreamgirl &   Supreme Faith: My Life As a Supreme is now available as of January 2000. The updated autobiography features original chapters from her two previous books and new chapters. She is currently touring in the United Kingdom.

Mary Wilson has survived against impossible odds and achieved a great deal. She now considers herself a free woman and a successful working mother who does what she loves best–singing and performing.

Return to top of page

Timeline

• 1944–March 6:  Born in Greenville, Mississippi.
  
• 1961–January 15:  The Supremes sign with Motown.
  
• 1963–December: Meet the Supremes released.
  
• 1964–Summer: Tours with Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars, Gene Pitney, Brenda Holloway, and others.
  • October 15:  Meets Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney at the Ad Lib Club, Birmingham, England.
  • December 25: Does Motown Revue, Brooklyn Fox Theater, New York, with Marvin Gaye, the Miracles, the Marvelettes, Stevie Wonder, the Temptations.
    
• 1965–January 11/13:   England”s New Musical Express’readers vote the Supremes the #3 group; Music Business Magazine  names them the #1 female group.
  February: Nominated for Grammy Award for best R&B Vocal Performances, “Baby Love.”
  
• 1966–February: Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Group Vocal Performance, “Stop! In the Name of Love.”
  
• 1967--January:  Playboy annual reader’s poll: votes Supremes the  #1 group (the Beatles, #2; Peter, Paul and Mary, #3).
  •  October 29: Diana Ross and the Supremes Greatest Hits released (double album), #1.
    
• 1970–January 14: Frontier Hotel, last day, last performance of Diana Ross and the Supremes, Mary Wilson finds replacement for Ross and the Supremes continue singing
  
• 1974–May 11:  Married Pedro Ferrer.
  
• 1977- the Supremes starring Mary Wilson officially disbanded
  
• 1988:  Supremes inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
  
• 1994: Supremes placed in the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame.
  
• 1998 – Supremes inducted into Vocal Group Hall of Fame
• 2000: Mary Wilson tours the United Kingdom, an updated version of her autobiography is published
• 2007 – Received the Floyd Washington Auto Safety Advocacy Award at the 37th Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference

Return to top of page

Related Websites

• This is the official site for Mary Wilson and provides information about her.
• Wikipedia biography for Mary Wilson updates her info.

Bibliography

• WWW.SUPREMES.COM
• http://www.marywilson.com/
• www.delafont.com/music_acts/Supremes.htm
• http://hallmall.com/cgi-bin/redirect/go2.cgi?search=MaryWilson&site=BIOGRAPHY
• “Ross, Diana,” Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation.
• Wilson, Mary. Dreamgirl: my life as a Supreme. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1986.
• Wilson, Mary. Supreme Faith:  someday we’ll be together.  New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1990.