So nice to hear Mary recognized and acknowledged for her talent. And I Love Dee Dees speaking voice too! Thanks Marv!
You are most welcome Luke. Yes, Dee Dee Bridgewater is a great singer.......with great taste!
Sorry to burst everyone’s bubble but Miss Bridgewater was likely referring to Mary WELLS. It’s highly unlikely that she was “influenced” in the 1960s by a background singer like Mary Wilson who, for the better part of the decade, was relegated to ooohs and aaahs.
Last edited by monicarivers; 01-10-2020 at 10:06 AM.
I thought the same., but to quote Mary Wells, YOU BEAT ME TO THE PUNCH.
in the early sixties, Mary Wells was referred to as the FIRST LADY OF MOTOWN.
+
But, in a way, this is a compliment to Mary Wilson who for many years was referred to as Mary Wells. With the passing of time, perhaps the roles are reversed.
I agree. Mary has such an interesting voice. It's hard to define. There is a jazzy quality to it and so, while I'm definitely surprised to hear her mentioned by someone as fantastic as Dee Dee, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Dee Dee would find something likeable in Mary's voice.
Unless you've spoken to Ms. Bridgewater and she told you this, you aint bustin shit. Is it possible she meant Mary Wells? Sure. Is it possible she meant Mary Wilson? Yup. Perhaps she had a copy of Meet the Supremes and loved "Baby Don't Go". Maybe she heard "Sunset" on Supremes Sing C&W and was wowed by that. Who knows?
Close but.....
I'm pretty certain she's talking about jazz legend Mary Scruggs aka Mary Lou Williams.
Dee Dee Bridgewater and Mary Wilson have been friends for years.
Here's an article when they performed in a Beatles tribute a few years back:
https://www.nydailynews.com/entertai...icle-1.1601932
That's interesting that you know what she is thinking, but she doesn't. She clearly said in the video.....in the sixties I was influenced at that time by Motown people, so I really liked Mary Wilson, the Marvelettes. I can't see how you get Mary Scruggs? out of what she said! LOL!!!!
Last edited by marv2; 01-15-2020 at 09:47 PM.
Until Dee Dee makes a public correction, I'll assume that the lady knows who her influences were and take her word for it over anybody annoyed at the possibility that someone gave Mary some props. So yeah, case closed.
It wasn’t meant to be. It’s a reality check. If she had said “The Supremes”, it would have made sense. Mary’s voice wasn’t utilized to its full potential until Jean took over and Mary was given a substantial amount of leads and co-leads. Except for a few loonies on some of the sites and chat boards, no mainstream or casual Supremes fan is running around singling out Mary, Florence, or Cindy’s pre-1970 contributions as above and beyond the influence of the collective Supremes sound.
Sadly some people would like to control the thoughts and feelings of others. If they feel one way, you better feel it too. If not, your opinion is wrong or maybe something is just wrong with you. Whether or not Dee Dee meant Wilson or Wells, we're being told by someone who isn't Dee Dee what Dee Dee meant based off of that person's opinion of Mary Wilson.
LOL There it is Ollie. One's gotta be a "loon" for holding an opposite opinion or thought regarding a Supreme who isn't Diana Ross. I've never wanted so badly to control someone else's opinion. I love the varied viewpoints, likes and dislikes, among the forum. It takes all kinds to make a world, doesn't it? At least the kind of world I dig.
Apparently it's not loony for one person to create a million screen names in one forum, however.
I’ve been quite complimentary about Mary on several other threads and I value her contributions to the group, especially after Jean took over as the primary lead singer. The general populace has often gotten the Marys confused by name. In the early days, Mary Wells was as iconic as the Marvelettes whom Dee Dee also mentioned. During those days, however, and looking back, casual fans likely do not single out the Betty Kelleys, Claudette Robinsons, or Mary Wilsons of the groups who, if they were lucky enough, shared leads or had forgettable solo album tracks to distinguish them from their respective group’s lead singer.
Last edited by monicarivers; 01-20-2020 at 02:58 PM.
As I’ve said here and in other threads, I value Mary Wilson as a member of the group and appreciate that she was able to spread her wings more effectively post-1970. Is she my favorite Supreme? No. That’s just my opinion on her voice, which, in fact is quite unique and lovely. Unique and lovely enough to stand out during the early days backing Diana? Not really and not so much among the nostalgic general public. Here in the forums, Motown fans have incredibly more nuanced takes on group members and their individual contributions to the collective whole of their group.
Also, I assure you, I have no other screen names on this forum. It’s a little wacky to assume people are doing this whenever there is a perceived sharp criticism of Diana Ross or Mary Wilson. If you meant a certain other very tribal, partisan individual who, can be extremely cruel to other members, then I suggest you point your accusations at him/them/whatever.
Complimentary of Mary or not, one is entitled to one's opinion about the talents of any Motown artist. What annoys me is the idea that Dee Dee couldn't have possibly heard "Baby Don't Go" on Meet the Supremes, "Sunset" on C&W, or "Come And Get These Memories" on A Go Go and be influenced by it, regardless of my personal opinion about the lackluster, dull lead Mary gave on "Memories". Does a person have to hear a singer do a ton of songs in order to be impacted? I recently discovered the Motown cut "Envious" by Linda Griner. I've never heard Linda sing anything else. I have no idea if she cut anything else, for Motown or elsewhere. But I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if somebody somewhere ever heard this record and was impacted by it. There are voices that I hear very little of that leave a lasting impression. I would never be so presumptuous as to assume that a voice I'm not enraptured by [[and I would put Mary's in that category, no matter how complimentary I am to her) couldn't possibly have the opposite effect on someone else. Had you come into the thread and offered that it's possible Dee Dee meant Wells and not Wilson, I probably would've agreed. But instead we were told what she meant as if it were fact and not, as it is, an opinion. It was an easy assumption to make of what your motivations were.
Not wacky at all. The multiple personality posters are present and accounted for. And I have my reasons for putting you in that category.
But I'm also grown enough to accept criticism, and so if I have indeed miscategorized you, I apologize. Assumptions can lead to unnecessary drama and I have to accept responsibility for this one.
I stand corrected. I went with my “gut” which told me that because this was yet another post by someone who, because they were treated poorly many years ago [[for good reason, I recall) by another Supreme, has launched some bizarre decades long revenge plot which is part smear campaign against said Supreme and an also equally rabid, fanatical promotion of every Mary Wilson happening as if it were CNN breaking news.
That being said, I should have led with “most likely, Miss Bridgewater was referring to Mary Wells” and left it at that. There are rather unrealistic expectations among certain fans that Mary go down in history as equally as The Supremes in their entirety or Diana Ross. The charts, history books, and fan bases worldwide have and will prove otherwise. Mary is an important part of pop culture and AfAm history as a member of the Supremes. A global superstar and solo glass ceiling smasher she is not. Regardless of how you feel about Diana Ross, those are facts.
I personally have no vendetta against Mary Wilson. I find her voice and solo stage persona to be fairly ordinary and quite forgettable. I wouldnÂ’t shell out any cash to pay for her recordings or to see her in person. That doesnÂ’t mean that I donÂ’t enjoy seeing her in fan posted clips or on television, as I said in another thread, flexing her pipes on sultry, slow, and smoldering jazz and R&B classics.
Whoopi was influenced by The Supremes, of which Mary was a member. But Whoopi also mentioned her as a friend when Mary died and said that she will miss her.
https://twitter.com/TheView/status/1...rc=twsrc%5Etfw
As witnessed by glowing tributes from so many industry folk, Mary always left a lasting impression.
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