Mary Wilson "Body and Soul"

In a mood tonight. Here's Mary really doing what she did best. That tone...wow. I'm not the biggest Mary on lead fan when she was with the Supremes, but after leaving the group I think she really continued to come into her own as a vocalist. The post Supremes Mary had a voice that I really love. IMO she used it best on this type of material.

I prefer the first performance, which looks like it was quite some time ago, but the quality isn't the best. Mary sounds great backed by the orchestra and it looks like she received a standing ovation. The second performance was from 2019. It's a much better quality and she's with a band.

She really should have racked up a ton of jazz albums. We really missed out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf6oXwjbOaU


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3x0hCkMnMw

I agree on all counts. This was one of her more moving songs. I saw her do it live and was blown away by it.

I can only imagine if she had some lush strings behind her, or a full orchestra like Ella's version on "Ella Swings Gently with Nelson" or on the Sinatra TV special.

https://youtu.be/6YyX5R6ohBE?si=SGrBr3pi-4d3mhZD

A couple observations from a non-Mary fan:

I am sure it sounded better live. Here, it sounded dull.

Why do women of a certain age still wear sleeveless gowns that show fat and wobbly arms. It is unflattering. Diana is included.

Mary shamelessly copied Diana’s gown style with the back hem dragging on the floor.

The intentional boa dragging was poorly executed. It looked terribly rehearsed. A true diva does it so much better.

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Originally Posted by Circa 1824

A couple observations from a non-Mary fan:

I am sure it sounded better live. Here, it sounded dull.

Why do women of a certain age still wear sleeveless gowns that show fat and wobbly arms. It is unflattering. Diana is included.

Mary shamelessly copied Diana’s gown style with the back hem dragging on the floor.

The intentional boa dragging was poorly executed. It looked terribly rehearsed. A true diva does it so much better.

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Whoa..........hold on cause your coming off as a bit sexist and offensive imo. . Why do men of a certain age wear tight shirts that show wobbly bellies and excess body fat?

Mary Wilson was a great jazz and standards singer and should have focused more on that and played top supper clubs all over the world. The problem was IMO she always wanted to be a Supreme.

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Originally Posted by Roberta75

Whoa..........hold on cause your coming off as a bit sexist and offensive imo. . Why do men of a certain age wear tight shirts that show wobbly bellies and excess body fat?

Mary Wilson was a great jazz and standards singer and should have focused more on that and played top supper clubs all over the world. The problem was IMO she always wanted to be a Supreme.

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Very well said, Roberta!

As for Mary, her voice continued to improve with age, IMO.

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Originally Posted by Roberta75

Whoa..........hold on cause your coming off as a bit sexist and offensive imo. . Why do men of a certain age wear tight shirts that show wobbly bellies and excess body fat?

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https://media1.tenor.com/m/MuGfABbRB...part-point.gif

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Originally Posted by Circa 1824

Why do women of a certain age still wear sleeveless gowns that show fat and wobbly arms. It is unflattering. Diana is included.

Mary shamelessly copied Diana’s gown style with the back hem dragging on the floor.

The intentional boa dragging was poorly executed. It looked terribly rehearsed. A true diva does it so much better.

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You'll do anything to throw shade at Mary. Truly speaks to your character.

I didn't know Diana had invented and claimed copyright over the back hem of a gown dragging on the floor. How dare anyone who even thinks of wearing a sequin or a boa - only Miss Ross can do that.

Also why don't you post of yourself and we can criticize your imperfections.

That's the same mindset that if a woman wears something seductive then she's "asking for it".

Disgusting.

Did anyone else see Mary do this live? If so, thoughts?

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Originally Posted by Roberta75

Whoa..........hold on cause your coming off as a bit sexist and offensive imo. . Why do men of a certain age wear tight shirts that show wobbly bellies and excess body fat?

Mary Wilson was a great jazz and standards singer and should have focused more on that and played top supper clubs all over the world. The problem was IMO she always wanted to be a Supreme.

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From a fitness point of view, men fight their stomach fat and women fight butt fat and women fight the hanging arm fat a little bit more. For all of us, choosing clothing with a bit of care is wise. Aretha Franklin singing Rolling In The Deep in some blue sleeveless dress is a scary image.

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Originally Posted by Roberta75

Whoa..........hold on cause your coming off as a bit sexist and offensive imo. . Why do men of a certain age wear tight shirts that show wobbly bellies and excess body fat?

Mary Wilson was a great jazz and standards singer and should have focused more on that and played top supper clubs all over the world. The problem was IMO she always wanted to be a Supreme.

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I would very much agree with that. Performing this genre of song Mary was a class act.

Mary had to use her calling card for lucrative bookings so she had to use the Supremes. It's funny to me how Mary always get flack for using the Supremes when every last Supreme use it unless they are playing very small night clubs

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Originally Posted by rod_rick

Mary had to use her calling card for lucrative bookings so she had to use the Supremes. It's funny to me how Mary always get flack for using the Supremes when every last Supreme use it unless they are playing very small night clubs

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And usually from the same people who thought she should have called it a day in 1973, but criticize her for not letting Scherrie and Susaye keep the group going.

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Originally Posted by bradsupremes

And usually from the same people who thought she should have called it a day in 1973, but criticize her for not letting Scherrie and Susaye keep the group going.

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I think some people just like to stir up drama. Mary Wilson had every right to the name Supremes. She was there from start to finish. She kept on developing to become better and better until she passed. I was quite excited in 1973 when she began splitting leads with Scherrie and having Cindy rejoin. Once Mary decided to leave, I am glad that group did disband as much as I LOVE Scherrie and Susaye.
All of the former group members use the Supremes name, Lynda, Jean, Scherrie and Susaye were in the Former Ladies of the Supremes. Plus, even with Diana Ross I have seen her referred to as Ex-Supreme in the press. It is just that Mary managed to use the name of the Supremes for her career and finances. Mary beautifully sang jazz and standards and she finally did her Up Close shows to spotlight that. Even then she was Mary Wilson of the Supremes and I think she was quite proud of her achievements even though some "camps" wanted her to go away.

I wish the Supremes had remained together like the Temptations but if that was to be Mary would have had to remain

I wish Mary could have done what Otis did

I believe they could have had a renaissance similar to the one the Temptations had

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Originally Posted by jim aka jtigre99

I think some people just like to stir up drama.

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What?!?!? I can't believe you said that. Not here! Not people coming into these threads just to stir shit! Drama?????? Here?????? [LOL. Too funny Jim!].

Yeah, it's nice Ran started a little convo about the music only for it to get derailed into nonsense.

I reiterate my question... did anyone else see Mary perform this live? Maybe not if no one is answering...?

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Originally Posted by thanxal

I reiterate my question... did anyone else see Mary perform this live? Maybe not if no one is answering...?

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Yes, she performed it when I saw her in concert for the last time on Oct 24, 2019. She sang it beautifully. The second video in RanRan's post is from the night before, when she performed in Richmond Hill, ON, Canada, on Oct 23, 2019. These were sadly among her last shows, before covid shut the world down.

She kept Body and Soul in her setlist, on and off, over the years. She consistently performed it when she did her Up Close jazz shows, and occasionally performed it in her standard Supremes/rock show. She would usually switch it out with different ballads she was known to do...You Are So Beautiful, Fields of Gold, etc.

It was also recorded professionally on the live CD and DVD release of "Up Close: Live At the Plush Room", and the DVD release of "Live at the Sands".

At the mentioned show that I attended, she also did a beautiful performance of Nancy Wilson's "When October Goes". I remember thinking at the time that she should go into the studio sometime to record this song for a jazz album. I am grateful that this same Youtuber recorded her performance of this song the evening prior, in Richmond Hill. I remember she seemed tired compared to previous times I had seen her, as she had literally just come off of Dancing With The Stars and the mini-press tour, a day before she came over to Canada to do these two shows. However, she pushed through and delivered great performances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoeCcVW7G00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoeCcVW7G00

Thank you for sharing that, Carlo. I have seen that before on You Tube. Mary's voice was like a vocal caress on these types of songs. Her voice really anchored the Supremes to give the songs a beautiful warmth. I am sad to hear she was exhausted during this time. She kept going and going even when she probably should have rested. After and during Dancing with the Stars, she was rehearsing for the show, still doing her gigs and was on a number of talk shows and online promoting her book and the show.
Her voice is quite beautiful and I have always loved her tone. She was a consummate performer.

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Originally Posted by carlo

Yes, she performed it when I saw her in concert for the last time on Oct 24, 2019. She sang it beautifully. The second video in RanRan's post is from the night before, when she performed in Richmond Hill, ON, Canada, on Oct 23, 2019. These were sadly among her last shows, before covid shut the world down.

She kept Body and Soul in her setlist, on and off, over the years. She consistently performed it when she did her Up Close jazz shows, and occasionally performed it in her standard Supremes/rock show. She would usually switch it out with different ballads she was known to do...You Are So Beautiful, Fields of Gold, etc.

It was also recorded professionally on the live CD and DVD release of "Up Close: Live At the Plush Room", and the DVD release of "Live at the Sands".

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Thanks for that memory.

I saw her several years earlier than that and it's nice to hear it was still a staple in her shows up to the pandemic. I left her concert thinking the exact same thing... she should do a jazz album. She signed my copy of the Touch CD [[the one from the 90s) and I told her as much. That was right when she thought something else was in the works and told me to look for some new stuff coming out. She was warm and funny and it's one of the few times I met a star I didn't feel rushed or just another fan. I miss her.

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Originally Posted by carlo

At the mentioned show that I attended, she also did a beautiful performance of Nancy Wilson's "When October Goes". I remember thinking at the time that she should go into the studio sometime to record this song for a jazz album. I am grateful that this same Youtuber recorded her performance of this song the evening prior, in Richmond Hill. I remember she seemed tired compared to previous times I had seen her, as she had literally just come off of Dancing With The Stars and the mini-press tour, a day before she came over to Canada to do these two shows. However, she pushed through and delivered great performances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoeCcVW7G00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoeCcVW7G00

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This is a stunning rendition of the song Carlo, filled with pathos and longing. As with Gladys Knight, Mary’s voice really stood the test of time.

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Originally Posted by thanxal

I agree on all counts. This was one of her more moving songs. I saw her do it live and was blown away by it.

I can only imagine if she had some lush strings behind her, or a full orchestra like Ella's version on "Ella Swings Gently with Nelson" or on the Sinatra TV special.

https://youtu.be/6YyX5R6ohBE?si=SGrBr3pi-4d3mhZD

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Al, Ella is one of those singers on my list that I need to dive into some more. She had such a wonderful voice. I have very little of her in my collection.

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Originally Posted by carlo

At the mentioned show that I attended, she also did a beautiful performance of Nancy Wilson's "When October Goes". I remember thinking at the time that she should go into the studio sometime to record this song for a jazz album. I am grateful that this same Youtuber recorded her performance of this song the evening prior, in Richmond Hill. I remember she seemed tired compared to previous times I had seen her, as she had literally just come off of Dancing With The Stars and the mini-press tour, a day before she came over to Canada to do these two shows. However, she pushed through and delivered great performances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoeCcVW7G00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoeCcVW7G00

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Beautiful Carlo! No doubt in my mind, Mary recording this type of music would have really changed the musical discussions regarding her success and her talent.

It's kind of interesting to me that the older they got, the more jazz and standards really were where Mary and Diana seemed to really shine, yet neither would cash in on it often.

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Originally Posted by RanRan79

Al, Ella is one of those singers on my list that I need to dive into some more. She had such a wonderful voice. I have very little of her in my collection.

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Ran, I have some recommendations for you! She was my first real music obsession. Her voice is unmatched.

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Originally Posted by thanxal

Ran, I have some recommendations for you! She was my first real music obsession. Her voice is unmatched.

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The only problem i have with Ella is that everything sounds so beautifully smooth and polished. I never thought she conveyed heartache, sadness or regret as convincingly as a Sarah Vaughn or Billie Holiday. When Billie or indeed even Diana sang “God Bless The Child” you believe every word they are singing.

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Originally Posted by thanxal

Ran, I have some recommendations for you! She was my first real music obsession. Her voice is unmatched.

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I'll gladly accept the recommendations!

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Originally Posted by RanRan79

I'll gladly accept the recommendations!

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I’ll PM you. Even I can’t swing that tangent! [ Edit: although Ella could! Har har]

Does anyone know the track listing for the intended Clarity album?. Assuming there was one of course.

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Originally Posted by thanxal

What?!?!? I can't believe you said that. Not here! Not people coming into these threads just to stir shit! Drama?????? Here?????? [LOL. Too funny Jim!].

Yeah, it's nice Ran started a little convo about the music only for it to get derailed into nonsense.

I reiterate my question... did anyone else see Mary perform this live? Maybe not if no one is answering...?

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Yes I have 2 or 3 times and each performance was flawless. Mary was a good singer better than most give her credit for. Parnell told me the the real problem with Mary is she played it safe vocally most of the time during performances but in rehearsals she would cut loose vocally.