Mary Wilson of the Supremes (and more)
Everyone knows the Supremes – three young women from Detroit who became one of the most successful groups of all time - with 12 number one hits and 21 top 10 hits. And Mary Wilson is the one Supreme who stuck through it all…through the tragic death of her friend Florence Ballard, the departure of Diana Ross for a solo career, and the "new Supremes" of the '70s.
Today we discuss her early life, her life as a Supreme and her life since. You'll hear about...
- Her experiences growing up in Detroit and how she met her fellow Supremes.
- How The Supremes "hung around" Motown Records on a daily basis until they got their chance.
- The forgotten "Fourth Supremes" -- Betty and Barbara.
- How their initial singles flopped until Motown hooked them up with the writing/producing team of Holland-Dozier-Holland.
- Her relationship with Diana Ross.
- What happened to The Supremes in the '70s after Diana left.
- What happened to Florence Ballard that led to her problems.
- Why Mary never quit music.
- How Mary moved beyond music alone to become a best-selling author.
- Her aspirations for the future.
Finally, we talk about Mary's mission to put Florence Ballard on a commemorative stamp. To help her, check out this web page for instructions: https://about.usps.com/who/csac/#process