Mary Wells

Mary Esther Wells (May 13, 1943 – July 26, 1992) was an American singer, who helped to define the emerging sound of Motown in the early 1960s.<ref name="Larkin">Template:Cite book</ref>

Along with the Supremes, the Miracles, the Temptations, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas and the Four 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".<ref name="mw-obit">Template:Cite news</ref>

With a string of hit singles composed mainly by Smokey Robinson, including "The One Who Really Loves You", "Two Lovers" and the Grammy-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.

Life and career

Early life (1943–1960)

Mary Esther Wells was born near Detroit's Wayne 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 spinal meningitis at the age of two and struggled with partial blindness, deafness in one ear and temporary paralysis. At age 10, Wells contracted tuberculosis. During her early years, Wells lived in Black 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 artists Little Willie John, Jackie Wilson and The 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 by Johnnie Mae Matthews in 1960, who signed her to her Northern 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 future Temptations founder Otis Williams.

Initial success with Motown (1960-1961)

Following her graduation from Northwestern 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.<ref name="nyt">Template:Cite news</ref> With the help of Robert Bateman, who was working with Wilson's former songwriter and Tamla Records founder Berry Gordy, Wells spotted Gordy at Detroit's 20 Grand nightclub the following month, where he was busy with his acts Marv 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" at United Sound Systems.<ref name="Larkin"/> The song was released in December 1960 and became Wells' first chart hit, reaching number 8 on the Billboard Hot R&B Sides chart in January 1961 and crossed over to number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April of the same year, prior to Wells turning 18.<ref name="rnb">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="bb100"/>

Gordy then assigned his staff writer William "Mickey" Stevenson to pen Wells' next single, the doo-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.<ref name="bb100">Template:Cite web</ref> 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, the bluesy "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.

Stardom (1962–1964)

Almost immediately after these failures, however, Gordy assigned Miracles lead singer and songwriter Smokey Robinson to compose Wells' next single. Inspired by the calypso pop of Harry Belafonte, as well as the growing girl 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.<ref name="Larkin"/> This was then followed by the similar-sounding "You Beat Me to the Punch" a few months later.<ref name="Larkin"/> 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 a Grammy Award nomination for the song in the Best Rock & Roll Recording category in 1963, becoming the first Motown artist to win a Grammy nomination.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="legacy">Template:Cite web</ref>

In late 1962, the Robinson-composed "Two Lovers"<ref name=pc25>Template:Gilliland</ref> 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 after Brenda Lee. "Two Lovers" became her first million-selling single and Wells was awarded a gold disc.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">Template:Cite book</ref> In October 1962, Wells was the major headliner of the first Motortown 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 the Billboard 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 with Holland-Dozier-Holland, resulting in the rock-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 the Billboard Hot 100, replacing Louis Armstrong's "Hello, Dolly!" at the top spot, staying there for two weeks. Both singles were notable for breaking the Beatles' uninterrupted fourteen-week streak inside the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. "My Guy" became Wells' second million-seller.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/> Wells would release two albums that featured the hit -- Greatest Hits and Mary Wells Sings My Guy. Both albums made the Billboard 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 mate Marvin Gaye.<ref name="Larkin"/> The album peaked at number 42 on the Billboard 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 the Billboard 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 the UK 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 being Brenda Holloway and Jackie 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: Template:Blockquote

Leaving Motown (1964–1965)

Template:More citations needed section 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 with 20th Century Fox Records.<ref name="Larkin"/>

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.

Career struggles (1965–1979)

Wells worked on material for her new record label while dealing with other issues, including being bedridden for weeks suffering from tuberculosis. After recovering, the label issued "Ain't It The Truth", which peaked at number 45 on the Billboard 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 the Billboard Hot 100. The next single, "Never, Never Leave Me", peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 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.<ref name=mw-clas>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name="Larkin"/>

In 1966, Wells signed with Atlantic Records's subsidiary Atco.<ref name="Larkin"/> Working with producer Carl Davis, she scored her final Top 10 R&B hit with "Dear Lover",<ref name="Larkin"/> 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 for Jubilee Records, where she scored her final pop chart hit, "The Doctor", a song she co-wrote with then-husband Cecil Womack.<ref name="Larkin"/> Meanwhile, she had attempted to develop a film career, but only managed a guest starring role in Catalina Caper (1967). In 1970, Wells left Jubilee for a short-lived deal with Warner Music subsidiary Reprise Records and released two Bobby 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Though a re-issue, Wells promoted the single heavily and appeared on the British TV show Top 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.

Comeback (1981–1989)

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That year, the In and Out of Love was released in October 1981. The leading single, "Gigolo", became her first and only single to reach the Billboard Hot Dance/Disco Club Play chart at number 13.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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 final Billboard chart single. Wells appeared on the popular dance show, Soul Train to promote the single. In 1982, she released the album Easy Touch under the CBS subsidiary 51 West. In March 1983, Wells participated in the Emmy 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 of American Top 40, Casey Kasem reported that Wells was attempting to establish a hot dog chain.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref>

In 1989, Wells was celebrated with a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation during its inaugural year.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite news</ref>

Final years (1990–1992)

In 1990, Wells recorded an album for Ian Levine's Motorcity Records,<ref name="Larkin"/> but her voice began to fail, causing the singer to visit a local hospital. Doctors diagnosed Wells with laryngeal 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, including Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, members of the Temptations and Martha Reeves, made donations to support her, along with the help of admirers such as Dionne Warwick, Rod Stewart, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin and Bonnie Raitt.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That same year, a benefit concert was held by fellow fan and Detroit R&B singer Anita Baker. Wells was also given a tribute by friends such as Stevie Wonder and Little Richard on The 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 the United States Congress to encourage government funding for cancer research:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

During her teen years when she was being mentored by Johnnie Mae Matthews, Wells was reportedly involved with Otis Williams. According to other published reports, after her affair with Williams ended, she also got involved with Wilson Pickett.

Wells married twice: first, in 1961, to Detroit singer Herman Griffin; they divorced in 1963. Despite rumors, she never dated fellow Motown singer Marvin Gaye, who would go on to have successful duet partnerships with Kim Weston, Tammi Terrell and Diana Ross after Wells had left Motown. Throughout 1965, she got involved with R&B superstar Jackie Wilson and Chicago-bases producer Carl Davis. At one point, Wells and Davis were engaged.

In 1966, Wells married singer-songwriter Cecil Womack, formerly of the Valentinos, and the younger brother of musician Bobby Womack.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> 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).<ref name=":1" />

Death

In the summer of 1992, Wells' cancer returned and she was rushed to the Kenneth Norris Jr. Cancer Hospital in Los Angeles with pneumonia. With the effects of her unsuccessful treatments and a weakened immune system, Wells died on July 26, 1992, at the age of 49.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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 in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park, in a Womack family crypt. Family friend Sam Cooke is buried in The Garden of Honor, about Template:Convert to the west.

Legacy and accolades

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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 the Billboard Hot 100 between 1962-1963.

When "My Guy" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the late spring of 1964, it was only the third Motown-associated single to reach the top after the Marvelettes' "Please, Mr. Postman" and Little Stevie Wonder's "Fingertips" and the first number one single on the Motown imprint, predating the Supremes' "Where Did Our Love Go".

During her thirty-year career, Wells sent 23 songs to the Billboard 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 album Servin' Up Some Soul was sampled by Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli on the song "History" off the former's The Ecstatic in 2009.

In 1986 and 1987, Wells was a finalist for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but failed to get in.

Wells earned one Grammy Award nomination during her career.<ref name=":0" /> Her song "My Guy" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Wells was given one of the first Pioneer Awards by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1989.<ref name=":2" /> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She was inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Discography

Singles

• 1960: "Bye Bye Baby" (US No. 45)
• 1961: "I Don't Want to Take a Chance" (US No. 33)
• 1962: "The One Who Really Loves You" (US No. 8)
• 1962: "You Beat Me to the Punch" (US No. 9)
• 1962: "Two Lovers" (US No. 7)
• 1963: "Laughing Boy" (US No. 15)
• 1963: "Your Old Standby" (US No. 40)
• 1963: "You Lost the Sweetest Boy" (US No. 22)
• 1963: "What's So Easy for Two Is So Hard for One" (US No. 29)
• 1964: "My Guy" (US No. 1, UK No. 5)
• 1964: "Once Upon a Time" (US No. 19)
• 1964: "What's the Matter with You Baby" (US No. 15)
• 1964: "Ain't It the Truth (US No. 45)
• 1964: "Stop Takin' Me for Granted (US No. 88)
• 1965: "Use Your Head" (US No. 34)
• 1965: "Never, Never Leave Me" (US R&B No. 15)
• 1965: "He's a Lover" (US No. 74)
• 1965: "Me Without You" (US No. 95)
• 1966: "Dear Lover" (US No. 51, R&B No. 6)
• 1966: "Can't You See (You're Losing Me)" (US No. 94)
• 1966: "Such a Sweet Thing" (US No. 99)
• 1968: "The Doctor" (US No. 65, R&B No. 22)
• 1969: "Never Give a Man the World: (US R&B No. 38)
• 1969: "Dig the Way I Feel" (US R&B No. 35)
• 1981: "Gigolo" (US Club No. 13, R&B No. 69)

Charted albums

• 1963: Two Lovers and Other Great Hits (No. 49 U.S.)
• 1964: Together (No. 42 U.S.)
• 1964: Greatest Hits (No. 18 U.S.)
• 1964: Mary Wells Sings My Guy (No. 111 U.S.)
• 1965: Mary Wells (No. 145 U.S.)

External links

• Template:IMDb name
• CMG Worldwide
• History of Rock page on Mary Wells
• Template:AllMusic
• Template:Find a Grave