Mary Wells

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Mary Esther Wells (May 13, 1943-1992) was an American singer who helped to define Motown's burgeoning sound in the early 1960s.

Wells, alongside The Supremes, The Miracles, The Temptations, and the Four Tops, was one of the black music surge to black radio stations and record stores in mainstream America, "bridging the color lines in music at the time." "She Belong to the People" (1962), "The One Who Truly Loves You" (1962), and her "She Beat Me to the Punch" (1964), she became known as "The Queen of Motown" during her tenure with the company, which was mainly written by Smokey Robinson."

She was one of Motown's first female superstars.

Personal life

Wells married twice: first in 1960 to Detroit singer Herman Griffin; they divorced in 1963. Despite rumors, she never met Marvin Gaye, a motown singer who would go on to have fruitful duet relationships with Kim Weston, Tammi Terrell, and Diana Ross after Wells left Motown.

Wells married singer-songwriter Cecil Womack, formerly of the Valentinos, and musician Bobby Womack's younger brother. The couple lived together until 1977, and they had three children.

Wells had four children from two marriages: Cecil, Jr., Harry, Stacy, and Sugar.

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Life and career

Mary Esther Wells was born in Detroit, Michigan, on May 13, 1943, to a mother who worked as a domestic and an absentee father. She began experiencing partial blindness, deafness in one ear, and temporary paralysis at the age of two. Wells, tuberculosis, was present in the infant world at age ten. Wells lived in Black Bottom during her youth and suffered with hunger. She was helping her mother with household sweeping by the age of 12.

She described the ordeal years later:

Wells went from church choirs to performing at local nightclubs in the Detroit area by age 10. Wells graduated from Northwestern High School at the age of 17 and set her sights on becoming a scientist, but after learning about Jackie Wilson and the Miracles' success, she decided to try her hand at music as a singer.

Wells, a 17-year-old Wells, approached Tamla Records founder Berry Gordy in 1960, with a song she had intended for Jackie Wilson to perform at Detroit's Twenty Grand Club, even before Wells knew of Gordy's friendship with Wilson. However, a drained Gordy insisted that Wells sing the song in front of him. Gordy was compelled to sing "Bye Bye Baby" by a Detroit Sound Systems. Gordy signed Wells to the Motown affiliate of his increasing record label in September 1960 and debuted the song as a single on the US Billboard R&B chart in 1961, but then it climbed to number 48 on the pop singles chart, where it peaked at number eight on the chart.

Wells' early Motown recordings reflected a rougher R&B sound rather than her earlier hits' smoother style. Wells, the first female artist to have a Top 40 pop single, after the Mickey Stevenson-penned doom song "I Don't Want to Take a Chance" reached number 33 in June 1961. Motown's first album and debut of a new one, the bluesy ballad "Strange Love," in the fall of the year. Gordy formed Wells Up with Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson when the album bombed. Despite being praised as "the first lady of Motown" by Berry Gordy, the artist's third female signed act, Wells was officially named "the first lady of Motown" by the group's first female signed artist, and Mable John, a 1959 Detroit blues-gospel singer, had signed to the then-fledgling label a year before Wells' arrival. Nevertheless, Wells' early hits as one of the label's few female solo artists made her the label's first female actress and the label's first fully successful solo artist.

Wells' partnership with Robinson culminated in a string of hit singles over the next two years. Wells' first hit, "The One Who Really Loves You" in 1962, was their first collaboration, peaking at number 2 on the R&B chart and number 8 on the Hot 100. Wells' early hits were characterized by a calypso-styled soul production. A few months later, Motown issued the similar-sounding "You Beat Me to the Punch." The album debuted as her first R&B top 100 single and peaked at number 9 on the pop charts. "You Beat Me to the Punch"'s success made Wells the first Motown performer to be nominated for a Grammy Award when the song was first nominated for Best Rock & Roll Recording in 1963.

"Two Lovers" became Wells' third straight single to crack the top ten of Billboard's Hot 100 in late 1962, peaking at number 7 and becoming her second number one hit on the R&B chart in late 1962. This made Wells the first female solo artist to have three consecutive top ten singles on the pop chart. The track has been out of stock for over a million copies, and was given a gold disc. Wells' popularity with the brand was reflected when she first became a front-row fixture during a series of Motortown Revue concerts, beginning in 1962. The singer had a rawer stage presence that contrasted with her softer R&B recordings.

Wells' popularity in 1963 continued as she appeared on "Your Old Standby" with the doop ballad "You Lost the Sweetest Child" and three additional Top 40 singles, as well as a B-side, "What's Easy for Two." Though Robinson was once the first hit single produced by Holland–Dozier-Holland's songwriting and production staff, it was still Wells' primary producer.

"Operator" ("What Love Has Joined Together"), "Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right" ("Let's Try It Again)" and "Old Love" -- among Wells' successful B-sides in 1963, "How Love Has Joined Together" and "Old Love" were among her hits, including "Operator" and "Let's Try It Again)" and "Old Love," "M" ("Let Both Wells and Robinson recorded a duet titled "I Want You 'Round," which will be re-recorded by Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston.

"My Guy" was a well-known Wells song in 1964. The Smokey Robinson song became her signature hit on the Cashbox R&B chart for seven weeks and became the year's top R&B single. The song also made it to the Billboard Hot 100, where it eventually replaced Louis Armstrong's "Hello, Dolly!" At number 1, he has been at number one for two weeks. The album became Wells' second million-selling single.

To capitalize on the song's success, Motown launched Together, a duet album starring Marvin Gaye, a Motown singing sensation. The album debuted at number one on the R&B chart and number 42 on the pop charts, and was cited in the double-sided hits "Once Upon a Time" and "What's the Deal With You Baby."

"My Guy" was one of the first Motown hits the big apple, peaking at number 5 on the UK charts and making Wells a global celebrity. Wells, the Beatles' favorite American singer, became their first Motown artist to appear in the United Kingdom around this time. Wells was only one of three female singers to open for the Beatles, the others being Brenda Holloway and Jackie DeShannon. Danny Tyrell appeared on live broadcasts in Detroit. Wells made friends with all four Beatles and in the mid-decade, they released Love Songs to the Beatles.

Barney Ales, the Motown sales chief, recalled Wells' 1964 triumph: the opulent success of the company in 1964: a big win for the wells.

Wells, ironically during her most fruitful year, was having problems with Motown due to her initial recording contract, which she had signed at the age of 17. She was also furious that "My Guy" was being used to advertise The Supremes, who had a hit Motown album when "My Guy" was released. Despite the fact that Gordy tried to renegotiate with Wells, the singer nonetheless requested to be released from her Motown contract.

Wells stayed away from the studio for several months as she and Gordy unravelled the contract terms, with Wells attempting to obtain a greater share of the royalties she had earned during her time at Motown. Wells also invoked a provision that enabled her to leave the company, noting that her original deal was nullified because she had signed before she was a juvenile. Wells prevailed her case and was granted a settlement, bringing Motown to a halt in early 1965, whereupon she accepted a lucrative ($200,000) deal with 20th Century Fox Records.

She was not granted any royalties from her previous employment with the brand, as well as the use of her image to advertise herself, as part of the deal.

While addressing other problems, such as being bedridden for weeks with tuberculosis, Wells worked on samples for her latest record label. "Ain't The Truth" was Wells' first "B-side "Stop Taking Me for Granted" and "Never, Never Leave Me" were among the first "Use Your Head" and "Never, Never Leave Me" on Wells' eponymous first 20th century Fox's "Stop Stop Taking It For Granted" and "Never, Never Give Me Yourself." Nonetheless, the album flopped, as did the Beatles tribute album that was not released not too long after. According to rumors, Motown may have threatened to sue radio stations for airing Wells' post-Motown hits at this moment. The singer asked to be released in 1965 and left with a small settlement after a difficult period in which Wells and the brand competed over several issues after her debuts failed to chart, she pleaded with Wells and the brand.

Wells signed Atco, the Atlantic Records' subsidiary Atco, in 1966. "Dear Lover," which later became a modestly lucrative pop hit, debuted at number 51, collapsing at number 51, with producer Carl Davis. The singer, however, struggled to produce a sequel to 20th Century Fox, and she left Jubilee Records in 1968, where she co-wrote with then-husband Cecil Womack, a song she co-wrote on. In the meantime, she had hoped to make a film career, but she only appeared in 1967's Catalina Caper (1967). Wells left Jubilee in 1970 for a brief period of time with Warner Music subsidiary Reprise Records. Wells scored a hit in the United Kingdom with a re-issue of "My Guy," which was introduced on the Tamla-Motown label and climbed to number 14 in 1972. Despite being a reissue, Wells promoted the single heavily and appeared on the British television show Top of the Pops for the first time. Despite this mini-resurrection, she decided to step aside from music in 1974 to raise her family.

Wells divorced Cecil Womack in 1977 and returned to action. She was discovered by CBS Urban president Larkin Arnold in 1978 and offered a career with CBS subsidiary Epic Records, which released In and Out of Love in October 1981. The album, which had been released in 1979, saw Wells' biggest success in years, "Gigolo," a funky disco song.

"Gigolo" became a hit at dance clubs around the country. On Billboard's Hot Dance/Club Singles chart and at number 13 on the Hot Disco Songs chart, a six-minute mix reached number 13 and number two. A four-minute radio version of R&B stations in January 1982 made a weak debut at number 69, despite a modest success. It was Wells' last chart single.

The parent album's failure to chart or produce a hit sequel, These Arms, Motown-styled These Arms was published, but it fell and was quickly removed, and Wells' Epic contract fizzled. The album's failure may have been due to light advertising. She had one more album under her CBS deal, and Easy Touch, 1982, a collection of cover songs aimed at the adult contemporary radio style.

Since leaving CBS in 1983, she began to record for smaller companies, finding new success as a touring performer.

Wells was attempting to establish a hot dog chain on the April 21, 1984 edition of American Top 40.

During its inaugural year, Wells was given a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation.

Wells released an album in 1990 for Ian Levine's Motorcity Records, but her voice began to falter, prompting the singer to visit a local hospital. Doctors diagnosed Wells with laryngeal cancer. The disease wreaked havoc on her voice, causing her to stop performing, which caused her to abandon her music career. Since she had no health insurance, her illness wiped out her finances, prompting her to sell her house. As she continued to recover from illness, old Motown supporters, including Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, founders of the Temptations and Martha Reeves, made contributions to assist her. Dionne Warwick, Rod Stewart, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, and Bonnie Raitt all made contributions to assist her. Anita Baker, a fellow fan and Detroit R&B artist, performed a benefit concert that year. On The Joan Rivers Show, wells was also given a salute by colleagues such as Stevie Wonder and Little Richard.

Wells filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Motown in 1991 for royal rights she felt she had not obtained after leaving Motown Records in 1964 and for not promoting her music as the company should have. Motown eventually settled the case by giving her a six-figure sum. During the same year, she testified before the US Congress to expand federal support for cancer research.

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