INYIM Media Tribute: Music Masters The Supremes Turn 60: Mary Wilson Says
Reunion “Up to Diana Ross”.
“January was significant for The Supremes. It was on Jan. 21, 1961, that the
group — then a quartet of 15-year-olds from Detroit called The Primettes — was
signed to Berry Gordy Jr.’s Motown Records, setting it on a path to
superstardom.
And it was on Jan. 14, 1970, that the group — by then a trio billed as Diana
Ross & the Supremes (minus Florence Ballard, who was replaced by Cindy
Birdsong in 1967 after struggling with alcoholism) — performed a final show at
the Frontier in Las Vegas.
“We sat outside Motown every day until one of the producers came out and said,
‘You know what, we need some background hand claps,’ ” recalls Supreme Mary
Wilson, 76, of the early days. When Gordy saw how “serious” they were, he
signed them: “Our parents had to actually sign the contract because we were
underage.” He then made them change their name (so he could own the rights to
it). They threw a few options in a hat and Ballard pulled out “The Supremes.”
In Artist Development, they were taught poise and polish by Maxine Powell, who
ran a Detroit modeling agency; moves by Cholly Atkins, who also choreographed
labelmates The Temptations; and harmonies by Maurice King, musical director at
Detroit’s legendary Flame Showbar. The mood at Motown was competitive but
“supportive, because Motown was magic. Everybody was talented,” says Wilson.
The group was overshadowed by acts like The Marvelettes, but all that changed
in 1964-’65, when they scored five consecutive No. 1 hits, including “Baby
Love” and “Stop! In the Name of Love.”
Says Wilson: “The Civil Rights Act was passed around then. We became divas and
citizens in the same year.” The Vegas farewell, which made way for Ross to
embark on a solo career, was “really sad,” recalls Wilson, who remained with
the act. “My two best friends would no longer be there.” As for a concert
reunion with Ross, Wilson says, “Let’s put it this way: It’s really up to
Diana.”
Wilson reminisced recently at length with The Hollywood Reporter about the
original all-girl supergroup.
Tell me about the beginnings of The Supremes.
It was 1961, January, and we were The Primettes. We were not The Supremes yet.
We had gone for an audition at Motown prior to that signing. And Mr. Berry
Gordy turned us down. We were quite young, about 15 and a half. And we went
out and we recorded with another company called Lu Pine.
But pretty soon we realized that Motown Records was the record company that we
wanted to join. And we were still in high school. We were hearing Smokey
Robinson and the Miracles, Marv Johnson, Mary Wells on the radio, and we said,
“That’s where we want to be.” So we sat on the grounds of Motown, outside
Hitsville, every day until pretty soon one of the producers came out and said,
“We need to have some background hand claps.” That’s how we got into Motown.
And Mr. Berry Gordy decided to go ahead and sign us because he said that we
were really serious. We were still 16 years old, and our parents had to
actually sign the contract, because we were underage. We didn’t have any legal
representation, because we were just so happy to be there.
Did Berry Gordy put you through Motown finishing school?
That was all later. When we were at Motown we were one of the last groups
there to get a hit record. The Marvelettes got the first number one hit
record. And all kind of female groups were coming there — Martha and the
Vandellas. We were just happy to be singing; we weren’t thinking about hit
records. But pretty soon we realized. wow, this is not just a hobby. This
could be a career. And so, we started thinking about recording a hit record.
The company started growing and growing, and pretty soon a lot of older Black
artists who had been, you know, singing for years, I guess they came to Motown
and they all formed this group called Artist Development. People like Harvey
Fuqua of The Moonglows, Maurice King, all these people came in. So, they were
so talented that someone brought up the idea of them tutoring, or mentoring,
all of the artists. Mr. Berry Gordy and his people were smart enough to
realize, OK, we’ll send each of the other groups into this class called Artist
Development.
That’s where we met Mrs. Powell, who became our female mentor. Mr. Cholly
Atkins was the choreographer, and he taught all the groups. And Maurice King
taught us harmonies and things like that. He was one of the famous guys at
Flame Showbar — you may have heard about that in Detroit — where people like
Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, I mean, everybody came to play.
What was Berry Gordy like?
He had this dream of starting a record company and his family helped him. He
had been a boxer, he had a record store. His family was one of the Black
families who all were into more of a business kind of family relations. So, he
brought that aspect into the record company. He was wonderful. He would play
cards with all the writers, you know, the producers. I remember when Marvin
Gaye was getting into football. All the male groups were all part of that
whole thing, and Berry was right there with them. People give Berry all the
credit, but it was one of those things where everyone who came there had their
own talent. And so it was more of a collaborative kind of an organization.
Do you feel he gave you a fair contract?
Back in the day, if you talk to a lot of the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s acts,
they didn’t have fair contracts. You know, you either take it or you don’t. So
it was that kind of thing. But I did fight them — and I know people kind of
hated me for that — because I stood up for what I felt, morally, should be
ours. It’s like you’re fighting for you. You know, you’re the only one who’s
going to be in that casket, so you have to fight for what you believe in.
That’s quite a way to put it.
I mean, it really is true. I was looking at the news, you know, people
standing for what they believe in, right or wrong, you know what I mean? So,
that’s what makes America great.
How did fame change it for the group?
Motown was one of those things that whoever had the hit record was on top of
the totem pole, let’s put it that way. We were at the bottom for many years,
but the minute we got a hit record then of course we rose right up to the top.
Everything was about The Supremes. Before that everything was about
Marvelettes. I always say because the Civil Rights Act was passed the same
year we got our first record, 1964, we became divas and citizens in the same
year.
Did divadom suit you?
Because all of our parents were poor, and their parents had been slaves, and
things like that, so they brought us up being aware that we were Black and we
had to be the best that we could be. I remember everybody’s parents probably
said, “When you walk out this door you’re representing Black people.” So that
was always who we were, but when we started traveling around the world we were
not just Black people. We were human beings. We were respected. We were loved.
We were not loved here in the United States.
We knew we had done something really incredible. There were people who were
before us, Sammy Davis, Lena Horne, those people were really great. But we did
have the advent of TV. I think TV really helped us in the ’60s become very
famous, because now we were, you know, people were able to see us all over
America and see Black people in a different light.
What really happened with Florence Ballard leaving the group?
Florence’s story was very sad. And it’s one of those American stories,
especially for Black people, especially for women, that there was a time where
certain things happened, especially abuse, happened to people that they didn’t
talk about. And at a very young age, we were still the Primettes, I think we
were like 14, Florence was abused by a neighborhood guy, and it totally
destroyed her.
I mean, she was like one of those great Black women who was proud and really
strong and beautiful and all that stuff, but that totally destroyed her. When
we became famous I thought that she would get over it, because you know,
people think, “Well, when you become rich and famous and all that stuff, all
your problems are gone.” Well, that’s not true. And she was never given any
help because people didn’t try to help her. Today everyone says, “I’m going to
my therapist at 4 o’clock.” You know, back then, first we were poor, we
couldn’t afford that, you know, and then her parents hid it. When Florence
finally told me and Diana about it, I mean, I couldn’t believe that that had
happened to her.
When we became famous I thought she had forgotten. She never did. So anytime
something bad would happen this would just hurt her even more. Pretty soon she
really started self-destructing and had to be put out of the group. So, that’s
kind of what happened to her. And, it’s also the time when we found out we
didn’t own the name The Supremes because after she was put out she couldn’t
use the name The Supremes.
At that point what were the relations in the group like?
Well, Florence was put out, and it was very hard on me. I’ll tell you why:
Because first of all, both my dear friends who had dared to dream were no
longer in the group. Diana was leaving, Florence had already been put out, so
I was the only one in the group. I was the only Supreme. I was in the group
with Diana Ross that last year, performing with her around the world, and that
was pretty sad because we brought in Cindy Birdsong. Then when the group
disbanded, that was really sad for me. Jean Terrell joined and we had the
farewell performance in Vegas, at the Frontier Hotel, and I had a new hope. I
was able to dare to dream again, because now I knew we could go on. Jean is a
tremendous singer. And so, we carried on. So, that performance was
bittersweet, let’s put it that way.
I remember talking to Paul McCartney about his group, because when Diana left
he and I talked some time in England. And he was asking me, “Why did Diana
leave?” And I’m like, “Well, she wanted to go on.” And pretty soon after that
his group disbanded. I think a lot of us in the’ 70s were going through that
period of not knowing what was going to happen. It was one of those periods
where the world was changing. Then disco started coming in, everything
changed. So, I was clinging on to what I loved doing. And I still love
performing and singing. So, I was clinging to that trying to save myself. I
couldn’t take over the group because I was not a lead singer at the time. I
had stopped growing in terms of that at the time. So, it was a scary period,
let’s say that.
You almost reunited with Diana Ross in 2000.
Well, yes. I mean, there was talk. Everyone has been saying that since the
’60s, you know, we should [reunite], ‘cause that’s what groups are doing these
days: They’re getting back together. So, yeah, that was going around and I
guess pretty soon someone talked Diana into doing it. It wasn’t up to me. It
was more up to Diana. She had more of the power than me. What happened was the
negotiations fell through when they came to me and they didn’t want to pay me
properly as being one of the founding members. And so they got some of the
other girls that I had used in the ’70s to be a part of that. But it wasn’t a
reunion.
Do you think that ended the chance of a reunion with Diana?
Well, let’s put it this way: It’s really up to Diana. I don’t think she wants
to do that. It doesn’t make sense unless you come together lovingly. Or at
least have an understanding. It can be an understanding, that’s fine. But I
don’t think she does want to. So therefore I’m going on with my life. I look
at it like this, especially with this pandemic: Who knows when the end may
come. And at 76 and a half years old I’m not going to sit around waiting for
something. As my mother used to say, don’t cry over spilled milk. I have too
much to live for now and be happy about.
A version of this story first appeared in the Jan. 13 issue of The Hollywood
Reporter magazine.” – Hollywoodreporter.com
