Mary Wilson and John Lee Hooker

[Spreadinglove21]

Earlier this week I was in Clarksdale Mississippi and I visited the Delta Blues Museum. Well worth the visit, by the way. There's an exhibit on John Lee Hooker and there was mention he recorded with Mary Wilson of the Supremes. This is the first I've heard of it. Does anyone here have any information about this?

[RanRan79]

All of the Supremes moonlighted on other projects during the early days, as a group and, I imagine, as individuals. Mary, along with others, I believe the Andantes, sang backup on a John Lee Hooker song, according to Mary, sometime around 1962.

[reese]

In her first book, Mary wrote that Joe Hunter took her aside and told her that he could give her $100 to come to Chicago and do a session along with him and the Andantes. Mary wrote that she sang backup on John Lee's BOOM BOOM BOOM. But a writer later theorized that it was actually SHE SHOT ME DOWN, which has the words "boom, boom, boom, boom" in it.

Mary also wrote that she sang backup for Jerry Butler's A TEENIE WEENIE BIT OF YOUR LOVE.

[Spreadinglove21]

Thanks for the info Reese and RanRan.

Too bad they didn't record a couple of songs after Mary left the Supremes. Would have been interesting hearing Mary sing on a more bluesy recording.

[RanRan79]

Thanks for the info Reese and RanRan.

Too bad they didn't record a couple of songs after Mary left the Supremes. Would have been interesting hearing Mary sing on a more bluesy recording.

Absolutely. I just watched an interview with Mary about a week ago- can't recall if it was in this forum or randomly on YT- and in it she was singing a snippet of something [[it wasn't her impression of Flo's "Ave Maria" thankfully) and I thought, good grief can that lady sing. I mean her tone was just incredible and she wasn't even trying hard. It was just a brief little something, I think she was describing a song. Wish I could remember. But yes, I think Mary could have really made a name for herself in jazz and blues.