Mary Wilson was an American singer. She gained worldwide recognition as a founding member of the Supremes, the most successful Motown act of the 1960s and the best-charting female group in U.S. chart history, as well as one of the best-selling girl groups of all-time. The trio reached number one on Billboard's Hot 100 with 12 of their singles, ten of which feature Wilson on backing vocals.
Wilson at the Peabody institute in Baltimore in September 1994
Wilson (middle) performing with the Supremes
Wilson at the LBJ Presidential Library in 2019
The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful American vocal band, with 12 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Most of these hits were written and produced by Motown's main songwriting and production team, Holland–Dozier–Holland. It is said that their breakthrough made it possible for future African-American R&B and soul musicians to find mainstream success. Billboard ranked the Supremes as the 16th greatest Hot 100 artist of all time.
(L–R): Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, and Diana Ross performing "My World Is Empty Without You" on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1966
Frederick Douglass Housing Project in Detroit
The Supremes on the cover of Cash Box, 31 July 1965
Billboard advertisement for The Supremes' tenth number 1 single, "The Happening", April 22, 1967