Thank You, Mary Wilson, You Inspired Us. R.I.P.

As nearly every fan of the Supremes has heard by now, Mary Wilson died in her home in Henderson, Nevada Monday. Music by The Supremes was a big part of my high school soundtrack so I thought I'd add a few comments to the many obituaries that have been written.

They were just teenage girls living in the Detroit projects when Mary and Diana Ross thought it would be fun to start a singing group. Wilson was just 15 at the time. They started a quartet called The Primettes and won an amateur talent show. 

In 1961 they changed their name to The Supremes and did a few gigs around Detroit. In 1962 they did their first gig on the road, opening for Gladys Knight & the Pips in Cleveland. 

Later that year they became part of a tour of Motown artists that included many names that would become famous in that decade: Martha and the Vandellas, the Marvelettes, the Contours, Marvin Gaye, Little Stevie Wonder, the Supremes the Temptations & Sammy Ward. I'm sure that being with these others taught them a lot about the nature of show business. With excellent material work with The Supremes cranked out hit after hit. Their second album contained three number one singles that became million sellers, "Baby Love", "Where Did Our Love Go" and "Come See About Me." And the hits ket coming. 

They worked hard and had an aggressive touring schedule for years. On May 30, 1967, The Supremes brought their show to the Historic Duluth Armory where they wowed the Northland. 

By 1970 they had produced a dozen #1 hits that were listened to and appreciated around the world. In 1988 The Supremes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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While looking thru the list of places The Supremes performed I came across a January 2, 1965 concert at the Packard Music Hall in Warren, Ohio. My grandparents both worked at the Packard Plant in Warren, a branch of General Motors. GM, like many major corporations, no doubt built the music hall as a community service. 

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Here's a website listing all their shows and locations from the beginning. Perhaps your home town was once a whistle stop on the yellow brick road that was their career, though if you read Mary's autobiography you'll see that the challenges are many and there are plenty of thorns among the roses.

Visit: https://concerts.fandom.com/wiki/The_Supremes 

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Still singing your songs.