article originally in The Root
She was a Motown legend, bestselling author, music activist, former U.S. cultural ambassador and co-founding member of The Supremes—of which she was dubbed “the sexy one.” Entertainer Mary Wilson, best known as the longest-running member of the group she made famous alongside Diana Ross and Florence Ballard (and later, Cindy Birdsong) died on Monday night at her home in Henderson, Nev. She was 76.
According to a statement by longtime friend and publicist Jay Schwartz provided to The Root by Universal Music, Wilson died suddenly. No cause of death has been given.
The statement further read:
As an original/founding member of The Supremes, she changed the face of pop music to become a trendsetter who broke down social, racial, and gender barriers, which all started with the wild success of their first number one song. Formed in Detroit as The Primettes in 1959, The Supremes were Motown’s most successful act of the 1960s, scoring 12 No. 1 singles. They also continue to reign as America’s most successful vocal group to date. Their influence not only carries on in contemporary R&B, soul and pop, they also helped pave the way for mainstream success by Black artists across all genres.
Mary achieved an unprecedented 12 #1 hits with 5 of them being consecutive from 1964-1965. Those songs are “Where Did Our Love Go”, “Baby Love”, “Come See About Me”, “Stop! In the Name of Love” and “Back in My Arms Again” according to Billboard Magazine. In 2018, Billboard celebrated the 60th anniversary of Motown with a list of “The Hot 100’s Top Artists of All Time”, where The Supremes ranked at #16 and still remain the #1 female recording group of all time. January 21, 2021 marked the 60th anniversary of the day The Supremes signed with Motown in 1961. This year, Mary kicked off the celebration of the 60th anniversary of The Supremes.
Commemorating that milestone in January during an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Wilson reflected on her history with the legendary group, which signed to Motown on January 21, 1961. But the singer’s story began on March 6, 1944, in Greenville, Miss., where she was the eldest of three children born to Sam and Johnnie Mae Wilson. The family would relocate to Detroit’s Brewster-Douglass Projects in the ’50s, where Wilson first met future fellow Supreme, Ballard, in elementary school. The two would eventually join forces with Ross and high school friend Betty McGlown to form the singing group The Primettes, so named for the male singing group then led by Eddie Kendricks named the Primes.
Barbara Martin replaced McGlown in 1960, and the quartet became focused on getting signed by the then-upstart label Motown. They were initially turned down by Berry Gordy, an anecdote Wilson recounted when sharing the story of the group’s eventual signing.
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