DREAMGIRL My life as a Supreme
Mary Wilson
Off the jump, I knew a couple of things about the Supremes. It’s clear that they are talented, that they are beautiful. I was aware of some of their songs like “Baby Love” and “Where Did Our Love Go”.
Sure, I also knew of Diana Ross as a solo artist and that she was the lead singer of The Supremes. But I had no idea who any of the other Supremes were. That was my loss. I have corrected that, to some degree.
It was clear I needed to brush up on my knowledge of Motown and some of the wonderful artists they had. So this is the first step.
Mary Wilson made me aware of some uncomfortable truths about touring the south while being black. She had no control over how some people saw her. She had no control over people insulting her and calling her the “N” word on a daily basis. She had no control over the fact that people shot at her for simply being black.
I was aware of the struggles of black Americans in the 50s and 60s. I understood the issues but they never hit home with me as much as it did when I read some of Mary Wilsons’ stories about her experiences. That Wilson and her compatriots somehow managed to keep the show on the road is more than commendable.
There must have been some harrowing experiences that just didn’t make the book. Perhaps that’s a good thing. It’s still shocking that these kinds of things used to happen in America, especially in the south.
We’re always told to never judge a book by its cover. In all cases, that’s great advice. It’s the kind of Supreme advice that is more than applicable here. This cover is atrocious. I have no idea what folks were thinking when they designed this cover but the colors are simply horrific.
Between the color choices and the choice of photo, they designed something that is simply horrid. There was so much opportunity for the publishers to have the cover reflect the beauty of both the women involved and the songs. They decided to go another way.
I have to think that a beautifully designed cover would have helped the sales of the book. None of the songs sung by Mary Wilson were ugly. So why, oh why did they design such an ugly cover?
For those of you who love pictures in books, you might be disappointed. The huge majority of the photos here are publicity shots. So if you were looking for something more from her private collection well, you’ll be saddened.
But pictures are not what’s important, is it? It's Mary Wilson’s story that’s important and that’s where the book excels. While I love the book it was difficult to read in some sections. I just can't imagine how hard some of these must have been to live through.
Mary Wilson always had music. She began singing with friends as a teenager. A couple of those friends were Diana Ross, Florence Ballard, and Betty McGlown. So by the time the Supremes began recording Mary Wilson was already a professional singer.
Motown records had a department called Artist Development. Now, you might think that they had something to do with helping the artist to find and develop music to record and such. But Ms. Wilson describes this as a kind of charm school for the ladies of Motown.
Charm school could imply something negative about Motown but Wilson describes it as a bit of fun that she and the other Supremes engaged in. Some of the other women of Motown didn’t appreciate the charm school but she had fun.
Mary Wilson has a lot of fun stories about her life as a Supreme but what was curious was Appendix 1. This was an itinerary of Mary Wilson and her life as a Supreme from 1961 to 1970. Now, these were just the highlights but man alive was she a busy singer. The Supremes were a busy group of singers. They also include a Supremes discography so that if you missed any of their recordings you can find them . . . somewhere.
Mary Wilson writes fun and easily readable book, for the most part, anyway. There are some parts where she speaks of
the racism she and her friends had encountered over the years. That kind of hatred is difficult to read about from anyone.
Mary Wilson was certainly not the first to experience that kind of hatred and she definitely wasn’t the last. It’s just sad she had to experience that and it’s sad that there are folks who experience similar things today.
The story of Mary Wilson, as told by Mary Wilson, is just great. If you love Motown and the Supremes you owe it to yourself to read this. Fans of early rock and roll should read this too. You won’t be disappointed in this Supreme book.
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