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Really sad to hear that @MWilsonSupreme of The Supremes fame has passed away. This lady was a real class act who I had the pleasure of spending a whole week with back in 2009 & she could not have been more generous with her time and talent. I have a few standout memories...(1/18) https://twitter.com/bbcbreaking/status/1359056290182537226
I was Comms Officer for @theshipley at the time & they hosted an exhibition of The Supremes dresses which remarkably, Mary had kept stored in her garage for years. Whenever someone left the group, she kept the dresses. (2/18)
She ended up with quite a collection which she wanted the world to see. The exhibition was a partnership with @V_and_A & toured the UK. It didn’t just look at the dresses though, it also explored the civil rights movement and the history of Motown. https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/exhibition-honours-supremes-star-mary-1456309.amp (3/18)
A few months before it opened, Mary was in Newcastle to perform at the arena in a Motown concert featuring all the big Motown stars. I got to go & meet her & show her the plans for promoting the exhibition & get some publicity shots in the gallery. She was very glamorous. (4/18)
I had to go and pick her up in a taxi from the Hilton - all the stars from the show were milling around the lobby and Martha Reeves came and chatted to me while I waited for Mary Wilson - surreal. (5/18)
That first visit went well and we got lots of beautiful photos of Mary in the gallery. A few months later, when the exhibition was due to open, Mary returned to the North East and that was when I got the amazing opportunity to spend a whole week with her. (6/18)
We spent that week travelling to different press interviews - all the local media wanted to talk to her so we had a very busy schedule. We also paid visits to @gatesheadcoll & @glynwoodschool where Mary spoke to students about her career & performed for them (incredible!). (7/18)
Everywhere we went, Mary shared amazing stories of meeting Berry Gordy for the 1st time, her experience of racial segregation in 1960s America, her memories of performing on television for the 1st time - all stories told with absolute charm that had everyone fascinated. (8/18)
On one evening, Mary performed a really intimate concert in the gallery for her biggest fans and for partners of the gallery. She turned up in this STUNNING black gown and sang a cappella by the piano. She was incredible and everyone literally just watched her in awe. (9/18)
She sang the Joni Mitchell song ‘Both sides now’ and it was one of the most beautiful performances I’ve ever seen, that song still makes me cry. Her voice was incredible, she really was extremely talented and that evening really showed that off. (10/18)
Another perk of spending that week with Mary was that we got to eat at all the best restaurants in Newcastle! I got to spend lots of time chatting to her over meals & in the car on the way to places & I loved listening to her tell her tales. And she loved to tell them. (11/18)
She was always impeccably dressed and her makeup was always absolutely flawless. She was in her late 60s at the time but looked nowhere near it. She really was fabulous. (12/18)
My husband and I were engaged at the time and she even offered to come and perform at our wedding (if we paid for her flight from Las Vegas!). To this day I don’t know why we didn’t bite her hand off for that offer as I genuinely think she meant it! (13/18)
At one of the events we went to, she gave me a copy of her book ‘Dreamgirl of Supreme Faith: My life as a Supreme’ and she even signed it for me, wishing @weeweegie and I congratulations on our engagement. (14/18)
At the end of our week, I was really sad to say goodbye to Mary as we’d spent so much time together & she’d shared so much of her life story with me, it felt like we were pals. The exhibition was (unsurprisingly) a huge success & lots of people got to see Mary’s dresses. (15/18)
Around a year later, Mary was back in town to perform at @Sage_Gateshead supporting Bill Whyman, & I was amazed & delighted to get a call saying she had left tickets at the box office for Alan & I to come & see her perform. She was amazing (of course!) & stole the show. (16/18)
She invited us backstage and we got to spend a bit of time catching up with her which was just so kind and lovely of her - we will never forget it. (17/18)
And that’s my lasting memory of Mary and the week I spent with her - someone incredibly talented who was very kind and generous with her time, had fascinating stories to tell and was always glamorous and beautiful. A real class act. She will be missed. (18/18)
