By Norma Adams-Wade and Marva Sneed
Another great entertainer Mary Wilson, an original founder of The Supremes, died earlier this month, just weeks before her 77th birthday on March 6. The legendary songster continued to impact her countless fans, right up to the close of her unforgettable journey through life. She was more than just a singer. She was a best-selling author, motivational speaker, businesswoman, former U.S. Cultural Ambassador, mother, and grandmother, and more.
It has been said that she was a neighbor to the world — especially in Texas. She was a friend, according to Dewayne Dancer, broadcast entertainer at Westwood One, and longtime radio personality based in Dallas, TX. “She was as elegant and gracious as the songs she sang,” Dancer said. “Mary Wilson made this world a little better place, not just with her talent in song but also her absolutely wonderful personality!”
Emma Rodgers, founder of Black Images Book Bazaar, said, “Mary Wilson was a first class lady. She walked into Black Images Book Bazaar with a smile that lit up the world. She immediately greeted staff and fans with hugs. Mary Wilson’s publisher made it clear to us that Ms. Wilson would only sign Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme (St. Martin’s Press, 1986) which was the purpose of the book tour.
Rodgers continued, “Mary cast that limitation to the wind, and not only signed the books, but also she autographed all “The Supreme” memorabilia fans brought: record albums, concert souvenir programs, magazine covers, ticket stubs and so much more.” It was a special day, Rodgers recalled, having the presence of the “lady with the million-dollar smile.”
“Fans came from all over to meet this superstar, including those who drove in from Oklahoma. Some Southwestern Bell operators, housed at 301 S. Akard Street in Downtown Dallas, took a late evening lunch break so they could be on hand to meet Mary Wilson, take photos with her, and listen to her share highlights from her life as a Dreamgirl.” Rodgers added, “She was so down-to-earth. That revealed an inner confidence that made me think she was fulfilling her destiny, not only by making herself happy singing, but using her voice to make the fans happy. She also had a lovely speaking voice. “It was so refreshing to see someone who achieved mega stardom be so gracious, and not let her star power interfere with her ability to “reach out and touch” her adoring fans,” she continued. “Her legacy will live on for generations to come.”
Rodgers also recalled when in Houston December 17, 1965, Judy Garland and The Supremes performed at the grand opening of the new Houston Astrodome. “As a student at Texas Southern University, I recall a baller (basketball player), on campus driving The Supremes through campus in his convertible.”
As Dallas theater and musical stage luminary Curtis King reminisced about his many encounters with the celebrated Mary Wilson, he called legendary entertainment names like a teacher calling the roll. King explained how each time he put together a production that included the glamorous songster and other stars who joined her on stage; the performance came across as magical.
Wilson, a co-founder of the acclaimed trio group, The Supremes, is prompting mounds of tributes as admirers and longtime fans process her recent death. King – founder and president of the Dallas-based theater company The Black Academy of Arts and Letters – said he has known Wilson personally since the 1980s, sharing he had spoken with her by phone about four months before her death. They casually “threw around ideas” for a return, future performance in Dallas in 2021, he said. When he learned of her death, he said he was floored.
“It just blew me away,” King said. “It took me about 10 minutes to just absorb it and to breathe a depth of understanding about what it (her death) meant.” Even as he talked about her transition, he still struggled to find words to describe the impact she left on the entertainment world. He said he would choose the words of noted Nigerian author Chinua Achebe who quoted an African proverb in one of his works: “When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground,” said King, quoting Achebe. “That’s what it feels like when I think of Mary Wilson.”
King spoke at length about various shows that he produced featuring Wilson, both in Dallas and other states. He said the original Detroit Motown sensation was a genuine “diva” who wowed audiences each time with breath-taking gowns, stage presence and talent. Such shows included the Riverfront Jazz Festival in Dallas, A Symphony with the Divas in Charlotte, N. C., and a Lincoln Theatre performance in Washington D. C. King said descendants of Africa need to do more to pass on to the next generation learned lessons that giants like Wilson taught: “(Actress) Esther Rolle said to me, ‘Curtis, make sure that what you have and have learned, you pass it on to the young, so they don’t have to plow the same field,’” King recalled. “Mary Wilson was an amazing artist and walking history book, in the entertainment world, that we all should read,” King said.
With no sign of slowing down, Wilson appeared on NBC’s “Dancing with the Stars” in 2019. That same year, she also released her fourth book, Supreme Glamour (Thames & Hudson). The coffee-table book showcases the gowns The Supremes were known for over the decades and delves into more history of the most successful female recording group of all time.
