Episode 17: Mary Wilson RMN Podcast
Wilson remained with the group following the departures of the other two original members Florence Ballard (in 1967) and Diana Ross (in 1970), though the trio disbanded following Wilson's own departure in 1977. Wilson later became a New York Times best-selling author in 1986 with the release of her first autobiography, Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme, which set records for sales in its genre, and later for the autobiography Supreme Faith: Someday We'll Be Together.
Continuing a successful career as a concert performer in Las Vegas, Wilson also worked in activism, fighting to pass Truth in Music Advertising bills and donating to various charities. Wilson was inducted along with Ross and Ballard (as members of the Supremes)
Early life
Mary Wilson was born March 6, 1944, to Sam, a butcher, and Johnnie Mae Wilson in Greenville, Mississippi.[3] She was the eldest of three children including a brother, Roosevelt, and a sister, Cathy.[3] The Wilsons moved to Chicago, part of the Great Migration in which her father joined many African Americans seeking work in the North,[4] but at age three, Mary Wilson was taken in by her aunt Ivory "I.V." and uncle John L. Pippin in Detroit.[5] Her parents eventually separated and Wilson’s mother and siblings later joined them in Detroit, though by then Wilson had come to believe I.V. was her real mother.[3] To make ends meet, Wilson's mother worked as a domestic worker.[citation needed] Wilson and her family had settled in the Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects, a housing project in Detroit[6] where Wilson first met Florence Ballard.[3] The duo became friends while singing in their school's talent show.[citation needed] In 1959, Ballard asked Wilson to audition for Milton Jenkins, who was forming a sister group to his male vocal trio,[citation needed] the Primes (two members of which were later in The Temptations).[3] Wilson was soon accepted into the group known as The Primettes, with Diana Ross and Betty McGlown, who lived in the same housing project with Wilson and Ballard.[3] In this period, Wilson also met Aretha, Erma and Carolyn Franklin, daughters of the pastor at her local Baptist church.
Wilson graduated from Detroit's Northeastern High School in January 1962.
The Supremes: 1959–1977
Main article: The Supremes
Wilson (middle) performing with the Supremes
The Primettes signed to Motown Records in 1961, changing the group's name to The Supremes. In between that period, McGlown left to get married and was replaced by Barbara Martin. In 1962, the group was reduced to a trio after Martin's departure. The Supremes scored their first hit in 1963 with the song, "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes", and reached No. 1 on the pop charts for the first time with the hit, "Where Did Our Love Go", becoming their first of 12 No. 1 singles. (Though Wilson sang background on all of their hits before 1967, it was later revealed that Motown used in-house background singers, The Andantes, for the hits "Love Child" and "Someday We'll Be Together").
By 1964, the group had become international superstars. In 1967, Motown president Berry Gordy changed the name of the group to Diana Ross & The Supremes[7] and, after a period of tension, Florence Ballard was removed from the Supremes that July. Cindy Birdsong was chosen to take her place. The new lineup continued to record hit singles, although several stalled outside the top 20 chart range. Ross left the group in early 1970, and at her farewell performance Jean Terrell was introduced as the replacement for Ross. According to Wilson in her memoirs, Berry Gordy told Wilson that he thought of having Syreeta Wright join the group in a last-minute change, after Terrell had already been introduced as lead singer, to which Wilson refused. With Terrell, the Supremes recorded seven top-40 hit singles in a three-year period. One "River Deep/Mountain High" was a collaboration with the Four Tops. Other recodings by the trio which charted include; "Up the Ladder to the Roof", "Stoned Love", "Nathan Jones", and "Floy Joy". Of these releases, only "Stoned Love" reached a No. 1 status (R&B Chart). Unlike the latter years with Ross, however, all but one of the hits, "Automatically Sunshine", succeeded in reaching the top 20 charts, with two breaking into the top 10. During this period, Wilson contributed lead or co-lead vocals to several Supremes songs, including the hits "Floy Joy" and "Automatically Sunshine", and the title track of the 1971 album Touch.
1970 Motown advertisement in Billboard for the single "Stoned Love" and the album New Ways but Love Stays.
In 1972, Cindy Birdsong left the group following marriage and pregnancy and was replaced by Lynda Lawrence. The group's popularity and place on record charts dropped significantly. For the first time in a decade, two singles in a row failed to break into the top 40, including the Stevie Wonder penned-and-produced "Bad Weather". Discouraged, Jean Terrell and Lynda Lawrence both departed in late 1973. Scherrie Payne was recruited from a group called The Glass House. They were signed to the Invictus label, owned by the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting-production team (who composed 10 of the Supremes No. 1 1960s singles). Cindy Birdsong also returned. Beginning with this lineup change, Wilson began doing almost half of the group's lead vocal duties, as she was considered the group's main attraction and reason for continuing. In 1975, Wilson sang lead on the Top 10 disco hit "Early Morning Love". In 1976, the group scored its final hit single with "I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do the Walking", written and produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland Group and included on the H-D-H produced album High Energy. Birdsong again departed, just before the album's release, and was replaced by the group's final official member, Susaye Greene, whose voice was dubbed over two songs. High Energy produced a flurry of positive reviews and sales, but a follow-up H-D-H effort in 1977 failed to ignite much interest. In late 1977, Wilson left The Supremes, following a farewell performance at London's Drury Lane Theatre. After Payne and Greene unsuccessfully lobbied to get a replacement for Wilson, the Supremes officially disbanded.
Solo career: 1979–2021
Wilson became involved in a protracted legal battle with Motown over management of the Supremes. After an out-of-court settlement, Wilson signed with Motown for solo work, releasing a disco-heavy self-titled album in 1979. A single from the album, "Red Hot", had a modest showing of No. 90 on the pop charts. Midway through production of a second solo album in 1980, Motown dropped her from its roster. Throughout the mid-1980s, Wilson focused on performances in musical theater productions, including Beehive, Dancing in the Streets, and Supreme Soul.
Wilson found major success once more with her memoir: Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme in 1986. The book remained on the national best-seller list for months and established a sales record for the genre. The book focused on the early career of the Supremes and its success during the 1960s. Four years later, in 1990, Wilson released her second memoir: Supreme Faith: Someday We'll Be Together, also a best seller, which focused on the Supremes in the 1970s. In between this period, Wilson became a frequent guest on several television programs and talk shows and began regularly performing in Las Vegas casinos and resorts. Wilson then recorded a cover version of "Ooh Child" for the Motorcity label in 1990. A year later, she signed with CEO Records and released the album, Walk the Line, in 1992. The label filed for bankruptcy the day after its national release. Wilson maintained that she was deceived about the financial status of the label. The available copies of the album quickly sold out, however, and Wilson continued her success as a concert performer.
Wilson fought two court cases with former employees over usage of the Supremes name; Supremes' replacement singers Lynda Lawrence and Scherrie Payne and a former backing vocalist from her 1980s concert work, Kaaren Ragland. In both cases the courts found for the employees.[8] This prompted Wilson to take a high-profile role in lobbying for "Truth in Music" legislation, which prohibits usage of musical acts names, unless an original member of the group is in the act or the group is properly licensed by the last person to hold right of title to the name. Her efforts succeeded in more than 28 U.S. states. In 1995, Wilson released a song, ".U", for Contract Recording Company. A year later, Wilson released the song, "Turn Around" for Da Bridge Records.
In late 1999, a proposal to unite all former living Supremes for a summer 2000 tour, was negotiated by Ross and SFX. After securing SFX's interest, Ross had the promoter contact the other former members, refusing to directly negotiate with the other members, in order to spare any hurt feelings among the women. Talks and plans for the tour were well underway before Wilson was contacted by Ross in December 1999. Wilson, upset she had been contacted so late, wanted to speak with Ross directly before beginning negotiations. Ross felt they should speak after negotiations took place. Following Ross' initial contact, she removed herself from the negotiations leaving them between the women, their representatives, and the promoters. Both Wilson and Ross knew that the real heart of The Supremes was the trio that included the very creator of the group, Florence Ballard. Despite the hard knowledge of show business realities, without Ballard negotiations could only be half-hearted in such a return to the groups past formulations. Still, pushing on, TNA/SFX initially offered Wilson $1 million. Birdsong was reported to have been offered less than $1 million. Wilson and Birdsong were also informed they would not have any creative input into the show. Wilson rejected the initial offer feeling she, Ross, and Birdsong should be paid equally and have equal input into the show. Promoters increased Wilson's offer up to $2 million after the initial rejection. Ross then agreed to offer Wilson another $2 million from her personal finances added to the $2 million TNA/SFX proposed for a total of $4 million. Wilson and Birdsong's request for creative input into the show was again rejected. Ross stipulated that all of the other artists' fees were guaranteed, meaning that they'd receive the full amount of their contracts, regardless of how many performances actually took place. Wilson erroneously stated publicly that Ross was to receive between $15 to $20 million. Ross, as the tour's co-producer, was receiving $500,000 per night from TNA/SFX to cover the tour's expenses. When the expenses exceeded the allotment, Ross covered the overages.
Wilson's final offer of $4 million and Birdsong's offer of $1 million came with a deadline of early 2000 (in order to begin production of the sets, costume fittings, hiring of staff, etc., and an on-schedule commencement of the tour). Wilson did accept the final offer, but her acceptance was rejected by TNA/SFX citing "the train has left the station." The promoter ceased negotiations with Wilson and Birdsong. Without Wilson or Birdsong, Ross began to question whether to continue to stage the tour. Berry Gordy Jr. had called TNA/SFX during the negotiation process requesting that Wilson and Birdsong receive better pay and have creative input into the show. Ross contacted Gordy for advice about the tour and he reportedly told her to continue "if it's something she'd have fun doing;" however, he warned her about continuing without Wilson and Birdsong. Ross decided to continue.
The tour, Return to Love, instead went forward with former 1970s Supremes Scherrie Payne and Lynda Lawrence (Susaye Green and Jean Terrell refused to participate because the promoter requested that they audition for the tour, as they had not heard the women sing in over 20 years), but, was canceled mid-tour due low ticket sales (despite selling out New York City's Madison Square Garden ), following complaints of high ticket prices in a down touring market, a spate of high scrutiny by some members of the public, and press regarding the absence of some performers (i.e. Wilson and Birdsong), and the dispute between versions of events. That year, Wilson released an updated version of her autobiographies as a single combined book.[9] That same year, an album, I Am Changing, was released by Mary Wilson Enterprises, produced through her and her then-management, Duryea Entertainment.
In 2001, Wilson starred in the national tour of Leader of the Pack – The Ellie Greenwich Story. A year later, Wilson was appointed by Secretary of State Colin Powell as a "culture-connect ambassador" for the U.S. State Department, appearing at international events arranged by that agency. In 2006, a live concert DVD, Mary Wilson Live at the Sands, was released. Four years later, another DVD, Mary Wilson: Live from San Francisco... Up Close, was released. During this period, Wilson became a musical activist, having been part of the Truth in Music Bill, a law proposed to stop impostor groups performing under the names of the 1950s and 1960s rock and roll groups, including Motown groups The Marvelettes and The Supremes. The law was passed in 27 states. Wilson also toured and lectured internationally, as well as across the United States, speaking to multiple groups worldwide. Her lecture series, "Dare to Dream", focuses on reaching goals and triumph over adversity. Wilson's charity work included the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, the American Cancer Society, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, the Easter Seals Foundation, UNICEF, The NAACP, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the All-Star Network, and Figure Skaters of Harlem, a youth organization devoted to helping children towards entering the Olympics. Most recently, Wilson became the Mine Action spokesperson for the Humpty Dumpty Institute.[10]
Wilson at the LBJ Presidential Library in 2019
In April 2008, Wilson made a special appearance on 20/20 to participate in a social experiment involving pedestrians reacting to a young woman singing "Stop! In the Name of Love" with intentional amateurishness. Wilson approached the woman and gave her constructive criticism toward her style, in contrast to the pedestrians whose reactions were positive, yet dishonest. On March 5, 2009, she made a special appearance on The Paul O'Grady Show, which ended in a special performance with her, O'Grady, and Graham Norton. Wilson created the "Mary Wilson/Supremes Gown Collection", and had the collection tour in an exhibition of the Supremes' stage wear. The collection has been on exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio and on May 12, 2008, commenced its UK tour, starting at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. More than 50 sets of gowns are shown in rotation, starting with early formal wear from the early 1960s, and including famous gowns worn on television specials and nightclub appearances by the group in the 1960s and 1970s.[11]
Wilson released two singles on iTunes, "Life's Been Good To Me" and "Darling Mother (Johnnie Mae)", in 2011 and 2013, respectively. In 2015, Wilson released a new single, "Time To Move On", produced by Sweet Feet Music; the song reached the Top 20 on the Billboard Dance charts history, peaking at No. 17 as of December 26.[12] At 36 years and seven weeks, Mary Wilson holds the record for the longest gap between hits in the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart as "Red Hot" debuted on October 6, 1979[13] and "Time To Move On" debuted on November 21, 2015.
In 2016, an Indiegogo campaign was launched to help raise $35,000 to fund a gay-themed romantic comedy movie, "Please Don't Eat the Pansies". The cast includes actor/writer Ronnie Kerr, Andrew Lauer, singer/actor Tom Goss, and Wilson.[14]
On August 15, 2019, Wilson published her fourth book, Supreme Glamour with co-author Mark Bego, dedicated to the history of the Supremes and their fashion with a detailed section dedicated to the Supremes gowns in her collection. That same month, she was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete on season 28 of Dancing with the Stars.[15] Wilson and her professional partner Brandon Armstrong were the first couple to be eliminated from the competition on September 23, 2019.
00:00:00 - I sold my soul, a prostitute of my talents, for R.M.N.
00:00:18 - Yeah, that's right.
00:00:20 - And George.
00:00:23 - I remember.
00:00:29 - Very well said, very well said from the Supreme Supreme.
00:00:32 - So shoot questions, let's go.
00:00:33 - OK, what's your feeling then on, you know, when it comes to soul music?
00:00:39 - What's your feeling on today's soul music in comparison to older soul music?
00:00:45 - And where do you think, you know, when soul music, what place do you think soul music has had on the current charts today?
00:00:54 - Well, basically, I feel that the original R&B music was like the beginning, that was like the model for what's going on today.
00:01:09 - And so you don't have a lot of, music is still good, you know, but you don't have a lot of original R&B music as we had when it first originated back in the, like, you know, 50s and those times when R&B was really raw and you know it was really coming from black
00:01:31 - America really.
00:01:32 - Absolutely.
00:01:33 - So you know after that it's like everything else has been homogenized and everybody's doing it so it's not the raw things that you get back in the day.
00:01:44 - You know, it's just how you set an evolve, it's evolving into other forms and other people singing it.
00:01:54 - And you know, some of them do very well. It's not like original.
00:01:59 - No, it's not. And do you think then, I mean, you know, taking that standpoint then, I mean, do you think there's anything that, you know, from the older soul music and R&B music,
00:02:11 - Do you think, I mean, is there anything the younger artists can pick up on, I mean, is it just a case of listening to old music or is there things that you guys did, you know, from Motown?
00:02:23 - I mean, I was very good friends, for example, with Edwin Starr, who was a Motown artist, and me and Edwin worked together for many, many years, and I learned a whole bunch of stuff working with Edwin, I mean, it was just incredible.
00:02:38 - And if someone was working with you, if someone was working with another artist, how do you think, what could you teach them?
00:02:48 - The modern?
00:02:49 - I think that one thing that ends back to the original question, one thing, the original is always the best because, like you mentioned Edmund Starr, these people live at life, people today you know wonderful artists I mean great voices and all those kind of things but they didn't live that life so it's hard for it to be an original you know so they have to take it to what they're living today what they're experiencing today so it actually comes out as I mentioned before in another form it's not really the R&B that we know it to be but it's the R&B of the to 2012. Yeah, absolutely, no, absolutely. It's a new work, it's a new music, you know, it's just a new music. It's not the same.
00:03:44 - So you ask what I could teach them. It's hard to teach someone how you lived, what your experience was.
00:03:52 - So you can't really teach them the real thing. You can just pass on what you experienced and they have to apply it to what they are experienced.
00:04:03 - Yeah, absolutely. So what is your feeling on modern technology when it comes to downloading music and maybe perhaps websites that are streaming music live so people can... I mean, what's your take on all that?
00:04:21 - Well, you know, I remember when I was growing up, my mother said she didn't want to learn into new technology, you know, like escalators and things like that. And I remember saying
00:04:36 - I was around 12, 12 years old, maybe 11, saying I'm never going to be like that. If there's ever anything new coming on, I'm going to learn it. So, you know, I've had the days now where I see all these changes. I mean, there's no more home telephones, you know, in America there are no telephone booths, you know, on the telephone.
00:04:58 - So, there are so many things that have changed.
00:05:02 - Some for the good, some for the bad.
00:05:06 - Websites, I think, are good.
00:05:10 - The computer has certainly brought the world closer.
00:05:14 - It has made everything now, you know, brought everything up into now.
00:05:20 - So, it's hard to say that it's bad.
00:05:23 - I think it's definitely good, but it's how we use it that really is bad.
00:05:29 - Now, there are some things that I totally disagree with, and that is, you know, we used to be able to go to record shops, record stores, and buy new music.
00:05:40 - You can't do that here in the States anymore.
00:05:41 - I don't know about there.
00:05:42 - No, you can't.
00:05:43 - It's all gone.
00:05:44 - There are no record shops, so we can't run down to hear something on the radio, and
00:05:49 - And then we used to run down to the shop and look at the album cover and look at this and listen to it and that, you know, spread our little pennies on it.
00:05:57 - Now you can't do that.
00:05:58 - I have a new thing called Life Been Good to Me.
00:06:03 - And I don't even know how people are going to hear it on the radio or buy it.
00:06:09 - And you mentioned downloads, you know, it's like just a whole new experience.
00:06:16 - I really like the old way.
00:06:19 - I wanted people who were split in the middle in terms of the good men on the internet.
00:06:26 - So you think the internet's maybe went too far music-wise and it's taken too much off the artists and the bands and so on, the people that are actually generating the music.
00:06:36 - I mean, I'm a music producer and I've produced, I've worked with Prince, I've worked with all kinds of different very big names great artists and every single artist I think I've spoken to has all said exactly the same thing that the feel perhaps the internet has just went too far it's taken too much yeah I told me agree it really is for the artists or the way that we know that music is heard ball, soul, all that, it no longer exists.
00:07:10 - And so it's taken away a certain beauty of music, you know, the industry has totally changed.
00:07:18 - I don't know where it's going to go to, but I know one thing, it's what it has taken away has been something that we, this generation, my generation, grew up with and it was good for us.
00:07:30 - It's no longer good for us.
00:07:31 - So I don't know what it's doing.
going. And I guess I happened to see the CD out single and I don't know what's going to happen to it because it's different.00:07:40 - I mean, as an artist then today, do you feel that when you were with Motown and obviously all part of the whole thing with the Supremes and all the things that you've done in your life, do you feel, I mean obviously now you're a solo artist in a sense and you're going out there, do you feel that it's completely different to release a record today than it was perhaps 30 years ago in the respect? I mean how do you gain promotion? That was actually going to be one of my questions to you. How do you get the promotion now? How do you get the
00:08:17 - PR and the hype and the media and the attention? Do you feel that you're not, you know, that it's difficult to get people to take the thing seriously as it was before?
00:08:28 - I suddenly think that it is, I would say, use the word harder to get a record marketed, to have it released, and to promote it.
00:08:43 - I don't even know how you do it.
00:08:44 - I'm in that dilemma, as I just mentioned, right now, having a new product out there.
00:08:49 - I don't know what to do.
00:08:51 - So, it has definitely brought a negative thing to releasing a record today, and to that, you know.
00:09:03 - I mean, the...
00:09:05 - Not probably.
00:09:06 - Probably the newer generation is coming up now.
00:09:09 - Maybe it's not so difficult for them because they didn't really experience what we experienced back in the day.
00:09:15 - You know, maybe they know how to do all of those things, you know.
the social networking online, the tweeting and the, you know, I think that they grew up with that so that they are really, maybe it'll be okay for them, but it's not okay, it's not okay for the older artist. And how do you feel then? I mean, do you feel because of the, you know, I mean, okay, that, you know, we're discussing the record side of things and, and, but how do you feel00:09:44 - When it comes to, for example, live performance, do you feel that, I mean, certainly, you know, again, working with a, you know, I mean, I've met and worked with a lot of the Motown artists that have came over here to the United Kingdom, and they've been touring, doing different kinds of tours, but I would say that most of them that are still going just now, I would say are working more than they've ever done live performances and there seems to be more demand for live performances than there was perhaps 10, 15 years ago. Would you agree with that or?
00:10:21 - Well, I think what has happened in terms of artists doing live shows, it's our public who still enjoys that kind of music and they want to see the artist who made it.
00:10:35 - So I think that's why, and also people, that's their jobs, you know, it's like any other job people forget.
00:10:42 - They think you just do it for pleasure.
00:10:44 - It's like if you become a doctor, that's what you do.
00:10:47 - So for singers, live performances is what we do.
00:10:51 - So that's how we make our money.
00:10:53 - If we don't do live performances, we don't really make money, especially if you're of the older generation, so you can't do anything else but perform.
00:11:03 - So that's one of the reasons that it's ongoing.
00:11:07 - But would you say there was more demand now, though?
00:11:10 - There's more demand because the people our age who grew up with the music are of age where they still want to enjoy things that they had when they were younger.
00:11:19 - So that's what happens to that.
00:11:21 - The audience is now craving that because, obviously, they can't.
00:11:27 - They don't like the new music because it's not their generation.
00:11:31 - It's not their kind of music.
00:11:32 - So they tend to, when you get older, to gravitate to the music that you grew up with.
00:11:40 - When you were recording, even back in the day when you were doing the Motown thing, do you feel that the recording studio today is a very, very different experience?
do you still use live musicians on all your tracks or do you use the pro tools and the various computer programs and program music today? What do you use? What's the best way for you to?00:12:11 - You know, I'm usually dead balls in the area of the producer and the record company. Personally
00:12:20 - You know I like live musicians, obviously I've had a band, ever since the Supremes disbanded and I toured with my live band in all over the world, or picked up live musicians wherever we worked, so obviously that's my first preference, however because of the situation in the recording industry, they do tend to go to the Pro Tools and things like that and then supplement it with some live musicians that's kind of just the way it's going yeah and do you think that and do you think it affects the music for you as an artist do you think it takes some of the soul perhaps out of it well I mean actually it does because pro tools and things technical they don't it doesn't know anything about soul yeah absolutely but it's nice to hear you know your opinion of what modern, because for me, I keep going back. I mean, I do lectures all over the country and I talk about music and talk about the differences and so on. And what
00:13:28 - I feel is that a lot of the music has actually deteriorated all the time. I mean, it's been a long time since I've listened to a chart record or something and actually been impressed with, wow, this is an incredible artist. I mean, I hear, occasionally I hear a great song, you know, a very hooky song, but I don't hear that artist thing. I don't see that magic, you know, thing coming from the artist, you know.
00:13:56 - Yes. I don't think that has to do with that. It's nothing like the human touch, you know what I mean? And everything else, even when you call a business and it's an electronic call, whatever, it's not the same as talking to a real person, you know?
00:14:17 - Sure. Sure. Absolutely. Absolutely.
00:14:19 - I think that's what kind of what we're entering now. We're in such a technical that we are losing the personal touch, you know, and that's because the people are no longer doing it.
00:14:30 - That's why people don't have jobs because they've been taken over by electronical things.
00:14:34 - So, you know, that's the age we're entering.
00:14:37 - I'm just happy that I was born at the time when people were still doing whatever it's done.
00:14:46 - It certainly is no fun now in this sort of, with this automated, automated, generated product that we're, you know, we're all into right now.
00:14:59 - Yeah, absolutely.
00:15:00 - So that's why you see a lot of people, older people say, it's nothing like it was in a good old days.
00:15:05 - Oh, no, absolutely.
00:15:06 - And, you know, and you described that really, really well.
00:15:09 - I mean, what do you think then moving forward, do you think that, you know,
00:15:14 - I mean what do you see for your own future then?
00:15:19 - Where would you like to go musically?
00:15:21 - What would you like to see happen?
00:15:22 - Would you like it to go in a full circle and go back to the old way?
00:15:26 - And where would you like to go musically?
00:15:28 - Well, you know, first of all I have to keep going back to my new recording.
00:15:34 - I've never had a hit record on my, as Mary Wilson, of my, you know, legacies with the Supremes.
00:15:42 - Obviously, we had 12 number one million selling records, so it would be good for me to ask how, where would I like to see myself?
00:15:50 - I would love to experience as Mary Wilson having had a hit record.
00:15:56 - Now we go back to your original thing, how am I going to get a hit record in this, in this, the way the music business is?
00:16:02 - I don't know.
00:16:03 - I've been speaking to various DJs myself and calling up all the DJs I know and they
00:16:12 - Oh, we'll be glad to play your record, you know, so that's what I've had to do, go back to what we started in the old days.
00:16:18 - We would go and visit all the radio stations, you know, and so that's what I started doing.
00:16:21 - But, you know, I don't know how that's going to work, and this whatever.
00:16:27 - So I'm just hoping that I do have a, you know, a good, solid hit on my new song because it's really great.
00:16:38 - I only hope that, you know, this, where we are in this generation that is loud because there's hardly any radio station now, everyone's playing oldies.
00:16:49 - Yeah, I mean, taking away from this interview, Mary, I would love to be able to help you with you having that record because that's what I do for a living and I've had a lot of success, and a lot of success lately.
00:17:05 - So I would love to be able to help you with having a hit record under the name of Mary Wilson.
00:17:10 - There's no, you know, and for me, I think with someone of your stature and so on,
00:17:17 - I would say that is relatively easy if we pull the right strings in the right places.
00:17:24 - That's something that I can definitely help you with, because like I said, that's what I do for a living.
00:17:29 - You know, this is a book that's coming out and then to force the, you know, to basically establish with all the universities and all the students that are making music around the world.
00:17:44 - But, you know, in my normal job, my day job, as I like to call it, this is what I do.
00:17:49 - I work with many major labels and I produce artists and produce records and that's why we've called the book Hicklick.
00:17:58 - I mean, I started out with Ace of Bass and bands like that and I had number ones in the
00:18:03 - States and various other, you know, I mean, like I say, I've worked with friends and worked with various different styles of music, but I think there's always a way with someone like yourself that, you know, I think, you know, I mean, having the presence, like
00:18:20 - I say, of you and your name and what you've done, I think it makes the job a whole than working with an artist that perhaps hasn't had any experience and you have to break them from the ground up, you know, it's very, very...
00:18:36 - We can chat about that, but yeah, I mean from the perspective then of you being in the business for as long as you have and everything else, what would you say was the best thing that you learned in the industry?
00:18:55 - What's the one thing that maybe someone's told you, or you were working with someone?
00:19:02 - What's the one thing that you could hang on to and say, well, that was the best piece of advice.
00:19:07 - That was the best thing that I was given.
00:19:09 - What would that be?
00:19:10 - Well, you know, that's hard because many people have given me so many things, information, but I tell you what I personally have learned that has really been my sort of mantra,
00:19:24 - And that is to always enjoy what you're doing because it can be, you know, you can be a great star one day having all these records or movies or whatever you're doing and then the next day all that can stop.
00:19:41 - So it's important that if you still enjoy it that you can go on and do whatever you need to do to make yourself happy because, I mean, if you're going to work hard at job you might as well work hard at a job that you enjoy and most of the time you've got to work hard. We know that. That's the one thing I think I can say is to make sure you're in an industry that you enjoy. And so even with these down things that we have right now I still love getting out there on stage. I love going into the studio. You know I love what I do.
00:20:17 - R-M-M-R-M-M-R-M-M, oh you're each one.
00:20:22 - R-M-M, R.M-M, oh, R-M-M, oh, R-M-M, oh, R-M-M-M, oh Lord.
