Mary Wilson (singer)
Mary Wilson (March 6, 1944 – February 8, 2021) was an American singer. She gained worldwide recognition as a founding member of the Supremes, the most successful Motown act of the 1960s and the best-charting female group in U.S. chart history,[1] as well as one of the best-selling girl groups of all-time. The trio reached number one on Billboard's Hot 100 with 12 of their singles,[a] ten of which feature Wilson on backing vocals.
Mary Wilson
March 6, 1944
February 8, 2021 (aged 76)
Singer
1959–2021
3
- Vocals
- Motown
- CEO
Wilson remained with the group following the departures of the other three original members Barbara Martin (in 1962), Florence Ballard (in 1967), and Diana Ross (in 1970), though the subsequent 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.
Early life[edit]
Mary Wilson was born March 6, 1944, to Sam, a butcher, and Johnnie Mae Wilson in Greenville, Mississippi.[2] She was the eldest of three children including a brother, Roosevelt, and a sister, Cathy.[2] The Wilsons moved to Chicago, part of the Great Migration in which her father joined many African Americans seeking work in the North,[3] but at age three, Mary Wilson was taken in by her aunt Ivory "I.V." and uncle John L. Pippin in Detroit.[4] Her parents eventually separated and Wilson's mother and siblings later joined them in Detroit, though by then Wilson had come to believe I.V. was her real mother.[2] Wilson and her family had settled in the Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects, a housing project in Detroit[5] where Wilson first met Florence Ballard. The duo became friends while singing in their school's talent show.[6] In 1959, Ballard asked Wilson to audition for Milton Jenkins, who was forming a sister group to his male vocal trio, the Primes (two members of which were later in The Temptations).[7][8] Wilson was soon accepted into the group known as The Primettes, with Diana Ross and Betty McGlown, who lived in the same housing project with Wilson and Ballard.[2] In this period, Wilson also met Aretha, Erma and Carolyn Franklin, daughters of the pastor at her local Baptist church.[9]
Wilson graduated from Detroit's Northeastern High School in January 1962.[10]
Personal life and death[edit]
Throughout her career Wilson was romantically linked to Flip Wilson, Duke Fakir and David Frost among others. Wilson also had short affair with Tom Jones.[62]
Wilson married Dominican businessman Pedro Ferrer, whom she had chosen as The Supremes' manager, in Las Vegas on May 11, 1974.[2] They had three children: daughter Turkessa (b. 1975) and sons Pedro Antonio Jr. (b. 1977) and Rafael (1979–1994).[2] Wilson and Ferrer divorced in 1981.[2] She was also the adoptive mother of her cousin, Willie.[63] 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's injuries were fatal.[64]
On February 8, 2021, Wilson died in her sleep from hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease at her home in Henderson, Nevada, a suburb of Las Vegas, at the age of 76.[65][5][66] 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 77th birthday.[65]
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."[65] Diana Ross reflected on Wilson's death, posting on Twitter: "I am reminded that each day is a gift. I have so many wonderful memories of our time together. 'The Supremes' will live on in our hearts."[67] Ross would later say to Entertainment Tonight "I remember Mary's joy and love during happier times and our love and years together. I recall 'the good old days' with a smile in my heart and a song in my heart during these changing times." [68]
At the time of her death Wilson had 10 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.[65]
Wilson was interred next to her son Rafael on March 16, 2021, at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.[69]
Honors[edit]
In 2001, Wilson earned a degree from New York University's School of Continuing and Professional Studies.[70]
Wilson was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Paine College in Augusta, Georgia.[71]
In 2020, Wilson received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Newspaper Publishers Association.[72] Wilson was also, along with The Supremes, inducted into National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame class of 2013. Wilson also served as the master of ceremonies for the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame from 2016 to 2019 and served as a board member.
Legacy[edit]
The character of Lorrell Robinson in both the play and film versions of Dreamgirls was inspired by Wilson.[73]
Motown: The Musical is a Broadway musical that launched on April 14, 2013. It is the story of Berry Gordy's creation of Motown Records. Wilson was portrayed by Ariana DeBose in 2013.
As a member of the Supremes, her songs "Stop! In the Name of Love" and "You Can't Hurry Love" are among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.[74] The Ross-Wilson-Ballard lineup was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 (Video on YouTube), received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994, and entered into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. Wilson was the only Supreme present for all three ceremonies. In 2004, Rolling Stone placed the group at number 96 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".[75]
As a member of The Supremes, Wilson was named as one of eight recipients to receive a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards in 2023.[76]