Mary Wells | |
|---|---|
 Wells in 1965 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Mary Wells Womack |
| Born | Mary Esther Wells (1943-05-13)May 13, 1943 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | July 26, 1992(1992-07-26) (aged 49) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1960–1990 |
| Labels | |
Mary Esther Wells (May 13, 1943 – July 26, 1992) was an American singer, who helped to define the emerging sound ofMotown in the early 1960s.[1]
Along withthe Supremes,the Miracles,the Temptations,Martha Reeves and the Vandellas and theFour Tops, Wells was said to have been part of the charge in black music onto radio stations and record shelves of mainstream America, "bridging the color lines in music at the time".[2]
With a string of hit singles composed mainly bySmokey Robinson, including "The One Who Really Loves You", "Two Lovers" and theGrammy-nominated "You Beat Me to the Punch", all in 1962, plus her signature hit, "My Guy" (1964), she became recognized as "The Queen of Motown" until her departure from the company in 1964, at the height of her success.
Mary Esther Wells was born near Detroit'sWayne State University on May 13, 1943, to Geneva Campbell Wells, a mother who worked as a domestic, and Arthur Wells, an absentee father. One of three children, she contracted spinalmeningitis at the age of two and struggled with partial blindness, deafness in one ear and temporary paralysis. At age 10, Wells contractedtuberculosis. During her early years, Wells lived inBlack Bottom and struggled with poverty. By age 12, she was helping her mother with house cleaning work.
Wells used singing as her comfort from her pain, first singing in a Detroit Baptist church at the age of ten. By her teen years, she participated in talent shows. But Wells initially had no plans to be a professional singer until Detroit-based artistsLittle Willie John,Jackie Wilson andThe Miracles began having mainstream hits. By the late 1950s, R&B and doo-wop groups formed all over the city and Wells tried joining several groups who turned her down. Wells eventually was discovered byJohnnie Mae Matthews in 1960, who signed her to herNorthern Records label. Despite the promise of producing her, Wells left after Matthews failed to book a session due to Matthews' attention on the Distants, led by futureTemptations founderOtis Williams.
Following her graduation fromNorthwestern High School in June 1960, Wells sought to be a songwriter and penned a song titled "Bye Bye Baby" in the hopes of her idol Jackie Wilson singing it.[3] With the help of Robert Bateman, who was working with Wilson's former songwriter andTamla Records founderBerry Gordy, Wells spotted Gordy at Detroit's 20 Grand nightclub the following month, where he was busy with his actsMarv Johnson and the Miracles and eventually presented the song to a weary Gordy who ordered her to sing the song, to which Wells did.
Impressed by Wells' performance, he offered Wells a record deal with his recently formed Motown imprint, a subsidiary of his first label, Tamla. Wells signed the following day on July 8 with her mother present and recorded 22 takes of "Bye Bye Baby" atUnited Sound Systems.[1] The song was released in December 1960 and became Wells' first chart hit, reaching number 8 on theBillboard Hot R&B Sides chart in January 1961 and crossed over to number 45 on theBillboard Hot 100 in April of the same year, prior to Wells turning 18.[4][5]
Gordy then assigned his staff writerWilliam "Mickey" Stevenson to pen Wells' next single, thedoo-wop flavored "I Don't Want to Take a Chance", which was released in June and reached number 9 on the R&B Sides chart and number 33 on the Hot 100.[5] The achievement made her the first Motown solo artist to have a top 40 crossover hit. Around the same time,The Miracles scored their first hit with "Shop Around", which was released on the Tamla label. Stevenson's next composition, thebluesy "Strange Love", Wells' first ballad, failed to chart, as did Wells' first album,Bye Bye Baby I Don't Want to Take a Chance, released in November 1961.
Almost immediately after these failures, however, Gordy assigned Miracles lead singer and songwriterSmokey Robinson to compose Wells' next single. Inspired by thecalypso pop ofHarry Belafonte, as well as the growinggirl group craze of that period, Robinson composed the pop song "The One Who Really Loves You", which Wells sung under a softer, sweeter tone. Released in February 1962, the song was an immediate hit, reaching number two on the R&B Sides chart and number eight on the Hot 100.[1] This was then followed by the similar-sounding "You Beat Me to the Punch" a few months later.[1] The song became her first number one R&B hit and her second top ten pop hit, peaking at number nine on the Hot 100. Wells won aGrammy Award nomination for the song in theBest Rock & Roll Recording category in 1963, becoming the first Motown artist to win a Grammy nomination.[6][7]
In late 1962, the Robinson-composed "Two Lovers"[8] was released as the next single and became her third consecutive top ten single on the Hot 100, peaking at number seven and became her second R&B number one. The result made Wells the first black female solo artist to produce three consecutive top ten singles and just the second female artist overall afterBrenda Lee. "Two Lovers" became her first million-selling single and Wells was awarded agold disc.[9] In October 1962, Wells was the major headliner of the firstMotortown Revue, where her energetic performances were often the highlight of the Revue.
Throughout 1963, Wells continued to enjoy success. Her third studio album,Two Lovers and Other Great Hits, became her first charted album, peaking at number 49 on theBillboard Top LPs chart. Wells' next hit, "Laughing Boy", reached number 15 on the Hot 100, breaking her historic top ten streak. After the follow-up, "Your Old Standby" barely cracked the top 40, Wells began working withHolland-Dozier-Holland, resulting in therock-inflected hit "You Lost the Sweetest Boy" while enjoying a double sided hit with the song and the Robinson-penned "What's Easy for Two Is Hard for One".
In March 1964, Motown released the Robinson-composed "My Guy" and in May, the song became Wells' first and only number one single on theBillboard Hot 100, replacingLouis Armstrong's "Hello, Dolly!" at the top spot, staying there for two weeks. Both singles were notable for breakingthe Beatles' uninterrupted fourteen-week streak inside the top ten of theBillboard Hot 100. "My Guy" became Wells' second million-seller.[9] Wells would release two albums that featured the hit --Greatest Hits andMary Wells Sings My Guy. Both albums made theBillboard Top LPs chart, with the former album peaking at number 18, which made it her only top 40 album.
Around the same time, Wells recorded the duet album,Together, with rising label mateMarvin Gaye.[1] The album peaked at number 42 on theBillboard Top LPs chart and produced the double-sided hits "Once Upon a Time" and "What's the Matter With You Baby", both songs reaching the top 20 of theBillboard Hot 100.
"My Guy" was one of the first Motown songs to break on the other side of the Atlantic, eventually peaking at number 5 on theUK chart and making Wells an international star. Around this time, the Beatles stated that Wells was their favorite American singer, and soon she was given an invitation to open for the group during their tour of the United Kingdom, thus making her the first Motown star to perform in the UK. Wells was only one of three female singers to open for the Beatles, the others beingBrenda Holloway andJackie DeShannon. Danny Tyrell accompanied her in live shows in Detroit. Wells made friends with all four Beatles and later released a tribute album,Love Songs to the Beatles, in mid-decade.
Former Motown sales chief Barney Ales described Wells's landmark success in 1964:
In 1964, Mary Wells was our big, big artist, I don't think there's any audience with an age of 30 through 50 that doesn't know the words toMy Guy.[2]
— 1992
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Ironically during her most successful year, Wells was having problems with Motown over her original recording contract, which she had signed at the age of 17. Though Gordy reportedly attempted to renegotiate with Wells, the singer still asked to be freed from her contract with Motown.
A pending lawsuit kept Wells away from the studio for several months, as she and Gordy brokered the contract details, with Wells fighting to gain a larger share of the royalties she had earned during her tenure with Motown. Finally, Wells invoked a clause that allowed her to leave the label, advising the court that her original contract was invalid, as she had signed while she was still a minor. Wells won her lawsuit and was awarded a settlement, leaving Motown officially in early 1965, whereupon she accepted a lucrative ($200,000) contract with20th Century Fox Records.[1]
Part of the terms of the agreement of her release was that she could not receive any royalties from her past works with the label, including use of her likeness to promote herself.
Wells worked on material for her new record label while dealing with other issues, including being bedridden for weeks suffering fromtuberculosis. After recovering, the label issued "Ain't It The Truth", which peaked at number 45 on theBillboard Hot 100. The following single "Use Your Head" returned Wells to the top forty, peaking at number 34. It would be her twelfth and final single to chart in the top forty of theBillboard Hot 100. The next single, "Never, Never Leave Me", peaked at number 15 on theBillboard Hot Rhythm and Blues Singles chart. Her self-titled eponymous debut for 20th Century Fox as well as her Beatles tribute album failed to chart. Rumors have hinted Motown may have threatened to sue radio stations for playing Wells's post-Motown music during this time.[10] After a stressful period in which Wells and the label battled over multiple issues after her records failed to chart successfully, the singer asked to be let go in 1965 and left with a small settlement.[1]
In 1966, Wells signed withAtlantic Records's subsidiaryAtco.[1] Working with producer Carl Davis, she scored her final Top 10 R&B hit with "Dear Lover",[1] which also became a modestly successful pop hit, peaking at number 51 and returned her to the R&B top ten at number six. However, much like her tenure with 20th Century Fox, the singer struggled to come up with a follow-up hit, and in 1968, she left the label forJubilee Records, where she scored her final pop chart hit, "The Doctor", a song she co-wrote with then-husbandCecil Womack.[1] Meanwhile, she had attempted to develop a film career, but only managed a guest starring role inCatalina Caper (1967). In 1970, Wells left Jubilee for a short-lived deal with Warner Music subsidiaryReprise Records and released twoBobby Womack-produced singles. In 1972, Wells scored a UK hit with a re-issue of "My Guy", which was released on the Tamla-Motown label and climbed to number 14.[11] Though a re-issue, Wells promoted the single heavily and appeared on the British TV showTop of the Pops for the first time. Though Wells continued to perform afterwards, she stepped away from the recording studio and walked away from the record industry.
Following her divorce from Cecil Womack, Wells began reviving her stage performance, which soon landed her a new recording deal with CBS Records in 1981 after getting in contact with Larkin Arnold.[12] That year, theIn and Out of Love was released in October 1981. The leading single, "Gigolo", became her first and only single to reach theBillboardHot Dance/Disco Club Play chart at number 13.[13] A four-minute radio version released to R&B stations in January 1982 achieved a modest showing at number 69, becoming her first R&B chart single since 1974. "Gigolo" turned out to be the singer's finalBillboard chart single. Wells appeared on the popular dance show,Soul Train to promote the single. In 1982, she released the albumEasy Touch under the CBS subsidiary 51 West. In March 1983, Wells participated in theEmmy Award-winning special,Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, singing "My Guy". Wells continued recording for smaller labels and continued her successful touring career.
On the April 21, 1984, edition ofAmerican Top 40,Casey Kasem reported that Wells was attempting to establish ahot dog chain.[14]
In 1989, Wells was celebrated with a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation during its inaugural year.[15]
In 1990, Wells recorded an album forIan Levine'sMotorcity Records,[1] but her voice began to fail, causing the singer to visit a local hospital. Doctors diagnosed Wells withlaryngeal cancer. Treatments for the disease ravaged her voice, forcing her to quit her music career. Since she had no health insurance, her illness wiped out her finances, forcing her to sell her home. As she struggled to continue treatment, old Motown friends, includingDiana Ross,Mary Wilson, members ofthe Temptations andMartha Reeves, made donations to support her, along with the help of admirers such asDionne Warwick,Rod Stewart,Bruce Springsteen,Aretha Franklin andBonnie Raitt.[16] That same year, a benefit concert was held by fellow fan and Detroit R&B singerAnita Baker. Wells was also given a tribute by friends such asStevie Wonder andLittle Richard onThe Joan Rivers Show.
In 1991, Wells brought a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Motown for royalties she felt she had not received upon leaving Motown Records in 1964 and for loss of royalties for not promoting her songs as the company should have. Motown eventually settled the lawsuit by giving her a six-figure sum. That same year, she testified before theUnited States Congress to encourage government funding for cancer research:[17]
I'm here today to urge you to keep the faith. I can't cheer you on with all my voice, but I can encourage, and I pray to motivate you with all my heart and soul and whispers.
— Mary Wells[10]
During her teen years when she was being mentored byJohnnie Mae Matthews, Wells was reportedly involved withOtis Williams. According to other published reports, after her affair with Williams ended, she also got involved withWilson Pickett.
Wells married twice: first, in 1961, to Detroit singer Herman Griffin; they divorced in 1963. Despite rumors, she never dated fellow Motown singerMarvin Gaye, who would go on to have successful duet partnerships withKim Weston,Tammi Terrell andDiana Ross after Wells had left Motown. Throughout 1965, she got involved with R&B superstarJackie Wilson and Chicago-bases producer Carl Davis. At one point, Wells and Davis were engaged.
In 1966, Wells married singer-songwriterCecil Womack, formerly ofthe Valentinos, and the younger brother of musicianBobby Womack.[18] The marriage lasted until 1977 and they produced three children:Cecil Jr., Harry, and Stacy. She had a fourth child, Sugar, with Curtis Womack (Cecil's brother).[14]
In the summer of 1992, Wells' cancer returned and she was rushed to the Kenneth Norris Jr. Cancer Hospital in Los Angeles withpneumonia. With the effects of her unsuccessful treatments and a weakened immune system, Wells died on July 26, 1992, at the age of 49.[19][20] After her funeral, which included a eulogy given by her old friend and former collaborator,Smokey Robinson, Wells was cremated, and her ashes were laid to rest inGlendale'sForest Lawn Memorial Park, in a Womack family crypt. Family friendSam Cooke is buried in The Garden of Honor, about 850 feet (260 m) to the west.
Wells is often referred to as the "First Lady of Motown" as well as "the Queen of Motown" due to becoming the first female star artist to emerge from the label.[21]
As a Motown artist, Wells was the first solo artist on the label to produce a top 40 crossover single, doing so with 1961's "I Don't Want to Take a Chance" and was also the first Motown artist to produce multiple top ten hits on theBillboard Hot 100 between 1962-1963.
When "My Guy" hit number one on theBillboard Hot 100 in the late spring of 1964, it was only the third Motown-associated single to reach the top afterthe Marvelettes' "Please, Mr. Postman" andLittle Stevie Wonder's "Fingertips" and the first number one single on the Motown imprint, predatingthe Supremes' "Where Did Our Love Go".
During her thirty-year career, Wells sent 23 songs to theBillboard Hot 100, including 12 top 40 singles, seven top 20 singles, four top ten singles and a number one hit while on the R&B charts, she sent 21 songs on the chart including 19 top 40 singles, 16 top 20 singles, 14 top ten singles, six top 5 singles and three number one singles.
Her 1968 composition and recording, "Two Lovers History", from her albumServin' Up Some Soul was sampled byYasiin Bey andTalib Kweli on the song "History" off the former'sThe Ecstatic in 2009.
In 1986 and 1987, Wells was a finalist for induction into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame but failed to get in.
Wells earned one Grammy Award nomination during her career.[6] Her song "My Guy" was inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame in 1999.[22]
Wells was given one of the first Pioneer Awards by theRhythm and Blues Foundation in 1989.[15] A year later, the foundation raised more than $50,000 to help with her treatment after her illness had wiped out all of her finances.
Wells was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2006.[23] She was inducted into theNational Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 2017.[24]
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