ON THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY: Mary Esther Wells May 13, 1943 – July 26, 1992 She was an American singer who helped to define the emerging sound of Motown in the early 1960s. Along with the Supremes, the Miracles, the Temptations, 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. With a string of hit singles composed mainly by Smokey Robinson, including Two Lovers (1962), the Grammy-nominated You Beat Me to the Punch (1962) and 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 popularity. She was one of Motowns first singing superstars. Mary Wells was one of the early superstars of Motown Records. In fact, she was so important to the development of the labels sound, and such a bright light in the labels early catalog, that she was known as The First Lady of Motown. That title also referred to Wells status as the first female star at Motown. There were a few women who joined the label before she did, Wells was the first to be wildly successful. And while weve got firsts on our minds, here are a few other firsts from Motown’s First Lady… In 1961, Mary Wells became the first Motown female artist to have a Top 40 pop single. I Dont Want to Take a Chance made it to No. 33 on the U.S. pop chart and helped establish Motown Records as a youth-culture powerhouse. Motown quickly gained respect in the music industry, and less than two years after that first first, Wells was nominated for a Grammy Award for her single You Beat Me to the Punch. She was the first Motown star to receive a Grammy nomination.By 1964, the world was falling in love with Motown – and with Mary Wells. The labels records were making a splash on the British charts, and when The Beatles were asked who their favorite American singer was, they named Wells. In fact, the Lads from Liverpool so admired her music that they invited her to open for them on their U.K. tour. Wells agreed and crossed the pond, making her the first Motown star to perform in the United Kingdom. Later, Wells recorded a tribute album on which she sang some of her favorite Beatles songs. In later years, Mary Wells and Motown went their separate ways. When Wells died, she hadnt been with the label for more than 25 years… but shell always be remembered as the First Lady of Motown. Mary Wells helped define the sound of Motown in the early 1960s and then took that sound to the UK, opening for the Beatles. Her powerful vocals propelled hits like Two Lovers, You Beat Me to the Punch and her signature song My Guy and helped to break down radios color barrier. As a child, Wells contracted spinal meningitis, leading to partial blindness and deafness in one ear. Music offered her an escape from her physical pain as well as a path to a successful career as a singer songwriter. Sadly, her voice was silenced by laryngeal cancer, but not before she was able to testify before Congress on the importance of funding cancer research. We remember Mary Wells remarkable life today as well as the lives of other notable people who died on this day in history.
Posted on: Sat, 26 Jul 2014 10:47:27 +0000