Had Mary Wells stayed..

[luke]

Just wondering what people think. Would BG and Motown have stayed focused on her to the detriment of the Supremes...?

[midnightman]

It's difficult to say, luke... I often go back and forth on that. I would imagine she and the Supremes would've ultimately been rivals for the top spot.

Also I imagine many of the songs Smokey gave to the Marvelettes like Don't Mess with Bill and The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game would've went to Mary.

[Bluebrock]

Impossible to say but it is great fun to speculate! I tend to agree with midnightman when he says the Marvelettes would probably have lost out and possibly Martha and the Vandellas.
I reckon the Supremes would have suffered the least for pretty obvious reasons.

[BigAl]

I agree. Smokey did so well with Mary that she might have remained at the top of the heap as a solo, with The Supremes at the top as a group. I imagine he'd have continued with her and thus possibly wouldn't have shifted his efforts to Wanda, even though she was married to Bobby. It's possible, then, that Mary's departure benefited both The Supremes and The Marvelettes.

[Jimi LaLumia]

no doubt, she would have remained the Queen Of Motown and gotten many of those H/D/H hits, the whole world of Motown would be different

[Ngroove]

I dunno, but one thing for sure if she, Mary Wells, stayed, it would have been a long, long, while between "hits", "Every Little Bit Hurts" to "You've Made Me So Very Happy", for Brenda Holloway.

But If she still could have scored another but different hit or two anyways, with the absence of "When I'm Gone" and "I'll Be Available" which was originally Mary's anyways, that'd still be great, BUT, she'd be extremely lucky if so - she being a C-Lister of promoting priority.

[Jimi LaLumia]

she left while on top with "My Guy"..Gordy would have brought "Where Did our Love Go" to her, no doubt..

[motony]

Ngroove, sorry your theory, was proven wrong in 1964 as Motown already had Marys next 2 releases set "When I'm Gone" & "Whisper you Love Me, Boy" both had catalogue numbers and would have been HUGE hits. Marys last gig that Motown got her was on the Steve Allen Show...you can bet her next TV gig would have been the Ed Sullivan Show. Everything Motown did for the Supremes they already had in motion for Mary Wells. When announced in Billboard Magazine that Mary was leaving Motown , Motown took out an add announcing from Barney Ales, that the next number one record would be by the Supremes.....thus the big push on "Where Did Our Love Go" that had already been released. The Supremes would have hit but not like they did. History would be very different if Mary Wells had stayed at Motown.Notice they NEVER promoted a solo female singer again until they pulled Diana out of the Supremes.

[Jimi LaLumia]

and then SHE left Motown..lol.. shades of Mary Wells!!

[luke]

I think you are right motony. And who is to say she wouldn't have worked with HDH again. I can sure hear her singing Come See about Me. Berry well may have put the best on her to keep her momentum going.

[arr&bee]

I agree that had mary stayed the supremes would've suffered,but i think that smokey would've still written for the marvelettes,but he would've given[that's how heartaches are made] to mary and she would've nailed it.

[robb_k]

Just wondering what people think. Would BG and Motown have stayed focused on her to the detriment of the Supremes...?
10896
I certainly would have hoped so!

[TheMotownManiac]

I don't think there would be any conflict at all between DR&TS and Mary wells both at Motown. Motown was selling albums on Mary and that would have guaranteed their continued interest in her. Two weeks out, Where Did our Love Go was the fastest selling single in Motown history and the girls were rushed home to get follow ups going. Those two singles would have cemented them into the #1 status at Motown just like it happened. Had Mary stayed, she still would have had hits on when I'm Gone and Whisper - although neither the size of My Guy.
Mary was no "threat" to The Supremes and vice versa. Mary wouldn't have gone to The Copa - she didn't have that kind of appeal, style, crossover potential and work ethic. She would have continued to have hit pop singles and growing album sales and been a star somewhere between Martha & Diana. There was room for all three.

Who would have suffered is The Marvelettes - who I believe would have lost their great Wanda stuff to Mary. also, The Temptations because after My Guy and when I'm Gone - Berry would have had Smokey on her 24/7 and it might have cut into his work on them. As great as Smokey is, there is only so much to go around and the most attention went to who was hot. HDH slowed on Martha because they made much more money on The Tops & Supremes. You notice they didn't cut Whisper You Love Me on Martha or The Marvelettes - Mary sold more singles and ten times as many albums. Once they struck gold on DR&TS and The Tops - it made sense to focus on them.

Did Motown ever push another female? Ever hear of Gladys Knight? She came off the chitlin circuit, 5 years after her last hit and immediately was hooked up with Norman Whitfeld, cholly, Johnny, Gil and Harvey. They were Mrs. Powelled, had a fresh, polished act written for them and were rehearsed to a T. In two years they were prime time staples leaving, Martha, the Marvelettes, Marvin and soon, The Tops in their dust. Motown did that for them. Gladys still crabs about Ross getting treated better, but, Ross had earned it and Gladys got more than Martha, Wanda, Brenda, Kim and the others put together, she just never mentions it.

[TheMotownManiac]

Where Did our Love Go was already cut and prepped for release on The Supremes when Mary left.
she left while on top with "My Guy"..Gordy would have brought "Where Did our Love Go" to her, no doubt..

[TheMotownManiac]

Just wondering what people think. Would BG and Motown have stayed focused on her to the detriment of the Supremes...?
It would not have been a detriment to The Supremes. Both great acts, but apples and oranges.

[Ollie9]

When Mary Wells left the company in 64, Gordy would have been wise to replace Mary Wilson with Marlene Barrow of the Adantes and then launched Mary Wilson as a solo. Their voices were so similar that she could have recorded all the songs that had been intended for Wells, with" When I'm Gone" being her debut single, closely followed by "Whisper You Love Me Boy"....... All taken from her debut album "Meet Mary". Easy.

[BayouMotownMan]

There would have been a tug of war between Wells and the Supremes and I feel certain the Supremes would have won because of Diana. In her Berry saw Hollywood; a consummate stage persona, workhorse in the studio and a gifted actress.

Wells would have maintained far more popularity had she stayed with Motown. The duets of Marvin Gaye with Kim Weston and Tammi Terrell likely would have gone to her.

One of the reasons she left Motown was because she could see that Gordy was about to give a big push to the Supremes and she resented it as well as her pay. She was right on some levels, wrong on many others. She should have stayed.

BTW, Eddie Holland has said WDOLG was written for Mary Wells. It is not known if it was ever presented to her because by the time the company cut the session Wells had long stopped coming around and was in fact, boycotting Motown. The Marvelettes were then presented the song and they said no. The Supremes were third choice.

[motony]

Although it may have been written for her, Mary told me she never heard it until she heard it by the Supremes on the radio. Mary had no idea or any thoughts about Motown pushing the Supremes. She made statements after she left about the company using money she felt she earned to push other acts. From Mrs. Edwards to Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore and others I talked to & from trade ads...Motown did not put a major push behind the Supremes until they knew for a fact that Mary was no longer a Motown artist.Mary liked the Supremes and all the other Motown artists and still said so to the press in '64/'65.She never acted bitter about the others success.

[arr&bee]

Smokey would have given[don't mess with bill]to mary wells, i believe had she stayed i can't hear her singing-wdolg.

[milven]

Smokey would have given[don't mess with bill]to mary wells, i believe had she stayed i can't hear her singing-wdolg.

I guess this mash-up will be the closest that we will ever get to hearing Mary Wells sing WDOG

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU0oB2e3QbA

[TheMotownManiac]

I don't know what your sources are, but the fact is that Mary cut when I'm Gone two days before leaving Motown and was there for other sessions prior to that. That is why Berry was so surprised at her defection: there were no warning signs at all.

It would have been stupid for Mary to predict a big push on The Supremes as there had not been one yet, and she had no reason to think there would be. where Did our Love Go wasn't finished until just before Mary left so what would her reason have been to think that? Also, why would she resent a big push on The Supremes? She had major pushes, as did The Marvelettes, Martha, Stevie and Marvin. was she resentful of those big pushes as well, or only her predicyed Supremes push - and if so, why just them?
Remember that Mary was unhappy with royalty payments and was looking at other possibilities for months and was sniffing around for a deal before WDOLG was even recorded.

Yes, it was a mistake of epic proportion but she wasn't too bright. The money WAS big, but the movie star thing? No acting experience, no black movie stars except Poitier, and she was going to conquer Hollywood? Mary left with two records in the top 20 and was becoming Motown's first female act to sell albums and didn't see the importance to her label and herself. Not too many black pop stars had top 50 albums in 1964, Mary had 2 and a third was ready to release.

Thank you for mentioning Eddie Holland's comment on writing WDOLG for Mary - it has always sounded like it was intended for her.


There would have been a tug of war between Wells and the Supremes and I feel certain the Supremes would have won because of Diana. In her Berry saw Hollywood; a consummate stage persona, workhorse in the studio and a gifted actress.

Wells would have maintained far more popularity had she stayed with Motown. The duets of Marvin Gaye with Kim Weston and Tammi Terrell likely would have gone to her.

One of the reasons she left Motown was because she could see that Gordy was about to give a big push to the Supremes and she resented it as well as her pay. She was right on some levels, wrong on many others. She should have stayed.

BTW, Eddie Holland has said WDOLG was written for Mary Wells. It is not known if it was ever presented to her because by the time the company cut the session Wells had long stopped coming around and was in fact, boycotting Motown. The Marvelettes were then presented the song and they said no. The Supremes were third choice.

[sup_fan]

i think Mary would certainly have maintained more of her popularity however NOTHING was going to outshine Diana. she was a consummate performer and entertainer, was more versatile in the studio and had a passion and drive unlike anyone else at the company.

i love Martha, the Marvelettes, Mary Wells and the others. however if you want their TV spots they're often quite stiff and their faces are blank. that's something you can never say about Diana. she just comes alive

berry knew this and that's why the Sups kept working and working for years with 0 track record of merit. he knew that Diana had "it" and no one else at motown quite had that. yes there were better vocalists and some dynamic performers. but none quite like her. so he kept trying and trying and trying. pushing the productions teams to try and find something that would work on them.

[Jimi LaLumia]

that's why it was in that lower, husky key..Wells material and Gladys Horton as well[[s)