Dreamgirl ; & Supreme faith : my life as a Supreme

682 Pages·1999·11.6 MB·English

by  Wilson

DREAMGIRL &
SUPREME FAITH
My Life as a Supreme
by Mary Wilson
[Supreme Faith co-written with Patricia Romanowski]
Copyright © 1986, 1990, 1999 by Mary Wilson
New afterword copyright © 1999 by Mary Wilson First Cooper Square Press edition 1999
This Cooper Square Press paperback edition of Dreamgirl & Supreme Faith: My Life as a Supreme is an
unabridged republication of Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme first published in New York in 1986 and
Supreme Faith: Someday We’ll Be Together, [co-written with Patricia Romanowski] first published in New
York in 1990, with the addition of eight pages of color photographs and a new afterward by the author. It is
reprinted by arrangement with the author.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including
information storage and retrieval systems, without written permissions from the publisher, except by a
reviewer who may quote passages in a review.
Published by Cooper Square Press,
An Imprint of Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
150 Fifth Avenue, Suite 911
New York, New York 10011
Distributed by National Book Network Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wilson, Mary, 1944–
[Dreamgirl]
Dreamgirl; &, Supreme faith : my life as a Supreme / by Mary Wilson.
p. cm.
Reprint. First work originally published : New York : St. Martin’s Press, cl986. 2nd
work originally published : New York : HarperCollins, cl990.
ISBN 978-0-8154-1000-3
1. Wilson, Mary, 1944– 2. Supremes (Musical group) 3. Women singers—United States—
Biography. I. Title: Dreamgirl; &, Supreme faith. II. Wilson, Mary, 1944– Supreme faith. III. Title:
Supreme faith. IV. Title.
ML420.W553 A3 1999
782.421644′092—dc21
[B]
99-055022
DREAMGIRL
My Life as a Supreme
Dedicated
to
my mom, Johnnie Mae Wilson, whose eyes have always shown love,
to
my aunt and uncle, I.V. and John L. Pippin,
and to the memory of
Florence “Blondie” Ballard
There is one person who must be thanked
apart from all the rest, the person who is
responsible for pulling this book together
and making it happen. Thank you,
Patty Romanowski.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am grateful to God for giving me the opportunity to live the life of a Supreme.
This story has all the elements of a classic opera, the comedy, the tragedy, and
finally the will to survive. And like all good theater the stage must be shared
with a multitude of co-stars, supporting cast, and bit players. I must sing their
praises.
Once the Primettes came into being, Milton Jenkins did everything in his
power to make our dreams come true; I am only sorry he didn’t reap the benefits
of his initial hard work. Jesse Greer, Richard Morris, and John O’Den are among
the many who saw the same bright potential and tried to help us achieve our
goals.
Thoughout those early days we had the support of the Primes, including
Eddie Kendricks, Kel Osborne, and the late Paul Williams.
Berry Gordy, Jr., orchestrated and directed the whole fairy-tale. I would have
no story to tell if it were not for Berry making us his “girls.”
My deepest gratitude must go to John L. Pippin, my aunt I.V., my cousin
Josephine, and Jackie Burkes for traveling down Memory Lane with me to the
days when I was just little Mae-Mae in a starched dress and pigtails.
Florence Ballard’s sisters, Barbara, Pat, and Maxine were invaluable in
helping me piece together Florence’s life after the Supremes.
There are too many members of the Motown family to name in this small
space. But I want to especially mention Janie “Money” Bradford, who spent
hours laughing and reminding me of the “good old days,” and Thomas “Beans”
Bowles, Choker Campbell, Joe Hunter, and Teddy Harris, who helped me
reminisce about the Motown days. And, of course, we must also remember the
likes of James Jamerson, Benny “Papa Zita” Benjamin, and Hank Cosby, just a
few of the musicians who provided the sound that inspired so many voices to
sing their hearts out.
Brian and Eddie Holland and Lamont Dozier’s music gave the Supremes the
perfect vehicles to ride. I thank you, gentlemen. Among our early
songwriter/producers were also Freddy Gorman and Smokey Robinson.
The Temptations have always been some of my staunchest allies, especially
Melvin Franklin (who always believed in me) and Richard Street. And let’s not
forget Joe Billingslea of the Contours, Bobby Rogers of the Miracles, Gladys
Horton of the Marvelettes, Rosalind Ashford of the Vandellas, Clarence Paul,
Joe Shaffner, Kim Weston, who continues to encourage the young voices of
Detroit to sing out, Cholly Atkins, who made the moves possible, and his
beautiful wife, Maye “Mom” Atkins, Esther Edwards who tried to lead us down
the straight and narrow path of life, Maurice King and Gil Askey for their
musical support and guidance, Nate McAlpine, Norris Patterson, Eddie Bisco,
Winnie Brown, Shelly Berger, Don Foster, Weldon McDougle, and Sylvia Moy,
just to name a few of the people who laughed, cried, and relived our past.
Dick Clark helped to launch the Supremes and he continues to be one of
Motown’s greatest supporters and admirers. I also would like to thank so many
of the other artists on the Dick Clark tour who shared their memories of those
crazy tours with me, especially singer Mike Clifford.
Mark Bego was the first to help me try to compile my memoirs and I thank
him for setting me on the right path. Bart Andrews and Sherry Robb of Andrews
and Robb Agency were the first to set the wheel in motion so that this book
could become a reality.
Because of the grace of God, the Supremes have touched many lives, so it is
with great passion that I thank our many fans, who have shared our dream and
made it a reality. Without the help of the fans, this manuscript could never have
come into being. The clippings, photos, and stories they provided were an
invaluable part of its creation. I must thank Carl Feuerbacher, president of the
Supremes fan club, who at his own expense has continued to publish the
monthly newsletter and gather materials and information for Dreamgirl, and also
Tom and Barbara Ingrassia and the many fans who helped. His help and
continued support is worth more than words can ever express. Allen Poe, my
godson and personal assistant, gave me a supporting hand throughout the writing
of this book and I shall not forget it.
I must also thank my New York research team, Jim Lopes, and—again—
Mark Bego, John Christe, Edmund Grier, Tony Turner, and Mark Case, my Los
Angeles research team, David Horii and John Wyman, my Detroit research team,
Martha Harris and Alice Fletcher, and my European research team.
To my attorney, Robert P. Kragulac, Esq.: Thanks for keeping me afloat and
my corporation together.
Esther Gilmore’s busy fingers transferred hours of chatter into legible
transcripts. Constance Pappas Hillman gave me access to her library and Brother
Prince was a patron when I needed him. Each of these people is an integral part
of the book.
A thank-you to Ahrgus Juilliard, who sat and worked with me for a year and
a half, pulling my diaries, scrapbooks, transcripts, and thoughts together for this
book. Thanks, girl.
And a special thank-you to Pedro Ferrer, my ex-hubby, for telling me to get
started on writing this book.
None of this could have been possible without my main sister, Hazel Bethke
Kragulac, who since 1972 has been much more than my secretary, friend, and
Executive Assistant.
But most of all I give my sincerest gratitude to Bob Miller, my editor, who
has encouraged and supported me for the past few years as I labored through this
manuscript. Bob never lost sight of our ultimate goal and he never lost faith that
we’d achieve it.
God bless you all.
Mary Wilson
Los Angeles, California
1986
PREFACE
Since the Supremes’ last official farewell concert in 1976 at London’s Drury
Lane Theater, with Scherrie Payne and Susaye Green, I have pursued a solo
career. It was strange at first. I had sung almost all my life, but after Berry Gordy
had designated Diane Ross as the sole lead vocalist of the original Supremes, I
assumed my position in the background, knowing that my turn would come
again.
When it finally did, fourteen years later, I was scared to death but
exhilarated. I took my show on the road from 1977 to 1979, touring the world
and working only occasionally in the United States. It’s amazing how many
performers will stay in the States and suffer at the hands of a fickle record
industry while all over the world there are hundreds of thousands of fans dying
to see them and buy their records. I went to those far-off, exotic places and
started over again. I met some wonderful people over there, but each time I’d
come home I would inevitably run into someone who would ask, “Are you still
singing?” Worse yet, many people assumed I was broke, probably living in some
tawdry apartment, wearing a frayed, ancient floor-length sequined gown, looking
through old scrapbooks of my Motown days, like some sort of pop-music Miss
Havisham with a wedding cake made of gold records.
In fact, throughout the seventies, I not only reestablished my own career but
got married, had three children, and continued traveling, working anywhere
between nine and eleven months a year. I also began studying acting and singing
with several teachers, and have spent twelve years with my voice teacher,
Guiseppe Belestrieri.
In 1979 I recorded my first solo album, Mary Wilson (Motown), from which
was released the single “Red Hot.” I felt ready to return to the States and make