A Truly Rare Mary Wells Concert Performance!

[marv2]

Mary Wells w/ Gary Swan at The Hop in Orange County, CA in about late 1988. Stay to the end and see Mary and her husband Curtis Womack and baby Sugar Wells Womack duet to a Sam Cooke song!

[[Mary comes on at about 11:30 in the video)

[BigAl]

Oh my. This is very hard to watch. Hearing her strain for those upper-register notes made my heart hurt — especially knowing now what was causing that. She was a trouper all the way.

[marv2]

Oh my. This is very hard to watch. Hearing her strain for those upper-register notes made my heart hurt — especially knowing now what was causing that. She was a trouper all the way.

Sadly in less than 2 years time from this performance, she would barely be able to talk above a whisper.

[luke]

This is great! She looks fine and still sounds like the great Mary Wells!

[marv2]

This is great! She looks fine and still sounds like the great Mary Wells!

I was pleasantly surprised that she opened with "You Lost the Sweetest Boy".

[luke]

Me too! I wonder if she ever sang Dear Lover?

[motony]

Curtis had tried to get Mary to add "Dear Lover" in the late 80's but she didn't want to.The last time I saw her do "Dear Lover" live was in Sept. 1966!

[luke]

Thanks Motony. Omg why didnt she wanna do it? Great song!!

[motony]

she didn't think enough people would know it for the expense of getting the charts for the muscians, we were playing it in the car on the way to a gig and Curtis said "no way would I have a song that good & not do it". She was playing a great place called "Little Darlins" that was near Disney World, the DJ Wolfman Jack had an intrest in that club.It was open mid-80's through early 90's. Saw a lot of great acts there.

[vgalindo]

Love Mary Wells. I had seen her in concert at least 4 times and she was always so wonderful and the audience always gave her so much love.

[luke]

Thanks motony. So she never sang any of her post Motown stuff except Gigilo?

[midnightman]

she didn't think enough people would know it for the expense of getting the charts for the muscians, we were playing it in the car on the way to a gig and Curtis said "no way would I have a song that good & not do it". She was playing a great place called "Little Darlins" that was near Disney World, the DJ Wolfman Jack had an intrest in that club.It was open mid-80's through early 90's. Saw a lot of great acts there.

Maybe that's why she didn't do most of her post-Motown material [[Gigolo included)? Kinda understandable BUT Dear Lover was actually a significant song for her. Not a smash like some of her Motown singles, but significant to her career.