2 x Mary

[Ollie9]

Have just joined so a quick hi to everyone on this forum...it's really great.
Having been listening to a lot of Mary Wells recently it struck me how similar her voice is to Mary Wilson. I have always found Mary Wilson's voice to be more commercial sounding than Florence, but that is just my opinion. On early Supremes songs such as "Eight Days A Week" and "It Makes No Difference Now" when given the chance to shine Mary has IMO sounded the best Supreme with her own unique voice. I honestly feel that with songs being written to suit her voice in the vein of Mary Wells and with individual coaching and training she could have made it as a solo star of the sixties, regardless of the Supremes. In reality... not as huge as the D girl but a star nonetheless with her own unique sound and style. It's great that she has at last found a musical style that really suits her voice singing more jazz oriented songs....something i think we knew a long time ago.

[Zantellor]

Mary Wilson does and did have a great voice. Yes;Diana Ross: voice may have been more commerical,but Mary's voice is commercial too. Mary could have sang anything Mary Wells sang and made a hit out of it.I wonder if Mary sang lead on Your Heart Belongs To Me would it have been a bigger hit .Mary's voice may have pushed that song to near the top of the charts. The individual talent within The Supremes was so pleantiful ,it is amazing..Any of the member scould have been successful as a solo.

[jim aka jtigre99]

I have to agree that Mary Wilson has a distinctive, commercial voice as well. I also thought her voice reminded me somewhat of Mary Wells in sound and style. I think Motown may have had trouble as the names were too similar and since the sound was somewhat similar, it may have caused confusion with the general public. I also agree that Wilson had a more commercial sounding voice than Ballard's. In retrospect, maybe Motown should have allowed more leads from both of them. It would have made them happier and made the public more aware of their lead voices when Ross left. I don't know why I see so many rude Supremes threads-they all [[from Florence Ballard to Susaye Greene) have distinct voices and amazing talent. I think all of them had potential to become more successful solo singers at Motown. I celebrate all of their amazing talent!

[marv2]

Very early on, Mary Wilson's voice reminded me of Shirley of the Shirelles.

[marv2]

Check this out. Mary in "Beehive"


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9Ij6MTdNDA

[Methuselah2]

An interesting article on the gowns that won't STOP! [[luckily):

http://m.phillyburbs.com/entertainment/local_entertainment/supreme-glamour/article_722e0ede-7708-5384-9f8c-9f5486b58a84.html?mode=jqm

[Ollie9]

Very early on, Mary Wilson's voice reminded me of Shirley of the Shirelles.

This Live performance from Beehive is just amazing. Her voice really is soft and velvety, just like melted chocolate. When does this date from?. For Mary, song choice was critical. With the wrong type of music i think she struggles a little ie Baby Love etc.....so not her. I remember when her first solo album came out with it's wonderful photo of Mary swathed in fur and thinking No No No. Allowing for the time period it came out in it should have included way more ballads. I remember seeing her at the London Palladium in 78 and she was just fantastic, looking very comfortable being out front. The only part of the show i did not need were Supreme songs, her voice being way to smoky and sophisticated sounding for that genre of song. I am just confused when i constantly hear about how wonderful Florence was and Mary, well she was just a background singer. So NOT true. It is about time a compilation cd of Mary was released to commemorate her 50+ years in the biz. Does anyone have any news on Mary's new cd [[LOL), it surely must be released soon, perhaps to tie in with Motown The Musical.

[luke]

For years I did not know Mary and Scherrie shared the lead on Youre Whats Missing. I thought it was all Scherrie!

[Ollie9]

Well i am utterly astounded. Alway's assumed it was just Scherrie on lead, really did not know that the leads were shared on that one. It does not really sound alot like Mary as her voice sounds so similar to Scherrie here. Just goes to show you learn something everyday i guess. It's a great shame that the Supremes did not reform in 82, even if just for a few years. Would love to have had more recordings from Mary.

[smark21]

You should get ahold of the Let Yourself Go boxset which contains the 3 Scherrie era albums and some previously vaulted material. The set includes versions of You’re what’s Missing in My Live with a lead by Mary and a lead by Scherrie. I think Mary’s lead on “Missing” is her best lead vocal on a non ballad she ever did.

[Ollie9]

Now that i know this is a duet i have to agree, it probably is her best non ballad lead. I have started to listen to her first solo album again, and although it does sound a little dated it's not as bad as i use to think, but not nearly as good as Walk The Line. Considering she has such a unique voice she should have made so many more albums. I dont think record companys considered her voice commercial enough at the time. It is interesting to consider what would have happened had Mary approached a jazz label such as Blue Note. I am so happy this lovely lady has finally found her niche.

[marv2]

Well i am utterly astounded. Alway's assumed it was just Scherrie on lead, really did not know that the leads were shared on that one. It does not really sound alot like Mary as her voice sounds so similar to Scherrie here. Just goes to show you learn something everyday i guess. It's a great shame that the Supremes did not reform in 82, even if just for a few years. Would love to have had more recordings from Mary.

The trade off between Mary and Scherrie was seamless. Check this out:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfLoNrJ5Z6s

[Ollie9]

What a great performance from all the girls. I think at this stage Mary was at last beginning to beleive in her own talent. One point i have to make is how good Mary sounds today. Her voice has matured, but in doing so sounds darker and even stronger. This makes it so well suited to her current song repertoire when performing. The decline in most female singers of her generation is clearly evident, as is to be expected yet with Mary not so. Just wish they would release this [[new) cd while we are all still breathing......

[marv2]

What a great performance from all the girls. I think at this stage Mary was at last beginning to beleive in her own talent. One point i have to make is how good Mary sounds today. Her voice has matured, but in doing so sounds darker and even stronger. This makes it so well suited to her current song repertoire when performing. The decline in most female singers of her generation is clearly evident, as is to be expected yet with Mary not so. Just wish they would release this [[new) cd while we are all still breathing......

I thought back in the early 90's that Mary had reached her vocal peak, that her voice could not get any stronger than we she sang "One Night With You" in concert at Wayne State University back in 1991. I was amazed at how powerful her vocals had become only to be even more pleasantly surprised at how well she uses her voice today.

[Ollie9]

People always talk about Diana being such a huge inspiration but from my point of view what bigger inspiration could there be other than how Mary has hung on and survived in an incredibly fickle and tough buisness where logevity is a rare thing. The thing i love about Mary is her sense of humour. I thought the 2012 interview with Tavis Smiley brilliant. I love the way she does not take herself to seriously, even laughing at some of the nasty posts people have left about her. I also found quite endearing her answer about how she felt about being pushed to the background when she said i always imagined the spotlight was on me to. I do agree, vocal wise Mary probably did reach a peak in the early nineties but because she has turned more to jazz, her darker vocals are well complemented and she sounds better than ever. I do think that she performs the obligatory Supremes segment in her concerts with more ease now, although i myself do not need it. Does anyone have any news about the release or non release of Clarity????