[Mary Wilson was born in Greenville, Mississippi, on 6 March 1944.
Her family moved to Chicago and later Detroit.
At primary school in Detroit,
Wilson met Florence Ballard while
singing in a school talent show.
In 1958, Ballard recruited Wilson and Diana Ross to
form the Primettes.
The group performed covers at local events
and made a name for themselves locally.
Aspiring to sign to Motown, Ross asked her
former neighbour, Smokey Robinson,
to get them an audition with Gordy.
Undeterred by Gordy deeming them
too young to sign,
the trio made themselves a regular
presence around his Hitsville USA studio
until he allowed them to make guest appearances
on records by other artists.
“It really was like walking into a Disneyland,”
Wilson told the Observer of the Motown studio.
“All these creative people.”
In January 1961, Gordy signed the group under the proviso
that they change their name.
At first they failed to make an impression
on the charts but in 1964 their
version of Holland-Dozier-Holland’s
Where Did Our Love Go topped the US
charts and reached No 3 in the UK.
It was the beginning of an international chart streak
that included Baby Love, Stop! In the Name of Love
and You Can’t Hurry Love.
The trio also became known for their
glamorous attire, and in 1966,
their album Supremes A’ Go-Go became the first
record by an all-woman group to top
the US album charts,
knocking the Beatles’ Revolver off the No 1 spot.]
https://www.theguardian.com/music/20...box=1612860220