Mary Wilson coming to Detroit

[stingbeelee]

Nice article by Susan Whitall in the Detroit News about Mary Wilson coming to Detroit:

Ex-Supreme Mary Wilson makes rare appearance at the Sound Board

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...#ixzz20wwoX4zh

When she was a teenager at Detroit's Northeastern High School in the late '50s, Mary Wilson would dream about her future life. One thing she knew she wanted to do was travel the world.

And so it was: in the 40-plus years since Motown propelled her and the Supremes to fame, Wilson's designer luggage has rarely been unpacked.

"Be careful what you wish for!" the singer said, laughing. She was speaking by phone from Los Angeles, where she flew in from her home in Las Vegas to conduct some business. Her next flight will be home to Detroit, where she'll perform Thursday at the MotorCity Casino's Sound Board.

It's a rare hometown show for Wilson, who is just back from South Africa where she performed her one-woman Lena Horne show. She embarks later this summer on a European jaunt with former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman and his band.

"Traveling is hard today because of security, but we have to have it," Wilson said. "Now my carry-on is heavier than my suitcase, because I have to put my jewelry for the show in, and my laptop. It's a lot of travel between the singing and other things, but I enjoy being in different places."

Among the "other things" she does is travel on behalf of the Humpty Dumpty Institute, a humanitarian organization. "We explode unexploded bombs, some dating back to the Vietnam War," Wilson said.

She hopes to bring her Lena Horne show to Detroit soon, but in the meantime, she'll perform her "rock and roll, Supremes" show to the Sound Board.

"I haven't played Detroit in a while, especially the casino, so this is all very new to me," Wilson said. "I hope that a lot of my friends from Northeastern and Bishop Elementary and [[the) Brewster [[projects) will come down and see me. It'll be fun to see people. One of my oldest friends, Jackie Burke, still lives there."

Album to get U.S. release

Wilson famously lived in the Brewster Projects for a time; it's where she met Florence Ballard and then Diana [[then Diane) Ross, and formed the Primettes, a sister group to the Primes [[a group that involved some of the future Temptations), but her early years weren't spent there.

"I grew up in southwest Detroit, by Fort and Outer Drive," Wilson said.

She is happy that her single and album, "Life's Been Good to Me," are set to be released in the U.S. soon. The single is a nice change of pace from her usual blues or classic Supremes sound, a smooth, modern production that would fit in well in any contemporary R&B format. The lyrics are autobiographical. "I guess you could say this project girl got lucky," she sings that familiar, lilting alto in "Life's Been Good to Me."

The single, and album [[titled "Clarity") were released last year in England.

The recording has been a long time in the works. Wilson started working on it five years ago with producer Richard Davis, an associate of her old Motown producers Brian and Eddie Holland.

Angelo Bond, another Holland brothers associate dating back to their days running Invictus Records, and writer Paul Hill were also part of the team.

"I'm very proud of it; it's all original music," Wilson said.

Asked about her former boss Berry Gordy's announced Broadway production "Motown the Musical" [[see sidebar), Wilson is diplomatic.

"He's been working on that for a long time, and that it's coming to fruition is good."

Did she have any ideas about who could play the young Mary Wilson?

"Oh jeez, I don't really know," she said. "It depends on how they're going to do it. They might just get generic characters and have an ensemble cast, because it would be quite hard to cast everyone as individuals."

Gorgeous gowns

Wilson has an impressive collection of Supremes gowns, the show-stopping dresses that she, Ross and Ballard wore on the Ed Sullivan show and their many other appearances. The gowns have been on display at the Detroit Historical Museum and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"I just signed a contract in Philadelphia for the African-American Museum," Wilson said. "They will have the exhibit for six months. I'm putting together a concert there as well, so I'm looking forward to that.

"We had some gorgeous gowns," she said. "The sad part is I don't have the earlier gowns worn by Florence, myself and Diane that were our signature look, before we became really huge. Those were all, I don't want to say misplaced, but no one knows where they are. We had them stored at Motown, but they disappeared. I'm still looking for those, so if anyone knows where they are now …"

Wilson has seen some Supremes gowns on display at the Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas, too. "They said they obtained them through a legitimate source, but if I don't know how they got there, then …"

Fans have helped, tipping her off to Supremes dresses that pop up on eBay, and she has bought several that way.

In August, Wilson is off to tour Europe with Wyman, former bassist with the Stones, who has a blues revue he takes around Europe — but not the U.S.

"He doesn't fly," Wilson explained. "He does the bus thing. I did it last year all over England. We'll be doing Germany, Italy, Sweden — for three months. I'll be their guest star… [[Bill) has an affinity with me."

As for the MotorCity Casino, one special guest with a front-row seat will be Mrs. Maxine Powell, Motown's famed etiquette and comportment teacher who helped launch the label's Artist Development department.

Powell has always said the Supremes were her best students, absorbing her lessons on how to conduct themselves gracefully in all situations.

"Martha Reeves has taken great care of Mrs. Powell," Wilson said. "We're the ones who try to stay close."

Wilson's single

Listen to Mary Wilson's new single "Life's Been Good To Me" here:

http://www.jango.com/music/Mary+Wils...e+Supremes?l=0

Mary Wilson

8 p.m. Thursday

Motor City Casino's Sound Board, 2901 Grand River, Detroit

Tickets: $25. Available at Ticketmaster.com. Call [[800) 745-3000

swhitall@detnews.com

twitter.com/swhitall

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...#ixzz20wxRVCiT

[theboyfromxtown]

Sorry to disappoint but the album "Clarity" is NOT released in the UK. I only wish it was.

[1382hitsville]

Nice article! During her tour in August, will she be coming to the Netherlands?

[carlo]

I will be in Detroit at the show. Looking forward to meeting a lot of familiar names and faces.

[Penny]

I will be in Detroit at the show. Looking forward to meeting a lot of familiar names and faces.

Carlo, I look forward to a full review of this show from you and Marv2.

Penny

[marv2]

Yes there is a lot of buzz, buzz that Original Supreme Barbara Martin, among others, will be at Mary's show.

[marv2]

Carlo, I look forward to a full review of this show from you and Marv2.

Penny

Unfortunately I cannot be there, but I will have friends and family there and I will try to share whatever I can. Thanks.

[Bokiluis]

I don't quite understand why Mary has had challenges getting her current single released. As long as you pay the annual storage fee, getting music onto the digital dispensary sites, like iTunes, Amazon Mp3 store, Spotify,etc., there are independent companies that can get it live on those sites. It doesn't offer any kind of positioning or advertising, it is up to the artists to drive fans to the sites and to promote their release. It is a rather nominal charge too. Last I checked it was around $25 annually.

[carlo]

The single is now on Amazon and iTunes for download. U.S. only.

[smark21]

Thanks for the heads up on Life’s Been Good to Me now available on US Itunes and Amazon. Someone needs to let Mary know that she should post this on her Facebook feed to alert her fans and followers.

As for her show tomorrow night—I heard that two of her background singers from the Sands DVD—Parnell and Carl—will be singing behind her at the show. Is this confirmed? Look forward to reading the reports and hopefully some footage will be uploaded to youtube.

[milven]

Here is a link to a TV Interview with Mary in Detroit promoting this.

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/19...f-the-supremes


Fox 2 welcomes legendary Motown artist Mary Wilson of the Supremes
Updated: Jul 18, 2012 7:52 AM EDT
By Jeff Kranitz
Detroit will welcome back one of it's most beloved ambassadors of music, when Mary Wilson of the Supremes performs at Sound Board Thursday night.

Everyone at Fox 2 was especially excited Wednesday morning, when Wilson arrived for a live in-studio interview. Click on the video player to watch the interview.

She's an R&B, pop, disco, dance-pop singer and founding member of the Motown singing group The Supremes. She was the only artist to be a consistent member of the group in its 18-year existence [[1959-1977). During its lifespan, the group scored 33 Top 40 Hits, including 12 national #1's on the Billboard pop music charts. In 1988, Mary accepted the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of the Supremes when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 1994, the Supremes received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in 1998 they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. Mary has toured the globe as a performer and continues to travel as an advocate on behalf of social and civic issues.

Her show is Thursday, July 19 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $25 and $23.

[marv2]

Here is a link to a TV Interview with Mary in Detroit promoting this.

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/19...f-the-supremes


Fox 2 welcomes legendary Motown artist Mary Wilson of the Supremes
Updated: Jul 18, 2012 7:52 AM EDT
By Jeff Kranitz
Detroit will welcome back one of it's most beloved ambassadors of music, when Mary Wilson of the Supremes performs at Sound Board Thursday night.

Everyone at Fox 2 was especially excited Wednesday morning, when Wilson arrived for a live in-studio interview. Click on the video player to watch the interview.

She's an R&B, pop, disco, dance-pop singer and founding member of the Motown singing group The Supremes. She was the only artist to be a consistent member of the group in its 18-year existence [[1959-1977). During its lifespan, the group scored 33 Top 40 Hits, including 12 national #1's on the Billboard pop music charts. In 1988, Mary accepted the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of the Supremes when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 1994, the Supremes received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in 1998 they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. Mary has toured the globe as a performer and continues to travel as an advocate on behalf of social and civic issues.

Her show is Thursday, July 19 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $25 and $23.

Thank you. I wished I could be there. She going to do her deluxe show! LOL!!!! I am imagining who all will be joining her onstage during the audience participation portion. Dave Bing's in da house! LOL

[marv2]

I love the part where she says she can't paid knowing that she is getting PAAAIIIDDD! LOL!

[smark21]

Here's an interview with the Free Press: http://www.freep.com/article/2012071...CFRONTPAGE%7Cs

[REDHOT]

Thanks you guys,for all the info,i just wish i could be there,Mary will be here in Oct,i'll see her then.
Please stay positive

[blueskies]

Mary said in the article she lives in Los Angeles. Did she move from Vegas/Henderson? Is her daughter still in Henderson?

[carlo]

I returned from Detroit last night. What a dream come true...

Mary put on a fabulous show! It was her supreme home coming. So many of her friends, family and fellow Motown stars were in the audience. You could feel the electric energy in the room. Mary performed with such vigour. This was by far the best show I have seen. A few other fans approached me and said the same thing. You could tell she was so happy to be back home in Detroit. This show was also special because my friend Carl [[C.J.) Jenkins joined Parnell and Lucy doing backup, after being extended a special invitation from Mary herself. It was great seeing him back on stage with Mary. The three of them looked and sounded so fantastic together. It was a beautiful full sound. Mary had a different band with her for this show. Spider Webb of the Funk Brothers was on the drums, which was also really cool.

It was so surreal to look a few rows behind me and see some people who have been so inspiring to me...including Martha Reeves, Delphine Reeves, the original Vandellas Rosalind Ashford and Annette Sterling, Robert Bateman and Flo's daughters, Michelle and Nicole.

We had front row seats and partied it up in the front row, as well as on stage with Mary. Roz and Annette also came up on stage for the Supremes numbers. It was so exciting to be standing on the same stage with a Supreme and two Vandellas. Mary opened the show with "Here's To Life", after my friend Carl Feuerbacher recommended it. It was a great opener. She also performed "Both Sides Now" near the end, which was a show stopper, along with "I Am Changing", for which she received a strong standing ovation. She was in very strong voice that night and gave 200% of "high energy"!

After the show was over, I went over and approached Martha. I had a feeling she would be there, so I had brought her 1974 solo album to the show for her to sign, which she did very graciously. We chatted for a couple of minutes and she mentioned how Ms. Powell had taken a fall. Martha has been taking great care of Ms. Powell. Then we all went to see Mary, where she was signing autographs and posing for photos. I had asked Martha a couple of times throughout the evening if she would kindly pose for a photo with me and my friend. Just when I thought that it wouldn't happen...she came over to me, told me we were going to get a photo and walked over to Mary with us to get this photo...



[My friend Nick, Martha, me and Mary]

I also had the opportunity to meet and pose for photos with Rosalind, Annette, Michelle and Nicole, all of whom were extremely kind. Flo would be so proud of her daughters. They are very classy and kind ladies. They also looked fantastic!



Roz, me, Annette and Nick

As always, Mary is so kind and gracious. Everyone had a great time with her. My friend summed it up very well by saying that Mary is generous in spirit. She always makes sure that she's sharing time with everyone, no matter how many people are waiting in line to see her.

Just when I thought that things could not get any better...we went to the Motown Museum the next day...only to find out that Martha Reeves would be joining our tour group with two of her friends. It was definitely a real blessing to be able to tour the historical Hitsville with a Motown legend. I had to pinch myself when I got to hear Martha singing "No One There" in the echo chamber. It was like a dream. I thought, "No one is going to believe this when I tell them!" lol. An amazing, amazing trip! I could say so much more...but I would be writing for hours!

[carlo]

Nick, Carl [[C.J.) Jenkins and me

[theboyfromxtown]

Carlo

What a wonderful post and such beautiful pictures too. I can feel the excitement in your words and I am so pleased for you. For one so young, it's heartening to know that the music that is giving me a lifetime of pleasure is doing the same for some of the youth of today. Thank you for posting.

[R. Mark Desjardins]

Carlo;
Many thanks for your very detailed narrative about Mary Wilson's Detroit concert. Being familiar with the material she performed, your description of what went down made me feel like I was in the audience myself. Mary has paid her dues for sure and now is her time to get "paid." As a musician pal of mine quipped, "exposure is good, but all it gets you is pneumonia." Thanks for sharing this wonderful evening with us.

[marv2]

Carlo! Totally AWESOME! I wished I was there.

Marv

[carlo]

Thank you guys! It was so much fun.

[carlo]

Here are some professional shots from the show...

http://www.gettyimages.com.au/Search...=Entertainment

[luke]

Carlo-you are a gem!! Thx much.

[marv2]

Carlo, did Mary by chance sing "Life's Been Good to Me"?

[Penny]

Unfortunately I cannot be there, but I will have friends and family there and I will try to share whatever I can. Thanks.

Carlo thank you so much for the great review and fabulous pictures of Mary's triumphant return to Detroit. This old AVON broad got goose bumps reading your descriptive narrative of Mary's show. I so wish I could have been there. And you got to meet all those other wonderful Motown legends. I am green with envy. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your memories and pictures of your cute self.

Marv2, did your family make the show? Did they enjoy themselves and get to meet Carlo and the gang? I hope they got to meet Mary and tell her hello for you.

Penny

[carlo]

My pleasure, Luke.

Marv, Mary did not sing Life's Been Good To Me. However, they did play it a few times over the loud speakers before and after the show.

Thank you Penny for your kind words. I'm glad you liked the review and photos. I feel honoured. You're making me blush. lol. I wish you could have been there too!

[destruction]

Nicely Done carlo.....Sounds....and Looks.....like you had a Ball. Thx for sharing.

[smark21]

Anyone notice if Mary’s Life’s Been Good to Me single and the new album were for sale at the merch table?

[ivyfield]

Will someone PLEASE take a photo of Mary & Barbara together so we at least have something new to look at!

[smark21]

By the way, was Barbara Martin in the house for Mary’s show?

[carlo]

Nicely Done carlo.....Sounds....and Looks.....like you had a Ball. Thx for sharing.

Thank you!!

No sight of Barbara Martin.

[Penny]

Yes there is a lot of buzz, buzz that Original Supreme Barbara Martin, among others, will be at Mary's show.

I wonder why Barbara wasn't there? I hope she is okay and hasn't taken ill or something. Maybe she was taking care of Mrs. Powell.

Penny

[skooldem1]

Sounds like it was a great show. Great that so many Motowners could attend the show. Was it a sellout?

[carlo]

I don't think it was sold out. I was sitting on the floor. From where I was sitting, the floor and the other levels looked completely full. I didn't see any empty seats.

[marv2]

Here is a nice shot of Mary onstage in Detroit:

[marybrewster]

Was Delphine Reeves there?

[Penny]

What a beautiful picture of Mary Wilson. Oh my goodness she is still Supreme!

Penny