Mary Wilson Of The Supremes Appears On News On 6 At Noon

[marv2]

http://www.newson6.com/story/3222828...s-on-6-at-noon

[marv2]

Mary Wilson brings The Supremes to the Woody Guthrie Center


http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/musi...6cca46a71.html

[marv2]

Mary Wilson pointed to the photo behind the ornate and sparkling, handmade gown on display at the Woody Guthrie Center, noting that the dresses were the same.

“As you can see, this is the Queen Mother from England,” said Wilson, an original member of The Supremes. “In that particular show it was a command performance show where the Queen Mother, Prince Charles, Princess Margaret and Princess Anne were all there.”

The photo shows Wilson with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard meeting Queen Elizabeth, all three of The Supremes wearing the gown on display. It’s one of seven different gowns on display now at the Woody Guthrie Center as it hosts “Legends of Motown: Celebrating The Supremes.”

Wilson was in Tulsa Wednesday to mark the opening of the exhibit, on display through September.

The exhibit charts the group’s struggling beginning and its meteoric rise and fame. But the focus is on the gowns, showing different points in The Supremes career and when they made different television appearances. That includes the three gowns The Supremes wore on one of their many appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

The Supremes remain one of the most successful female vocal groups of all time. During the 1960s, the group had 12 No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, rivaling the popularity of The Beatles.

The exhibit follows that journey with memorabilia, posters, videos and music from the time when Motown Records was one of the biggest forces in American music.

While it took some time to get there for The Supremes, it was a goal that Wilson had set at a young age, from the first time she performed in front of her school in Detroit when she was 12. She did a pantomime to the song “I’m Not a Juvenile Delinquent” from Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers, and the crowd went wild.

“I started just miming to this record. It was amazing,” Wilson said. “I felt so great and the crowd was going crazy. They were saying, ‘Go Mary! Go Mary!’ It just felt so doggone natural.”

She got the bug to perform. And soon after her performance, another piece fell into place when Ballard took the stage to sing “Ave Maria.” They immediately clicked and became friends, learning they both lived in Detroit’s Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects. Ross also was their neighbor there.

“She said, ‘You had everybody in the gymnasium just going and dancing!’ and I’m like, ‘Your voice is so big and so beautiful,’” Wilson said. “We just became friends.”

They were still teenagers when they formed The Primettes and when they decided to make it a career after performing with professionals regularly. They needed to take the next step, securing a record deal.

“We auditioned at Motown Records and got a record deal. We were turned down the first time, but we stuck around,” Wilson said.

They signed with Motown Records in 1961, but it would take three years before they had their first hit, “Where Did Our Love Go.” Suddenly, they were stars.

And that was a bigger impact on culture than just music. They rose to fame in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement, something they were very aware of, especially when they traveled internationally.

“There were things you’re not prepared for,” Wilson said. “You are not prepared to travel the world and be looked up to as goddesses or princesses whereas in the United States, we were barely citizens. We were black, so it was a lot to comprehend and adjust to and be accepted as human beings, as beautiful women, successful women. It was a big adjustment for us.”

But things changed in the United States. The impact of seeing The Supremes on television regularly, hearing their music dominate the radio, made their faces and names familiar to households across the country.

“America changed and it was really good,” Wilson said. “I remember Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg, they were saying when they first started seeing us on TV, it was so odd to see three black, beautiful women on TV dressed like this. It not only helped us, but it helped Americans see that they had been like this [[Wilson covered her eyes) and been afraid to see.”

Deana McCloud, executive director of the Woody Guthrie Center, said hosting The Supremes exhibit fits into the mission considering the group’s significant cultural impact.

“The Supremes set the standard as strong black female performers during the height of the Civil Rights Movement with their amazing harmonies and glamour,” McCloud said. “It’s an honor to host this exhibit in Tulsa as we share the power that music has to change the world.”

The Supremes disbanded in 1977 when Wilson, the last remaining original member, left the group. But Wilson had been collecting items and memorabilia, including dozens of the gowns worn by the group over the years. Wilson was recently asked to contribute to an exhibit, which led her to start working to present the gowns for fans to see.

Wilson said she has heard from fans that seeing these gowns takes them back in time. They remind people of that special song or a particular moment. Bringing that to fans is a meaningful experience.

“Life is one of those things where it’s all about the experiences and the emotions that you get from the experience,” Wilson said. “Hopefully it’s happy.”

Jerry Wofford 918-581-8346

jerry.wofford@tulsaworld.com

[detmotownguy]

Thanks Marv! Mary seems so relaxed and comfortable. A popular lady and looking good!

[marv2]

Thanks Marv! Mary seems so relaxed and comfortable. A popular lady and looking good!

You're most welcome DET! She's a pro!

[marybrewster]

“As you can see, this is the Queen Mother from England,” said Wilson, an original member of The Supremes. “In that particular show it was a command performance show where the Queen Mother, Prince Charles, Princess Margaret and Princess Anne were all there.”

The photo shows Wilson with Diana Ross and FLORENCE BALLARD meeting Queen Elizabeth, all three of The Supremes wearing the gown on display. It’s one of seven different gowns on display now at the Woody Guthrie Center as it hosts “Legends of Motown: Celebrating The Supremes.”